Ferry Farm Community Solar, a Community Interest Company that owns and operates a solar farm between Selsey and Sidlesham, has awarded more than £25,000 in funding to local projects through the tenth round of its annual small grants fund. The fund supports community-led projects which focus on energy, environmental education, climate change readiness and wildlife.
Administered by Selsey Community Forum, the latest round of funding was allocated by a dedicated panel to support a variety of brilliant local organisations. The following projects received grants to support their important work and latest green ideas:
Manhood Wildlife & Heritage Group: £2,158 to support the Sidlesham Pollinator Highway, a wildflower and rainwater catchment project.
Selsey Care Shop: £810 for replacing fluorescent lighting with energy-efficient LEDs at two sites.
Selsey Pavilion Trust: £2,360 to insulate a small hall in the Selsey Pavilion.
Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital: £1,200 to fund a Coordinator and resources for an environmentally-focused education outreach programme.
Grow Selsey: £10,500 to partly fund further expansion of various projects around themes of community food growing and biodiversity.
Cloud Nine Musical Theatre Group: £1,420 to replace energy-inefficient spotlights with energy-efficient alternatives.
Sidlesham Parish Council: £4,452 to upgrade lighting to LEDs on two pylons surrounding Sidlesham Memorial recreation ground.
Greenway Project Group: £620 in funding towards the Greenway Project for a Selsey to Chichester Cycle Route.
St Mary Our Lady Sidlesham: £1,500 to install a secure bike rack to encourage green travel.
In total, £25,020 was awarded to nine local projects, all aimed at driving sustainability and reducing carbon and environmental impact within the community.
Ferry Farm Community Solar's solar array generates approximately 5.14 million kWh of electricity annually, enough to power 1,300 homes. Since 2017, the small grants fund has continued to support valuable community projects that align with its mission. All surplus income generated from electricity sales (after covering management and operating costs) is reinvested into the Selsey and Sidlesham communities.
In addition to the small grants fund, Ferry Farm Community Solar supports an energy advice partnership with Selsey Money and the National Energy Foundation to assist local households facing energy-related challenges and fuel poverty. The organisation also funds retrofit surveys for community buildings and has recently launched a domestic retrofit project, offering heavily subsidised retrofit assessments for homeowners in Selsey and Sidlesham.
For further information about this year's beneficiaries please click here or visit: https://www.selseycommunityforum.uk/Ferry-Farm/
Comments