Monk Fryston and Hillam Sustainability Project

Thank you for responding to our June survey and asking to be kept informed about the project developments.

We received over 200 responses and of those over 96% either strongly supported or supported the project. A large number of you also offered help with the project in some way which is much appreciated and we hope to take everyone up in some way – because we have a lot to do.

Now we have some news to share.

Success! We are delighted to report that our application to the Rural Communities Energy Fund has been successful and we have been awarded just over £32,000 to pay for the Community Buildings Renewable Energy Feasibility Study. The Edinburgh based consultancy, Locogen will start work immediately and should complete the study in December. By January 2021 we should know what is possible and an estimate of how much it will cost to power our buildings with sustainable energy and take a big stride to making them Carbon Neutral.

Meanwhile, the Project Partners, the Cricket Club, the Football Club, the Church, the School and the Community Association have been gathering data and conducting energy surveys on their properties to identify what needs to be done to make them more energy efficient. Efficiency means reducing the amount of energy consumed to carry out their day to day operations. So, in effect each organisation has two projects underway, an energy efficiency project and a renewable energy project.

All this needs to be paid for and our aim is to find and win grants to fund the changes. As the Church, Cricket Club, Football Club and Community Association have found in the last few years, grants are available and can be won. Our task is to develop a persuasive, compelling case to secure them and demonstrating broad and deep community support is a key part to unlocking that money.

This is why your response to the survey is so important to get our project moving and why we need to build on this solid base by getting more surveys returned.

In August, at short notice, we became aware of the opportunity to apply for a grant from the Peoples Post Code Lottery, so we applied for a Thermal Imaging Camera, Solar PV panels and battery storage for the Community Centre. This was a case of ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ but nonetheless it would be a massive boost to us if successful. The thermal imaging camera will be used to survey the Partner Buildings to identify areas of heat loss and later local people will be trained to use it on their homes – maybe enabling them to take advantage of the Government Green Homes Grant Scheme which will be launched any time now.

Our grant applications to date have emphasised that our project aims to share our learning with residents and other communities as we view ourselves as a pilot project. This has been very well received. These applications have been made by the Community Association on behalf of all the project partners.

We are now in a very exciting phase of the Project – we have moved from shuffling paper to making things happen and making a difference. If you wish to help or know more please get in touch. There is a lot to do.

Thank you for your support.

Ray and Sue Newton

on behalf of the MFHSP Steering Group and MFH Community Buildings Project Partners