King's visit CAT
Twenty eight students – a mixture of lively Removes and Shells accompanied by an inquisitive Sixth Form ventured to the Centre of Alternative Technology, near Machllyneth, mid Wales. The group was led by Mrs Lydon, Mrs Hollingworth, Mr Parry and trip co-ordinator Mr Aldridge. We started off the trip with a three hour long bus journey into the heart of Wales. We knew we were getting closer to our destination as our phone signal diminished from full bar to ‘SOS’ and the roads became increasingly windier. Apprehensively, we disembarked from the coach unsure of what to expect and due to arriving in near on pitch black our feelings were not immediately reassured.
Cabin coordinator Rene greeted us after an unexpected steep climb to the eco-cabins. He explained how the centre was ran and instructed us on how to keep a watchful eye on our energy consumption using the boards and warning us not to let the monitor reading go below 23.5 watts!
We then began to acquaint ourselves with our accommodation and started to feel at ease with a cup of cocoa in hand. A brief session of Creative Writing for the 6th formers followed swiftly whilst the younger years launched into an exciting environmental session, held by our very own eco-warrior - Mr Aldridge. Free writing included reflection and stimulation exercises some of which helped us to discover our creative flexibility to Mrs Lydon’s random prompts as we rose to her challenges. Self-consciousness was forgotten as we shared our work amongst the group.
The rooms were relatively basic but the cosy atmosphere made for a homely environment. It was easy to collect our thoughts with few distractions in the remote setting. Trouble arose for some, however, when the realisation that there were no plugs sockets available nearly caused Vicky Wilson-Theaker to have a mental breakdown. A further blow came for Mrs Lydon when the news that her electrical hair appliance (which she claims to have mistakenly taken) was banned from the centre during our stay.
It became evident that we were surrounded by nature as peculiar noises (along with anonymous snoring) filled the cabin. Night time had not done the stunning scenery justice as we woke up to spectacular countryside views. We were grateful to Mrs Hollingworth who had woken up to set the fire in the stove to guarantee us all a hot shower.
On Saturday morning, we were lucky enough to be taken on a guided tour around the centre where we were shown all the energy-saving facilities. The Removes and Shells were particularly fascinated by the innovative and original moving ceiling, in their new lecture theatre which they called ‘The Eclipse’. We learned about the various ways in which we could conserve energy in our daily lives. For example, a full bath uses up to 80 litres of water, whereas a 5-minute normal shower uses about 35 litres, saving 45 litres of water. As we continued to ponder about how we could alter our energy-consuming lifestyles, we were told the inspiring story of how the centre had grown from a sparse number of voluntary workers to over 200, becoming Europe’s leading eco-centre. We were a small number of the total 65,000 people that annually visit the centre and fortunately got the chance to talk to one of the volunteers who had recently graduated from university with a degree in Geography who told us about the benefits and attractions of CAT. She commented on how she felt everyone played a pivotal role in achieving the idea of sustainability and was impressed to see the amount of young students that were interested in helping improve the planet.
After getting to know the lower school students during their art session in the woods where they used natural materials to create interesting sculptures they shared with us how the experience had had a positive impact on them, saying “It’s really interesting to find proof of how you can live without wasting the world’s resources” and an astonished youngster also remarked “I’m amazed at how they are not connected to the National Power Grid!”
To round up the day, the sixth-formers ran a creative writing workshop for the younger students, which was thoroughly enjoyed and a lot of talent was displayed. They produced stories and poems in groups which were read aloud and winners were chosen. We ended the weekend with an eco-themed dramatisation put on by the Sixth Form: an original play by Joe Hollingsworth, Vicky Wilson-Theaker, Chris Robson and Nathan Addison. Adding humour to the closing night, we all reflected on the more serious element of the deterioration of our planet and what part we could play in saving it.
Travelling home the next morning, we returned with a new attitude towards energy and sustainable living. We would recommend this centre to anyone interested in gaining a different and informed environmental perspective. Thanks to Mr Aldridge, Mrs Lydon, Mrs Hollingsworth and all the rest of the team that gave up their weekend to enrich the minds of the students and all who catered for us at the Centre for Alternative Technology.
By Sian Bayliss and Nicole Clerk