Sherburn Hill Community Hub receives £15,000 to support residents of Sherburn Hill, Durham, with solar panels.
The village to the east of Sherburn, in County Durham, Sherburn Hill received financial support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to enhance energy efficiency at the Sherburn Hill Community Hub and Café. The hub, funded by grants and ran as a charity, provides a valuable space for the local community to come together and is dedicated to creating a positive impact and fostering a sense of community. The £15,000 grant donation has funded solar panels which will enable the centre to save approximately £2,000 per year on energy bills and due to the reduction in the operating costs the centre will be able to provide the community with low cost, free and subsidised services. The solar panels will provide the hub with a modest export income and should batteries be attached the hub can then be flexible with energy usage furthering its energy savings.
Jemma Hewitson, Sherburn Hill Community Hub Centre Manager said “We are thankful for the support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation with the funds for solar panels for our centre. Through this support the centre can continue to offer our array of services to our diverse community.”
Sherburn Hill Community Hub photo caption L-R: Representative from Sherburn Hill Community Hub and Anne Haswell, on behalf of the Northern Powergrid Foundation outside of Sherburn Hill Community Hub, Durham.
The challenges for Sherburn Hill, Durham, residents
Due to the possibility of power interruptions at Sherburn Hill and the detrimental impact they would have on the essential services offered to the vulnerable local community the trustees identified a need to increase the centre's efficiency.
The solution for Sherburn Hill, Durham, residents
The trustees identified a need for solar panels to keep the cunning costs of the centre low.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £15,000 donation to go towards solar panels.
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.