AN action group which battled to stop a wind farm being built near Copmanthorpe is to hold an exhibition of green initiatives.

Last summer, Copmanthorpe Wind Farm Action Group celebrated after York councillors rejected plans to build a 70-metre mast near the village.

It now aims to counter allegations of “Nimbyism” by organising a public exhibition of ways in which the village can reduce its carbon footprint.

The committee, which is being supported by Copmanthorpe Parish Council, aims to find out which initiatives local people would like to see in the village by holding an exhibition of numerous stalls covering a variety of technologies and activities at Copmanthorpe Methodist Church on February 25, from 10am to 4pm.

Graham Auton, vice-chairman of the group, said: “The whole affair last year served to galvanise the residents of Copmanthorpe and the surrounding villages. More than 95 per cent of residents were opposed to the development, for very good reason.

“We were often criticised as being ‘Nimbys’, which we always felt was unfair, as we were in favour of energy conservation and carbon reduction.

“Once our campaign slowed down, we decided that we should capitalise on the community spirit and in turn demonstrate our green credentials to those who so readily criticised our campaign. We have put an awful lot of effort into organising this and I want to try to get as many people along as possible to raise awareness and have an enjoyable time.”

The Village Green exhibition is open to everyone but particularly villagers from Askham Bryan and Askham Richard.

Stalls will include solar panel advisers, environmental group York Rotters and the Energy Saving Trust.

The mast plan could have seen the construction of a “test mast” which would have collected data to be used in a further planning application for a full wind farm.

However, the application was thrown out on the grounds it was inappropriate for a green belt and would be detrimental to the area because of its height, design and its effect on the visual amenity of the Copmanthorpe area and the “historical character of York”.