Jubilee Fields Community Association receives £19,775 for solar panels and battery storage to provide residents of Shildon, Durham, a safe and warm place to congregate during times of power crises.
The town and civil parish of Shildon where the Jubilee Fields Community Centre is located, received financial support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to improve the resilience of the community and to benefit from energy efficiency. The community centre, located within a high deprivation area is ran by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers and provides a wide variety of services and activities for all ages.
With the £19,775 funds received from the Northern Powergrid Foundation the community project for solar panels and battery storage has enabled the centre to be used as a hub in emergency situations, including in the event of a power interruption, for the rural community. The project will not only increase the centre’s resilience but also improve the centre's energy efficiency and thus benefitting from reduced energy bills and further savings to be passed onto the community in terms of service offering.
Lesley Bowes, Senior Community Support Worker, said "Our centre’s focus is to bring communities, especially isolated communities together, with the funds from the Northern Powergrid Foundation the centre is able to do just that. With the provision of solar panels and battery storage the centre becomes a focal point at keeping community spirit high when it is needed most as it means the centre will remain open continuing to delivering services and allowing the local community to find refuge during power interruptions. The centre’s resilience has heightened and the efficiency has improved thanks to the support.”
Hannah Hanratty, Chair of Trustees, said “After the struggles our community faced following Storm Arwen, the support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation is even more essential. To have the assurance that Jubilee Fields can support our community in a time of need, is welcomed. With the ongoing financial struggles charities like ourselves face with rising utility costs, the addition of solar panels will help relieve some of those pressures, and will allow us to give back to the community. Thank you to the Northern Powergrid Foundation for their generous contribution to help secure our future.”
Jubilee Fields Community Centre photo caption L-R: Lesley Bowes, Senior Community Support Worker, outside of Jubilee Fields Community Centre, Durham.
The challenges for Jubilee Fields, Durham, residents
Due to the possibility of power interruptions at Jubilee Fields and the impact they would have on the essential services offered to the local vulnerable community the trustees identified a need to increase their energy resilience.
The solution for Jubilee Fields, Durham, residents
The trustees of Jubilee Fields Community Centre identified a need for a solar panels and battery storage to allow the centre to continue to deliver its essential services during times of power interruptions and to benefit from energy efficiency.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £19,775 donation to go towards solar panels and battery storage.
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.