Village hall near Morpeth receives funding to improve energy resilience

Northern Powergrid Foundation, the charitable arm of Northern Powergrid, is passionate about being able to support innovative organisations and community projects addressing energy-related challenges.

The village hall has been awarded £19,034.04 from the foundation for solar panels and energy storage batteries.

The funding means that the building 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 and 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.”

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.

Jodie Coe, Northern Powergrid Foundation trustee, said: “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 that Cambo’s funded project will support local residents during these incidents, but also enables the hall to keep its costs low and to further give back to the community.”

Community groups can go to www.northernpowergridfoundation.com to find out more about the foundation and when to apply for funding up to £20,000.