Fylde District Scouts has been awarded £10,000 of funding from the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust to install solar panels on its newly revamped headquarters, which is nearing completion.

In July 2010 the scout group lost its headquarters following an arson attack which caused £40,000 of damage and left the scouting community without a permanent base.

During the months following the attack, the scouts set up a fundraising committee and worked alongside local residents to raise money to build new headquarters.

Whilst in the planning stages the scouts liaised with Matthew Barnes, a post graduate student from Lancaster University who was studying for a Masters in Environmental Management and Consultancy. He suggested that the new building make use of green and environmentally friendly technology to help to reduce running costs of the new hall.

Mr. Barnes suggested a number of green energy options that would work for the building and Fylde Scouts subsequently took his suggestions on board and decided to apply for funding from the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust to help install green energy measures.

Fylde Scouts received £10,000 funding from the Trust which has been earmarked to install over 120 square meters of solar panelling on the new two-storey building.  This will allow the headquarters to generate 6.5 megawatts of their own electricity per annum.

Alison McKean, Senior Environmental and Social Policy Manager at ScottishPower, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the Flyde District Scouts to fund their new green headquarters. The scouting community has proven to be extremely resilient after the destruction of their hall and we’re very pleased that they are striving to make their new headquarters a self sustaining and environmentally friendly building.

“It is increasingly important for organisations and businesses to use sustainable energy sources and by installing its own solar panels the scout headquarters will be able to generate its own energy.  As well as environmental benefits, the green measures installed in the new building will be something for the younger scouts to learn about.”

Mike Smith, District Commissioner at Fylde District Scouts, said: “Financial support from organisations such as The ScottishPower Green Energy Trust has been crucial in the development of our new headquarters.

“Our previous hall was a single storey, wooden building which was difficult to heat so we are pleased to now have a green and energy efficient building. We would like to thank the Trust for its generous funding and support of our new building.”

For further information on the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust, please visit www.scottishpowergreentrust.co.uk

For further information on Fylde District Scouts, please visit www.fyldescouts.org.uk.

Issued on behalf of ScottishPower by The BIG Partnership.

For further information please contact Kirstin Aitken on 0141 333 9585 / 07939 906 395 kirstin.aitken@bigpartnership.co.uk
or
Susanne Grant on 0141 333 9585 / 07824 388 472 susanne.grant@bigpartnership.co.uk

Note to Editors:

The ScottishPower Green Energy Trust was founded in 1998 as an independent charitable trust to support the development of new renewable energy sources in the UK – helping to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.