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Only the brave would have predicted at the end of a terrible August that the Saturday of Wye Fayre would have dawned fair. But dawn fair it did and, thanks to many hands and many hours the village came alive for a communal get-together that we hope will be repeated annually. Here, rather belatedly, we have a few more memories in the form of video clips. The clips , although edited are rather long so please be patient when downloading. As usual we apologise for any technical shortcomings.

Thanks again to all who made it so enjoyable.
Don’t forget Farmers’ Market and Morris Dancing this coming weekend.

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A silent collection of our Fayre.

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Wye needs the youngsters and there were many of them too.

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Ann prayed for fine weather and some even danced to stop the rain.

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The ChillBillies – weren’t they great?

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More ChillBillies (www.thechillbillies.co.uk)

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Well I never, who would have guessed that we have SO MUCH talent?

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And so say all of us – Karen said it all.

We had it wrong all along and we are not too arrogant to admit it. Imperial College are busy discovering ways to save the planet from climate change and Wye College closure is the definitive proof that Imperial can not only save money but reduce the impact of carbon dioxide emissions from power stations.

Imperial College London News Release

Wednesday 30 June 2010

Switching off lights, turning the television off at the mains and using cooler washing cycles could have a much bigger impact on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power stations than previously thought, according to a new study published this month in the journal Energy Policy. The study shows that the figure used by government advisors to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide saved by reducing people’s electricity consumption is up to 60 percent too low.

The power stations that supply electricity vary in their carbon dioxide emission rates, depending on the fuel they use: those that burn fossil fuels (coal, gas and oil) have higher emissions than those driven by nuclear power and wind. In general only the fossil fuel power stations are able to respond instantly to changes in electricity demand.

Thank you Imperial College, if only you had told us.

One of the background elements to Wye’s concern about the closure of Wye College is education for employment. Rural areas have been historically neglected in favour of the urban centres and Wye, with its historical association with different forms of education, is the exception rather than the rule. However, the presence of the college has for many families been an inspiration to follow the path of education and training to shape personal destiny. The loss of many student faces among us will have resonances that we have yet to discover. Of course we still have a large primary school but, as in the past, beyond their brief association with Wye the children move away, even Wye’s own children. But what now inspires them? Is it farming skills and management? Probably not. Will it be the bio-sciences? Maybe but the sights of broken laboratories and neglected greenhouses will hardly be inspiring. Geoff Chapman has suggested a new Wye College and has gone as far as initiating a University of the Third Age – not quite what young people embarking on the stony road ahead will need to inspire them. It is all too easy to criticise the youth of today but when we look at the recent UN assessment of global resources (Geo-4: visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7060072.stm) we may feel sorry for them. Does this mean Wye will become an unemployment and educational black-spot? In earlier comments about the closure we had a number of college employees asking what was to be done about their specific jobs and they found no answer forthcoming, subsequently college workers have become redundant/retired or have found employment elsewhere. According to our Borough Councillor we have housing problems as well as employment problems. Perhaps Wye, like the country at large, has an even bigger problem “Who are we and what should we be doing?”

Readers who are in the process of making decisions about their own direction might like to watch the following video and visit the UK Commission for Employment and Skills site.

http://www.ukces.org.uk/video/video-skills-for-jobs-today-and-tomorrow-the-national-strategic-skills-audit-for-england-2010

Two New Tennis Courts

Broken Eggs and Omelettes?

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