North Tyne and Redesdale Community Partnership receives £332.96 to support its residents of North Tyne with uninterruptable power supply.

The uniterruptable power supply (UPS) funded by the Northern Powergrid Foundation supports the public Wi-Fi systems in Bellingham, Northumberland. Since installation Bellingham, a remote part of western Northumberland, has been impacted by a small number of short duration power interruptions, positively the UPS has worked perfectly. This means Wi-Fi is resilient to power cuts and the community are able to communicate with loved ones and receive important updates of power recovery. It is understood that the solution will allow for connectivity via the public Wi-Fi to last up to two days in the event of a power cut, providing a lifeline in case of emergency (or even just a way to communicate for residents when the mobile network fails in the area).

This UPS project has spurred on others in Falstone village, as well as Barrasford and parts of Kielder due to it improving connectivity and resilience in the event of a power outage to remote and rural locations. 

Since installing Bellingham has experienced a few small power cuts and a longer power cut, positively the Wi-Fi system stayed strong. 

The challenges for Bellingham, Northumberland, residents

Due to the remote rural location and the possibility of power interruptions at Bellingham the community identified a need to increase their communication resilience. 

The solution for Bellingham, Northumberland, residents

When impacted by power cuts the Bellingham community are unable to communicate with loved ones and emergency services, so applying for funds for UPS was key in keeping in connection with others.  

Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation

The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £332.96 donation to go towards an uninterruptable power supply. 

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.