The Old Swan & Minster Mill, Minster Lovell, Cotswolds, Celebrates Installation of Archimedes Screw with Ribbon Cutting by the Environment and Science Minister Lord de Mauley
   
1) From left to right: Lord de Mauley, Adrienne Eastwood, Group Marketing Director, de Savary Properties, Patrick Jones, General Manager, Old Swan & Minster Mill
2) The Archimedes Screw with people gathering
3) From left to right: Henry Reily Collins, Vaughan Taylor, Hallidays, Lord de Mauley, Adrienne Eastwood and Patrick Jones.

Lana de Savary owner of the Old Swan & Minster Mill, located beside the River Windrush, is today delighted to announce the completion of an Archimedes Screw. To celebrate the completion of the work, which was undertaken by Hallidays Hydropower, the Environment and Science Minster Lord de Mauley, visited the hotel, to officially switch on the giant turbine.  The project which has taken two years in the planning and construction, at a cost of £200,000, has ensured the hotel is the first in the country to install a giant turbine.

A significant green energy commitment, the “fish friendly” technology, has been selected for its low impact on the river's ecosystem and its efficient energy production. A fish pass has also been developed as part of the scheme to improve fish spawning grounds. Based on Archimedes' ancient screw pump design, the two by five meter screw is turned as water flows through it, activating the turbine and harnessing up to 87 per cent of the energy from the falling water. The technology enables the scheme to give a peak output of 10 kW and generate power of 48,000kwh/year.

The Old Swan & Minster Mill has earned a strong reputation for its commitment to sustainability, but this high profile endorsement of design and engineering is indicative of a bigger trend towards 'micro hydro'. The technology is winning attention and investment from landowners, businesses and communities across Britain, generating income through the Feed-in Tariff, cost savings in the face of continuing energy price rises and CO2 reductions.

Owner of the Old Swan & Minster Mill, Lana de Savary, wife of international entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter de Savary, said, “We are delighted to be the first hotel in the country to invest in this latest technology with Hallidays. We continually look at every area of our business to become more considerate locally, nationally and globally. “  

Environment and Science Minister Lord de Mauley said: “The Old Swan & Minster Mill will be powered by eco-friendly hydroelectric technology and joins 450 businesses and homes who have installed micro-hyro power since 2010. Developments like this are making an important contribution to decarbonizing the UK's energy mix – in the first quarter of 2014 hydo accounted for over 12 per cent of renewable electricity generated in the UK.”

Hallidays Hydropower - Hallidays Hydropower, established in the UK in 2007, is an award-winning hydropower company. It manages the complete development process from initial surveys through to commissioning, and offers owned or financed hydropower to help customers secure the ROI benefits of hydro at minimal risk. Hallidays Hydropower is technology agnostic, but specialises in the deployment of Archimedes Screws.

Hallidays Hydropower works with commercial businesses, land and property owners, communities and developers to reduce CO2 emissions and electricity prices through the generation of clean, emission-free power from water.  The founders of Hallidays Hydropower installed the UK's first domestic Archimedes Screw in 2007, and have since worked on projects for the National Trust, as well as multiple listed buildings, private mills and properties. www.hallidayshydropower.com

The Old Swan & Minster Mill - Located in the historic village of Old Minster, between Witney and Burford, the 15th Century Old Swan & Minster Mill is rural England at its most romantic. Now privately owned and run by the well-known de Savary Family, renowned for their leading hotels and resorts around the world, the 60 bedroom country house hotel and inn has been fully restored. Set amongst acres of restored gardens, wild meadows, weeping willows and wildlife, the property has over a mile of the River Windrush running through the grounds.

The Condé Nast Johansens-recommended Old Swan & Minster Mill offers boutique, timber-framed respite from urban life.  Dine on creative gastro-pub dishes in the inn's cosy dining rooms or settle by the flickering log-fire in the country-check lounge.

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For more information, please visit www.oldswanandminstermill.com, or call Patrick Jones, general manager, on 01993 774441. For further press information, please contact Sally Firth on 07956 939915, or email sally@firthcommunications.co.uk.