A free guided walk through wildflower-rich hay-meadows, and the chance to search for the elusive “Ratty”, is on offer on Monday July 4th in the Bletch Brook Valley, between Parwich and Tissington.
Peak District National Park ecologists and experts from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust will lead the walk, looking out for rare species including the water vole, known as “Ratty” in Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows. One of the UK’s most threatened species, the water vole has disappeared from 90 per cent of sites it occupied over the last 60 years. But it does survive in pockets of the Peak District National Park – including the Bletch Brook Valley.
The two-hour walk starts from two meeting places, both at 6.30pm on July 4: outside the Sycamore Inn in Parwich, and in front of Hand’s Well in Tissington. There is no need to book. Dogs should be on leads. If you have any questions, please call 01298 84992.
Rainwater harvesting systems, like the one currently being installed in the new Memorial Hall, collect rainwater from the roof and store it in large tanks. This water can then be used for non-drinking applications, such as flushing the loos. 
So how does it work? A GSHP works a bit like a fridge, but in reverse. If you hold your hand at the back of your fridge, you will feel heat coming out. That is because the fridge is effectively pumping heat from inside the fridge to the outside air, thereby making the inside of the fridge cold. A GSHP works by pumping heat that is stored in the ground into the water pipes of the building’s heating system. 
A group of running enthusiasts (well Paul D, Don and me) are organising an event in aid of The Memorial Hall rebuild to be staged on the evening of Tuesday 4th August.
PARWICH.ORG 