A charity in the town of Prudhoe and a community centre in the village of Stocksfield have received funding from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to help provide sustainable energy sources to protect residents during a power crisis.  The Northern Powergrid Foundation, established by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network that powers the lives of 8 million people in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, is passionate about being able to support communities and creating resilient and thriving communities through access to funds.  

Friends of Eastwoods Park

Friends of Eastwoods Park received £13,476 from The Foundation in support of solar panels and battery storage for the Miners Lamp Cafe and Community Hub to continue to play its vital role in the community of Prudhoe, Northumberland, by keeping their vulnerable residents safe, warm and fed through the use of an alternative energy efficient power source.  

Fiona Wardlaw, Friends of Eastwoods and Miners Lamp Café and Community Hub Development Worker said “The funds received from the Foundation are gratefully received as this means our hub and our team of volunteers can support our local and wider community of elderly and young families all year round regardless of the elements. The solar panels and battery storage will allow us to continue to provide our vital services to those that need us the most. Our food bank will stay open, ingredients will be kept fresh, meals will continue to be cooked and our doors will remain open providing a warm and safe space to our communities.” 

Eastwoods Park and Miners Lamp Café and Community Hub photo caption L-R:  Fiona Wardlaw, Project and Development Worker, Russ Greig, Miners Lamp Café Project Manager, and Anne Haswell, Northern Powergrid Project Manager outside of Miners Lamp Café. 

Stocksfield Community Centre

A few miles west, Stocksfield Community Association, which owns and runs Stocksfield Community Centre, received £15,000 from The Foundation. The funds are to provide the centre with storage batteries, allowing for a self-sufficient energy source, to compliment the previously installed solar panels, two AC chargers and emergency power switch circuitry to increase the community centre’s energy resilience during power outages and to reduce energy bills. The storage batteries can store over 16 kWH of energy which will allow the community centre to remain operational for about two days.  Stocksfield Community Centre is registered as an Emergency Rest Centre with Northumberland County Council Civil Contingencies Team and this system will allow the Centre to remain open to support residents during major emergencies such as the recent series of storms affecting the region. 

The storage batteries will also allow electricity generated during daylight hours to be used in the evenings - often the busiest time for activities at the centre. when the Community Centre This will of course reduce energy bills. 

Norman Hooks, Stocksfield Community Association Trustee said “We spent some time researching environmentally friendly solutions and developing our project. The technical team at Northern Powergrid have been extremely helpful in making sure that the system we now have will remain fit for purpose for a very long time. Time spent finding out what is best for your building is time well spent.” 

Barbara Braysher, Stocksfield Community Association Chair of Trustees said: “The funds from the Foundation have allowed us to improve energy efficiency, decrease gas consumption and reduce our energy bills by utilising the energy stored in the batteries to support the evening activities when the centre is predominantly used. Should there be a power disruption, our batteries could enable the centre to be kept open and serving local residents for 2-3 days”. 

Stocksfield Community Centre photo caption L-R:  Norman Cook, Stocksfield Community Association Trustee, Barabara Brayshaw, Stocksfield Community Association Chair and Anne Haswell, Northern Powergrid Project Manager inside of Stocksfield Community Centre. 

The challenges for Stocksfield, Northumberland, residents

Due to the possibility of further power interruptions at Stocksfield and the impact they would have on the essential services offered to the local community the trustees identified a need to increase their resilience and efficiency. 

The solution for Stocksfield, Northumberland, residents

The trustees of Stocksfield Community Centre identified a need to add batteries to their existing solar panels to allow the hall to remain open for the local community to safely reside during times of power interruptions as well as benefit from energy efficiency. 

Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation

The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £15,000 donation to go towards energy storage batteries. 

Support offered by the Northern Powergrid Foundation

The funding awarded is part of a batch of successful applications to The Northern Powergrid Foundation, which was set up to support and improve local community energy resilience. The scheme has, so far, awarded £560,000 and supported over 40 projects across Northumberland and County Durham worst hit by the winter storms of 2021-22.  

The funded communities are delivering unique and exciting projects that will have a lasting impact by enabling hubs to be self-sufficient in supporting their residents today, tomorrow and in the future. Projects include the establishment or the expansion of community hubs so that the likes of community halls and parish halls can play a vital role in keeping their community safe and warm during power interruptions with the introduction of solar panels, heat pumps and generators.  

Jodie Coe, Northern Powergrid Trustee said: “I’m delighted that many community projects located across Northumberland and Durham have been supported by The Foundation. It’s great to see communities finding ways to support one another during times of need as well as considering the long-term environmental impact. The projects at Eastwoods and Stocksfield are a positive step in becoming locally resilient to unexpected power cuts. I hope to see even more ambitious community projects across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire being supported by The Foundation in the near future.” 

More about The Northern Powergrid Foundation  

The Northern Powergrid Foundation will officially launch soon, with grant applications from communities across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire accepted in due course. The 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. The Foundation has worked with Northern Powergrid’s community partners to identify the best ways to create a positive and enduring impact for those worst affected by Storm Arwen in 2021.