Reed Hall receives £20,000 to support its residents in Bellingham, Northumberland, with battery storage.
Bellingham is a village and civil parish in rural Northumberland, to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. Reed Hall received £20,000 from The Northern Powergrid Foundation in support of battery storage to establish the centre as a warm hub and to enable the centre to continue to support the residents of Bellingham, Northumberland, during power interruptions.
Peter Loyd, Chairman said "Thanks to the grant funding from Northern Powergrid Foundation our hall can continue to be a hub of activity even during times of power interruptions. Due to the rural location of Bellingham we are prone to power cuts of varying durations, by having a place to congregate our community we can keep warm and connected during these times. Away from power cuts, the hall benefits from reduced utility bills by drawing electricity down from the energy storage battery. Our community are grateful to have this safe place to reside as a group, especially during the isolated cold and dark wintery months and to benefit from reduced financial outlay.”
The challenges for Bellingham, Northumberland, residents
Due to the remote location and the possibility of power interruptions at Bellingham the trustees of Reed Hall identified a need to increase their local energy resilience.
The solution for Bellingham, Northumberland, residents
The trustees of Reed Hall identified that energy storage batteries were their best solution to allow the centre to remain open for the local community to safely reside during times of power interruptions.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £20,000 donation to go towards energy storage batteries.
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.