Great Whittington Hall receives £4,000 for it to become a crisis hub to support its residents of Great Whittington, Northumberland.
Located 5 miles from North of Corbridge, Great Whittington Village Hall, situated in the small village of Great Whittington in rural Northumberland, received £4,000 from Northern Powergrid Foundation. The Foundation supported the halls project to increase energy resilience with the funds to purchase a generator and resilience materials.
Great Whittington has no gas supply so most residents rely on an electricity supply to operate. When power interruptions happen it can cause a disruption, and in the peaks of winter our residents will end up cold and in the dark. The grant enabled the hall to purchase two generators and other items allowing the hall to become an emergency hub. The hall is a safe and warm place to reside and be connected during power cuts for the residents of Whittington.
Albeit the community don't want their power to be interrupted and to have a need to use their resilience kit, the local community has already benefitted. The resilience materials funded by the Foundation have been used by one very rural resident with two under school age children who had a major heating breakdown at home.
Philip Hinchcliffe, Chair said “Our village hall plays a vital role in the community due to the diversity of the residents. With the support from the Foundation the hall can continue to play that role. We now have the opportunity to keep our community warm and safe at times of need, particularly during times of power interruptions, through the use of a generator and resilience pieces of kit”.
Great Whittington Village Hall photo caption L-R: MP Guy Opperman, Philip Hinchcliffe, Chair, and Louse Lowes, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee with community members of Great Whittington.
The challenges for Great Whittington, Northumberland residents
Due to the remote location of Great Whittington and the hall's full reliance on electricity there is a possibility of interruptions that would leave the community vulnerable, especially during the winter months.
The solution for Great Whittington, Northumberland residents
Great Whittington Village Hall trustees identified the need to increase their energy resilience with the provision of a generator to allow the hall to be a safe haven to the parish of Whittington during times of power interruptions.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £4,000 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.