"With this support, White Colne Village Hall is improving its energy efficiency, reducing costs and providing a more comfortable and sustainable space for the community."
White Colne Parish Council has made energy saving efficiencies to its village hall thanks to a £43,000 grant from the UK Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund which has been administered and supported by Braintree District Council.
The project has seen the installation of thirty solar panels, an air source heat pump, an EV charging point as well as a battery storage system to store captured energy. A large energy display board showing how much energy is generated, stored and exported has been installed to showcase the building’s net zero capabilities too. As part of the decarbonisation measures, the old gas boiler has also been replaced with a commercial electric stove.
With these upgrades, the hall is now able to generate its own electricity, bringing cost savings as well as energy saving efficiencies. Excess energy will be traded on a peer-to-peer basis adding an additional source of income. Exchanging energy on a peer-to-peer basis with local businesses and residents (instead of the national grid) means better export rates and cheaper tariffs for the end consumer.
The village hall, which dates back to the Victorian era, offers a venue for events, markets and parties, regular classes and meetings. It also acts as a weekly hub and has hot desks for locals wanting an alternative to working from home. There is no shop, pub or school in White Colne and residents rely on their village hall as a community hub.
The Colne Valley Community Energy Project will be showcasing the carbon reduction measures introduced at the village hall in a bid to inspire and encourage residents and business owners to improve their energy efficiency too. Co-led by Jane Taylor, Chair of White Colne Parish Council and Jill Bruce, Lead Climate Ambassador for the Federation of Essex Women’s Institutes, the event will showcase sustainable wealth creation as well as opportunities for decarbonisation.
This event will be held at the White Colne Village Hall on Saturday, 16 November from 10am to 4pm.
Cllr Peter Schwier, Lead Member for Rural Issues at Braintree District Council, said: “We’re pleased to have played our part in bringing much-needed investment to our rural communities through the administration of this government fund. With this support, White Colne Village Hall is improving its energy efficiency, reducing costs and providing a more comfortable and sustainable space for the community. Through these individual investments, we’re future-proofing vital community assets and enhancing the resilience of rural areas.”
Jane Taylor, Chair of White Colne Parish Council, said: “White Colne is a small community of just 500 residents, but thanks to this wonderful grant we have been able to make a difference in the day-to-day fight to reach net zero. By example, we are able to dispel some of the myths around solar energy, battery storage and heat pumps, plus encourage everyone to embrace locally generated renewable energy.”
Nineteen organisations have been allocated grants from the UK Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund for the execution of capital projects in rural areas.
Notes to editors:
A full list of the successful applicants, the projects and the amount allocated can be found here: 1 May 2024 and 9 April 2024.
The Rural England Prosperity Fund provides £110 million of funding for investment within rural communities across England. The fund is a rural top-up to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is a central pillar of the UK Government’s agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.
The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit: