The Ebenezer Chapel

The PKC Group are reopening the Ebenezer Chapel for our local community to address the Climate Crisis in all its forms and address Fuel Poverty within our community.

The Climate Crisis is the issue of our time. From shifting weather patterns and diminishing food production to rising sea levels and the prospect of catastrophic flooding, the impact of the climate crisis is global and unprecedented in scale. Action needs to be taken and therefore we have decided to reopen The Ebenezer Chapel at the centre of our community as a Climate Crisis Mitigation Centre.

 

Adapting to the impacts of the Climate Crisis requires action at all levels of society. Here in Northeast Wales, we as the people and organisations need to work together to reduce the negative effects of the Climate Crisis and increase our resilience to its consequences.

 

Moving forward, we need to talk more about the Climate Crisis to build a greater understanding of local issues. This needs to be discussed with as many people as possible involving the whole community. By making small changes at local levels, we can contribute towards the solution of major problems that require action both nationally and internationally. After all, it is we the people, that have brought about the current situation.

The river Dee in the aftermath of Storm Christoph January 2021 during which NRW, Natural Resources Wales recorded the highest river levels ever.

Natural Resources Wales recoded a flood level of more than 16mts during storm Christoph.

Bowers Road was engulfed in water and local foot paths turned into small rivers.

The B5605 land slide caused by the erosion of the river Dee bank during Storm Christoph remains unusable two years later at the close of 2022. 

 

This and many other indications are present in our community. The Climate Crisis is not just something that is happening in some other part of the world, it is happening around us.

 

The scale of the Climate Crisis can appear overwhelming, but we must and seek opportunity to make a start. There’s a great understanding of local issues that can impact on Northeast Wales. We need to include our communities and empower them to form safe and resilient actions in response to the changing climate. We need to move our society towards a low carbon footprint to stop the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. We need to value Northeast Wales natural environment, enjoy it, protect it and enhance it to promote increased resilience to climate change.

 

As a result of the Climate Crisis, Northeast Wales can expect to see more intense rainfall, as we have seen and therefore, more flooding. That necessitates improvement in the common understanding of flood risk management and communication, preparation and building of resilience, and providing an effective and sustained response to events.

Flooding at Bangor on Dee and Broughton 2021. It is notable that this has occurred after the significant investment in flood control measures have been put in place, raising of the retainment at Bala Lake in the 1950’s and the construction of Lyn Brenig and Celyn in the 1970s and 1980’s. It would seem that events are now exceeding our current capacity for flood control and more needs to be done.

 

Positive actions that can help such as the support of business, companies and organisations in reducing carbon footprints, setting goals to send zero waste to landfill, along with finding value by making better use of resources that have direct cost savings and encourage a ‘circular’ economy. Linking the health and well-being agendas with the Climate Emergency. Biodiversity loss, pollution and the Climate Crisis aren’t just inconveniences. They are the biggest public health threats our communities face. When communities have access to green space, health and well-being is improved.

 

The development of community renewable energy schemes can have very positive outcomes both locally and nationally making a positive contribution towards addressing the Climate Crisis. We sincerely believe that we can turn our community around from post industrial depression that is a net energy user and drain on the national grid to one of a viable and prosperous community that actually produces more energy than it uses.

Local people enjoying Malcolm Glovers Photographic Exhibition, the first to be held at the Ebenezer in over 10 years.

Malcolm Glover (in blue) conversing with local people about his exhibition in August 2022.

Cefn Square outside the Ebenezer and the Holly Bush Inn at the centre of the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site on a mid-summers evening 2022.

The Ebenezer is also home to the most successful snooker team in NE Wales, The Cefn Snooker Team.

Mat Roberts, Team Captain and No 3 in Wales with 21/22 season hardware, winners of 12 cups out of a possible 13! Well done lads.