Longframlington Memorial Hall in Northumberland has received support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to help provide a sustainable energy source 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.  

Longframlington Memorial Hall

Longframlington Memorial Hall, situated within the small village of Longframlington in Northumberland, received £19,500 from the Foundation in support of solar panels and battery storage to provide power and emergency battery backup to the residents of Longframlington.  

With support from the Foundation the hall been able to improve its resilience to electricity outages and responsiveness to major emergencies with the installation of solar panels and battery storage by ensuring that there is an electrical supply even when the mains power supply fails. This enables the hall to continue to perform its role as a rest centre within the Longframlington Emergency Action Plan for the parishes of Longframlington and Brinkburn.  

The funding enabled the installation of a solar panel array, supported by a battery storage system and an automatic transfer switch, which automatically disconnects the building from the local distribution network, if the mains supply fails. Collectively they will minimise the disruption in the event of a power failure and also will reduce the energy usage and therefore benefit from a reduction in the electricity bills. 

Simon Hadden, Longframlington Memorial Hall Chair of Trustees said “The main purpose of the community project was for the hall to be resilient to emergency power interruptions which allows our community to use the hall for four days by utilising the energy stored. It’s an added bonus that the kit will reduce the hall’s electricity consumption and will result in lower energy bills. With the increased cost of living and having limited disposable funds, any cost saving initiative is very important to our community and the longevity of the hall.”   

Longframlington Memorial Hall photo caption L-R: Emma Beal, Longframlington Memorial Hall Trustee, Anne Haswell, Northern Powergrid Foundation Project Manager, and Simon Hadden, Chair of Trustees Longframlington Memorial Hall. 

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.    

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 Foundation Trustee said: “I’m delighted that The Foundation has supported Longframlington’s project. Not only will the community be resilient during times of power interruptions but will also benefit from a reduction in energy bills through their choice of energy resilience means. The Foundation is looking forward to supporting more community projects served by Northern Powergrid covering all of the charity’s priority areas in due course”. 

More about The Northern Powergrid Foundation  

The Northern Powergrid Foundation will officially launch soon, before the official launch communities from across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire served by Northern Powergrid can apply in this current round. 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