PONTHAFREN Community Resource Centre in Newtown, Powys is helping to put a little sunshine into people’s lives with the help of ScottishPower’s Green Energy Trust.
The Centre has been awarded £4,942 by the Trust to install an array of photovoltaic cells to the roof of the building in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.
The project supports people with mental health issues and those who are socially isolated and/or excluded, by offering facilities where people can relax, chat, participate in a wide range of activities and be signposted to other agencies if needed.
Environmental awareness is high on the agenda for Ponthafren’s 200 members, a fact which has seen the Wales Council for Voluntary Action Network reward their efforts with the Wales Green Award. They use energy efficient light bulbs, recycle all waste and members have built a solar powered fountain which decorates their garden.
Alison McKean, Senior Environmental and Social Policy Manager at ScottishPower, said:
“We at the Trust are delighted to be involved with such a worthwhile project. The Centre provides an extremely valuable resource for the community and plays an important part in many lives in and around Powys.
”It’s great that the members are aware of the impact they have on the environment while getting others in the community involved in the bid to reduce their carbon footprint.”
As well as reducing the Centre’s carbon emissions, the solar panels will act as an educational tool for local youngsters as the project develops close relationships with nearby schools.
Nicky Morris, Centre Co-ordinator, is grateful for the funding which will allow members to get more involved in an activity that they feel strongly about.
She said:
“It’s the members themselves who decide what activities the Centre will run, so the interest in environmental issues which has become so important here really has come from the people who use the facility day in day out.
“The funding from the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust will allow us to take this interest to the next level and spread the green message further into the community.”
For more information on the Green Energy Trust you can visit www.scottishpowergreentrust.co.uk
For more information on Ponthafren’s Centre visit www.ponthafren.org.uk
Notes 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.
Funded entirely by ScottishPower’s Green Energy Fund customers – with trustees representing the UK Energy Research Centre and Borders Forest Trust – the Trust offers grants to a wide range of projects that will increase the use and knowledge of renewable energy.