Heathland to Hearth: supporting nature & reducing fuel poverty
Here at Cwm Arian, the team have been busily developing and trialling an exciting new product: TWYMO, an eco-fuel that is free to local people living in poverty.
The TWYMO briquettes are made from bracken and gorse that's collected from common land in North Pembrokeshire.
Next month, they'll be available to buy in local shops. For every seven sold, one will be donated to food banks – PATCH in Milford Haven and Cardigan Food Bank.
Why make fuel from bracken and gorse?
Although bracken and gorse can benefit some wildlife, it needs to be carefully managed, as it can be abundant and invasive – out competing other plants and limiting biodiversity.
So, the Cwm Arian team have been harvesting bracken, gorse and other heathland vegetation to create healthy, diverse habitats following a careful management plan.
Once harvested, the team bale, shred, dry, and press the harvested vegetation to produce solid fuel briquettes.
The heat out put of the briquettes is comparable to kiln-dried logs, they have a 15% maximum moisture content, and from heath-to-hearth it's only a 30-mile radius so they reduce fuel miles.
Over the last few months, Nicky Pang and Tom Dixon – who run the Heathland Social Enterprise, a Cwm Arian project – have been testing their ideas, and trailing a variety of plant recipes to create the briquettes. Now, the briquettes are about to hit the shelves.
Tom said: "The project is entering a really exciting phase as we finally have products going out to shops so people are able to feel the warmth, while financially contributing towards the important ecology and fuel poverty work."
Launching TWYMO Briquettes
This month, we began an exciting partnership with C&M Organics, who have made TWYMO briquettes available to their Veg Box customers and they will soon be on sale in their shop in Glandwr, north-west Carmarthenshire.
On the lead up to festive season, we're getting ready to make TWYMO briquettes available to buy at other local shops in Crymych, Newport, Newcastle Emlyn and Narberth, as well as directly through Cwm Arian as a bulk order delivery service.
We'll be launching this next month, so look out for up-dates in our newsletter and across our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
By going out and buying TWYMO briquettes, you'll be demonstrating that there's strong local support for a product that creates healthy habitats for wildlife, supports people living in fuel poverty, and is an environmentally-conscious solution to keeping our homes cosy this winter.
If Cwm Arian can show this local support for TWYMO briquettes through strong sales, we'll be in a much better position to secure ongoing funding for the project.
The aims and values behind TWYMO briquettes really sum-up what Cwm Arian is all about – creating a thriving place for nature and people. But we don't do this alone, it's all thanks to your involvement and support.
For more information, visit cwmarian.org.uk and, if you're interested in the bulk order delivery service, contact Tom: tom@cwmarian.org.uk
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