Northcliffe Environmental Enterprises Team N.E.E.T, located in West Yorkshire has increased its resilience with the Foundation funding of £20,000 for solar panels.
N.E.E.T, a remarkable social enterprise based at Northcliffe Nurseries in Shipley, is dedicated to supporting people with learning disabilities. This organisation is a beacon of hope and growth for the local community. N.E.E.T doesn’t just cultivate plants; it nurtures and empowers individuals who might otherwise be overlooked, helping them reach their full potential.
The core mission of N.E.E.T is to advance education and promote the growth and welfare of people with learning disabilities, enabling them to lead inclusive and fulfilling lives. During a recent visit, it was inspiring to witness their hands-on approach to education in horticulture, cookery, and woodwork within a working environment. It’s heartening to see N.E.E.T partner with a vendor that shares these values, allowing the community to actively participate in installing solar panels. This collaboration provides invaluable opportunities for developing physical, intellectual, emotional, and social skills. The vendor’s generous donation of batteries to connect to the solar panels, funded by the Foundation, means that more of the Foundation’s resources can be allocated to installing panels across a greater number of outbuildings.
N.E.E.T has been awarded £20,000 for solar panels and battery storage, ensuring that the nursery where the social enterprise operates can provide resilience and support to those that use the nursey and can also support local residents of Shipley, West Yorkshire, during power interruptions. The Foundation funded project has given the centre some ownership and awareness of their energy use and supports their vision to reduce their carbon footprint and to make the facility more sustainable.
The NEET community has benefitted from learning about renewable energy source options, making informed choices and taking action that is improving the sustainability of the community facility. The site are using an app to measure and monitor their energy usage and will be able to see the impact on our future bills. Their local community have said, “It’s a great project that included people with learning disabilities in environmental action", “It’s inspirational to see how NEET has enabled people to understand and impact on their energy use” and “I think it’s marvellous and loved the way the team were able to help with the installation.”
Suzanne Longley, Business Manager said "At N.E.E.T we are extremely grateful to Northern Powergrid Foundation for the opportunity to develop our site with a renewable energy source, incorporating our sustainability goals. The support from Northern Powergrid Foundation through the application process and afterwards has been excellent and their commitment to understanding and engaging with communities facing real energy challenges is genuine and makes a difference.”
The challenges for N.E.E.T., West Yorkshire, residents
A lack of resilience and sustainability for the centre means vital services can stop.
The solution for N.E.E.T., West Yorkshire, residents
A solution to make the centre energy resilient and to make sustainable through renewable energy sources.
Support from the Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation supported the community project with a £20,000 donation to go towards solar panels.
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.