More charities and community hubs overcome the winter chill thanks to Community Energy Grants
Southern Water has awarded eight more Community Energy Grants across the region to support those in need this winter.
Southern Water has awarded eight more Community Energy Grants across the region to support those in need this winter.
Since the scheme was launched in October, we have been inundated with applications for support with energy bills, with submissions from community centres and pantries, homeless drop-in centres and arts centres – all of which provide a home to a wide range of events, support groups, classes, winter warmer spaces and befriender clubs. We are now supporting centres to provide on average, 6000 people per week warm spaces to attend classes, connector cafes, foodbanks and befriender groups by supporting their core utility costs.
In November, we awarded grants to 12 community centres, and we have now issued a further eight to sites in East Sussex, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex.
The Community Energy Grant is delivered with our partner CMDP (Costain, MWH Treatment) and is open to independently run community centres and spaces where activities such as local foodbanks, support groups and children’s programmes operate.
The grants, of £1,000 each, help groups pay for their energy costs, in the face of rising prices, so they can stay open during the winter months.
The centres that have been awarded the community grant this week are:
East Sussex
West Sussex
- Home - Chichester Community Development Trust (chichestercdt.org.uk)
- Fishbourne Playing Field Association
Isle of Wight
Southern Water’s Community Partnerships and Programme Manager, Alex Willumsen said:
“We know times are hard for many customers now, in the face of a cost-of-living crisis, so we are determined to do what we can to build resilience and support for those facing challenges in our community. Through our grants scheme, which aims to support both customers experiencing hardship and our communities, we are providing funding support to enable community spaces to continue to operate over winter months and support the work of those networks in our communities to thrive.”
For more information about how we can help anyone struggling this winter.