Britain's First Carbon-Neutral Village

"The village school in Ashton Hayes, near Chester, already has a solar panel which provides enough energy to heat the water the caretaker uses to wash classroom floors, and soon a wind turbine will be installed on the school roof. The parish council chairman, Hugo Deynem, will be able to see its blades turn as he works on the eco-friendly extension he is building to his cottage in the centre of the village (pop: 1,000)."

"The project, which sets out to show how small efforts can combine into significant collective action, celebrates its first anniversary tonight with the premiere of a film charting a year in which villagers' conversations have been dominated by talk and action on solar power, wind turbines, recycling and carbon footprints."

"Enthusiasm has blossomed as locals have come to realise that they can make a difference."