Organisations across Hexham, Northumberland have received funding from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to help provide a sustainable energy source and enhanced community facilities 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.

Otterburn Memorial Hall

Nestled in the Rede Valley bordering the Northumberland National Park on the A696 is the small village of Otterburn. Otterburn Memorial Hall received £10,352 from The 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.

Birtley Village Hall

Located approximately 14 mile south of Otterburn, in the rural hamlet of Birtley, Birtley Village Hall received £13,860 from The Foundation in support of a generator to become a crisis hub for the residents of Birtley Northumberland. 

Birtley Village Hall photo caption L-R: Louise Lowes, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee, David Burn, Chairman, and MP Guy Opperman outside of Birtley Village Hall.

Great Whittington Village Hall

Located 5 miles from North of Corbridge, Great Whittington Village Hall received £4,000 from the Foundation in support of a generator and storm resilience materials to provide the residents with a safe and warm during power cuts.

Philip Hincliffe, 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.

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 Foundation is proud to have funded over 40 unique and exciting energy resilience projects so far for communities within Northumberland and County Durham (totalling £560,000). These projects have largely been for the creation or the expansion of community hubs with energy resilience pieces of kit such as generators, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.  Seventeen of these projects are located within MP Guy Opperman’s constituency of Hexham and have received a total funding of over £245,000 from The Foundation.

MP Guy Opperman, who has played a key role in supporting the applications and helped present the cheques to the awardees in the various locations across Hexham said: "I am delighted that rural communities in Birtley, Great Whittington and Otterburn have received grants to improve community resilience. This partnership work will make a massive difference. I want to thank all the communities who have supported my campaign, ensuring that community resilience is improved for future weather events."

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 and energy storage with the likes of batteries. 

Louise Lowes, Northern Powergrid Trustee said: “I’m delighted that many projects located within Hexham, especially those like Otterburn that are remote, have been supported by The Foundation enabling the communities to be self-sufficient during times of power interruptions. It is fantastic to see The Foundation support many communities. The Foundation is looking to support more community projects served by Northern Powergrid on all the charity priority areas in due course”.

More about The Northern Powergrid Foundation

The Northern Powergrid Foundation will officially launch soon. The Foundation has awarded funds to communities across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire served by Northern Powergrid. 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 will work with community partners to identify the best ways to create a positive and enduring impact for communities located within Northern Powergrid’s region.

The Foundation will be open for applications biannually. The Foundation is currently open to grant applications from all communities served by Northern Powergrid covering activities that are in support of the charity’s priorities. Community groups interested in finding out more and applying for funding up to £20,000 should visit www.northernpowergridfoundation.com