The Lynemouth Miners Welfare Institute in Northumberland has received a crucial £2,000 grant to support its residents with the installation of solar panels and battery storage.

Photo Caption L-R: Honor Morton, David Johnson, Jacqueline Critchley, stood at the front of the Lynemouth Miners Welfare Institute presenting a Giant Cheque. 

This funding, provided by the Northern Powergrid Foundation, was the final piece needed to complete the project after additional funding was sourced from other avenues.

With this support, the institute successfully installed 60 solar panels and battery storage, ensuring they can harness renewable energy and enhance the resilience of their essential services. David Johnson, the institute’s club secretary, shared the impact of this project:

David Johnson, the institute’s club secretary, said “Before the energy crisis, our bills were around £1,000 a month for gas and £700 for electricity. Once prices rose, these went up to £2,500 a month for gas, and £1,700 for electricity. We just can’t afford to stay open at those prices.

“The project to install solar panels and battery storage is so important to us and the future of this building. It’s not just a social space, it’s also the home of Bacmans, a community organisation offering a food bank, clothing hub, and income support to residents. They also run school holiday childcare and sports clubs to help get local children off the street.

“Without this grant from the Northern Powergrid Foundation, we couldn’t have completed the project. It might only have been £2,000, but when you’re £2,000 short for a big project, it may as well be £40,000.”

Despite the project completing during winter, they are already seeing the benefits of their solar panels and considering what they can do in the future to improve their energy efficiency further, including installing air source heat pumps.

The challenges for Lynemouth, Northumberland residents

The building, which was previously used as a theatre, is 100 years old this year. It’s a large space, the only function space in the village, and as a result costs a lot of money to heat. The Building is also home to Bacmans Community , a community organisation offering a food bank, clothing hub, income support, and school holiday childcare and sports clubs.

The solution for Lynemouth, Northumberland, residents

The trustees of Lynemouth Miners Welfare Institute identified that solar panels and batteries were the best solution to allow the building to remain open for the local community and act as a place of safety and warmth during times of power interruptions and emergencies.

Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation

The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £2,000 donation to go towards solar panels and energy storage battery. 

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.

Interested parties should visit our 'who and what we fund' page to understand what support may be given to other community projects.