Cambo Village Hall in Morpeth, Northumberland, has received funding to help provide energy resilience to the local community during times of power cuts and energy efficiency all year round.  

Northern Powergrid Foundation, the charitable arm of 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 innovative organisations and community projects addressing energy-related challenges of community resilience, fuel poverty, and the net zero transition. 

Cambo Village Hall, located in the rural village of Cambo in the Wallington Demesne parish about 11 miles to the west of Morpeth, received £19,034.04 from the Foundation for solar panels and energy storage batteries. The Foundation’s funding means the hall will be able to provide care and a sanctuary to the local community in emergency events with the provision of light, heat and refreshments for the local, predominantly elderly, community when needed. The kit also supports the hall in its day-to-day business by keeping its energy bills low by drawing electricity from the battery storage.

Beck Orton, Cambo Village Hall Committee Secretary said "Thanks to the grant funding from Northern Powergrid Foundation our hall can continue to be a hub of activity even during times of power interruptions. Due to the rural an isolated location of Cambo we are prone to power cuts, by having a central place for our community to congregate we can collectively stay warm and connected during these times. Our funded project results in reduced energy bills, with being a hall that runs to a tight and limited budget every saving opportunity is worthwhile pursuing and with the help of the Foundation we saved from the initial outlay for the kit and then benefit on a daily basis with the technology.”

With severe weather, the cost-of-living crisis increasing the number of households in fuel poverty, and the net zero transition transforming the energy system, communities are adapting to a changing energy landscape. The Foundation has worked with community innovators to empower local action, scaling up existing schemes to expand their impact, and providing financial support and energy expertise in the face of a changing climate. Over the course of its first year, 60 community projects working to overcome energy-related challenges of community resilience, fuel poverty, and the net zero transition have been supported. Projects have included a wide range of initiatives, from funding programmes producing free energy efficiency measures to fuel poor households, to installing solar panels and battery storage at community hubs to improve resilience.

Jodie Coe, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee said: “Northern Powergrid Foundation is delighted to provide funding to Cambo Village Hall to improve their energy resilience and energy efficiency. One of the Foundation’s areas of focus is to enable rural and isolated communities to stay connected during power cuts. It is great to see Cambo’s funded project supports local residents during these incidents but also enables the hall to keep it’s costs low and to further give back to the community.

The Foundation is currently receiving applications, in this funding round the Foundation trustees are looking forward to reading up on projects seeking funds to further empower communities to become more resilient as well as supporting communities with their net zero transition, and scale up innovative solutioning to fuel poverty. More information about our live grant funding round is available on our website".

More about Northern Powergrid Foundation

Northern Powergrid 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 and empowering communities focused on helping to tackle energy resilience during emergency events, vulnerability, fuel poverty, levelling the rural divide, innovation, 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 is proud to have funded 60 projects totalling over £860,000 across all the charity’s priorities located within Northern Powergrid’s regions. Over 40 of which are unique and exciting energy resilience projects for communities within Northumberland and County Durham (totalling £560,000) worst affected by the winter storms of 2021/22. These projects have largely been for the creation of, or the expansion of community hubs with energy resilience pieces of kit such as: generators, solar panels and heat pumps.

How to apply for funding

Following the success of grant support throughout 2023, Northern Powergrid Foundation will look to support further projects across its three funding priorities - community resilience, fuel poverty innovation, and net zero networks. Projects could include funding equipment that enables a community hub to become more energy resilient, scaling the impact of community innovators tackling fuel poverty, or funding the development of networks to support local action on net zero and the transition to clean energy systems.

The Foundation encourages organisations who are addressing these specific issues across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire to visit its website to learn more about eligibility and grants and to apply.

The Foundation’s current funding round is open to grant applications until May 13, 2024. Community groups interested in finding out more about the Foundation and when to apply for funding up to £20,000 should visit www.northernpowergridfoundation.com.

Cambo Village Hall photo caption L-R: Cambo Village Hall Committee members and Anne Haswell, Northern Powergrid Foundation Manager (interim), inside Cambo Village Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland.