A nearly 200-year-old building got a new lease of life thanks to grant funding to bring into the 21st century.  

The Stanhope Community Association is a charity based out of a repurposed 183-year-old police station in County Durham.

They provide vital services and a meeting place for those people how may need a helping hand in the area.  

But due to a boom in in their pottery class, they began looking at ways to make the old police station more energy efficient.

That's when they were alerted to the grant funding available for resilience projects in the North East, Yorkshire, and northern Lincolnshire via Northern Powergrid Foundation. 

Northern Powergrid Foundation is the charitable arm of Northern Powergrid, and passionate about being able to support innovative organisations and community projects addressing energy-related challenges including fuel poverty, energy resilience and the net zero transition.

Beryl Brown, Chair of Trustees at Stanhope Community Association, has welcomed the arrival of the brand-new technology in the hopes it brings down their energy bills.  

"Our pottery class has become more popular, so we need the solar panels to help offset the energy they are using via the kilns. It's great to have such incredible technology in such an old building, it keeps it going even though it's getting on a bit. The Association tries accommodate to whatever the community needs but we can't do it alone, we are lucky to have received this funding."

Beryl has been part of the Stanhope Community Association for over 10 years, joining shortly after her husband passed away to keep herself busy.

Little did she know that just a few short years later, she would be entrusted with running the association and keep the services going to support her local community.

Stanhope Community Association received £19,200 to fund solar panels and battery storage for the residents of Stanhope, Durham.

The panels and the battery will provide the old police station with energy resilience allowing it to serve the local residents in times of power interruptions.

Today trustees from Northern Powergrid Foundation are celebrating their ability to support those who really need it, and making sure that others are prepared this winter. 

Louise Lowes, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee, said "Meeting Beryl was such a breath of fresh air, she is exactly what the people of Stanhope need to keep the association and the beautiful building it's housed in up and running. People like her are the lifeline of a community and an inspiration to us all, we all could be doing more to make sure those who need extra support receive it.

"Being able to provide the Stanhope Community Association with solar panels and battery storage to help if there is ever an interruption to their power supply is necessary for the community.

"The Association provides a safe space for the local community to go in an emergency, where they can socialise as well as provide hot drinks and phone charging facilities."

Applications for the next round of grant funding are now open until 14 October 2024. 

Visit northernpowergridfoundation.com for more information, which includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), eligibility criteria, grant making policy and instructions to start your application.