Uplifting a community

A community hall got an uplift in energy storage thanks to grant funding that provides cost efficiency and energy resilience.

Walker Memorial Hall, located in the delightful village of Aldbrough St John that is renowned for its expansive greens and historical landmarks, serving residents and those in the nearby settlements of Carlton and Stanwick, Richmondshire, North Yorkshire.

They provide a space for cultural, social and sporting activities for those in the village and the surrounding area.

But due to rising costs they began looking at ways to make the hall resilient as well as more energy efficient.

That's when they were alerted to the grant funding available for resilience projects in the North East, Yorkshire, and northern Lincolnshire via Northern Powergrid Foundation.

Northern Powergrid Foundation is the charitable arm of Northern Powergrid, and passionate about being able to support innovative organisations and community projects addressing energy-related challenges including fuel poverty, energy resilience and the net zero transition.

Andrew Parker, Trustee at Walker Memorial Hall Aldbrough St John Village Hall, has welcomed the arrival of the brand-new technology in the hopes it increases their battery capacity to increase resilience and reduce their energy bills and thus pass on benefits to the community.

"With rising energy costs and a possibility of power cuts we need solar panels and battery storage to help offset the energy used and reduce costs.

"It's great to have renewable technology in our building to provide energy efficiency and resilience.

"Our hall tries to accommodate the community's needs, but we need support to do so, we are fortunate to have received funding to support our resilience project that expands on the kit we already have."

Walker Memorial Hall received £12,400 to fund battery storage which will help safeguard the future of the hall for the residents of Aldbrough St John.

The batteries will provide the hall with energy resilience allowing it to serve the local residents in times of power interruptions, and enable the hall to be used for additional activities and events. The savings in energy costs will enable trustees to pass on benefits to users and will help the usage of the hall.

Trustees from Northern Powergrid Foundation are celebrating their ability to support those who really need it, and making sure that others are prepared this winter.

Kate Bradley, Northern Powergrid Foundation Trustee, said "It's wonderful to hear about Walker Memorial Hall Aldbrough St John Village Hall's expansion of their existing kit. The installation of battery storage on pre existing kit is a fantastic step towards energy resilience and efficiency. Grant funding from Northern Powergrid Foundation is making a real difference in addressing energy-related challenges experienced by our communities.

"Andrew and the team are doing an incredible job in ensuring the hall remains a vital hub for the surrounding area and can pass savings back on to the halls users.

"People like Andrew who take on responsibility on a volunteer basis are a community's lifeline and are an inspiration to us all."

The latest grant funding round has recently closed and the team are reviewing the applications currently. The Foundation will have grant funding available in 2025.

Visit northernpowergridfoundation.com for more information, which includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), eligibility criteria, grant making policy and current beneficiaries.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.