DERIC Youth and Community Project receives £9,000 to support its residents of Bearpark, Durham, with electricity generation.
The village and civil parish of Bearpark, Durham, which hosts the DERIC Youth and Community Project, received financial support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to improve resilience for their community that is predominantly elderly and vulnerable with £9,000 for a generator and emergency packs that include items such as power packs, wind up radios and flasks.
The DERIC Youth and Community Project provides help and guidance alongside social outings and activities in a safe environment for both young people and elderly. The support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation has enabled the centre to remain open to deliver vital services to the local community during times of power interruptions.
Caroline Jackson, Chair of Trustees said "Our centre is a vibrant place that is run predominately by volunteers who want to do their best for the community but with a limited budget, so by receiving funds from the Northern Powergrid Foundation we are pleased to able to continue to deliver our vital services to our elderly community. With the provision of a generator the centre can remain open, light and warm during power interruptions and for those who are less mobile the emergency packs can be shared to use in the comfort of their own homes. The lessons learnt from lockdown and previous years winter storms highlighted weakness in our resilience plans, with the support from our parish council we’ve been able to develop a resilient emergency plan provide our residents with great comfort.”
DERIC Youth and Community Project photo caption L-R: Representatives of the DERIC Youth and Community Project and Anne Haswell, on behalf of the Northern Powergrid Foundation, outside of DERIC Community Hub, Durham.
The challenges for Bearpark, Durham, residents
Due to the possibility of power interruptions at Bearpark and the impact they would have on the essential services offered to the local vulnerable community the trustees identified a need to increase their energy resilience.
The solution for Bearpark, Durham, residents
The trustees of Beaurepaire Community Centre identified a need for a generator to allow the centre to continue to deliver its essential services during times of power interruptions.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £9,000 donation to go towards a generator.
More about the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation’s mission, complementing Northern Powergrid’s ambition to be a force for good in the communities it serves, is to support communities most affected by changes in the economy, environment, and society because of the shifting energy landscape. This will be achieved by supporting projects focused on helping to tackle energy resilience during emergency events, vulnerability, fuel poverty, levelling the rural divide, innovation, social support, and community collaboration. Funds are available to support the communities across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire served by Northern Powergrid.