Otterburn Memorial Hall receives £13,277 for it to become a warm hub to support its residents of Otterburn, Northumberland with a generator
Nestled in the Rede Valley bordering the Northumberland National Park on the A696 is the small village of Otterburn. Otterburn Memorial Hall received £13,277 from The Northern Powergrid Foundation in support of a generator for the hall to remain open for its local residents during emergency events.
Lisa Murray, Memorial Hall Treasurer said “It wouldn’t have been possible for the hall to continue to support our community, particularly those that are vulnerable if it wasn't for the Foundation’s support. Should we experience a power cut the community can continue to use the hall as a place of refuge due to having a generator. When we need to use the generator we can still use the facilities within the hall as we would do normally which is great for our community”.
Otterburn Memorial Hall photo caption L-R: John Hartshorne, Memorial Hall Committee member, Louise Lowes, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee, Lisa Murray, Treasurer, MP Guy Opperman and Steve Bloomer, Parish Councillor, outside of Otterburn Memorial Hall.
The challenges for Otterburn, Northumberland, residents
Due to the rural location of Otterburn and the possibility of further power interruptions due to bad weather and the impact they would have on the essential services offered to the local community at the memorial hall the trustees identified a need to increase their resilience to support the vulnerable community.
The solution for Otterburn, Northumberland, residents
The trustees of Otterburn Memorial Hall identified a generator to allow the hall to remain open for the local community to safely reside during times of power interruptions. The hall would be able to provide hot food and drinks, as well as hot washing facilities including showers.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £13,277 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.