Cathy Ryan

17 May 2024

We were recently delighted to award large grants of £5,000 from Low Carbon Hub’s Community Grants Fund to two of our community groups: 

Low Carbon Oxford North to develop a user-friendly website that helps people find alternative, low carbon ways to travel around Oxfordshire. 
 
Thame Green Living to promote the foundation of a community energy project titled, Phoenix Energy Community. This was a repurposed grant as they were originally awarded a large grant in 2022-23 to launch an EV car club, but sadly it didn’t quite get off the ground due to low take-up from the community. 

We also awarded small grants to six community groups: 

• Hook Norton Community Land Trust for event materials to run a stall during their community share offer. The group have almost completed their innovative project to build affordable homes in Hook Norton that are powered by renewable energy. The project started six years ago with a grant from OxFutures, and is the first community housing project of under 30 homes in the UK to be part of a smart microgrid.  
• Freeland Energy Group (FEG) for materials to promote the Community Action Plan for Zero Carbon Energy (CAPZero) in their parish. FEG are one of our newer community groups and one of the parishes within the Eynsham Primary Substation Area, where CAPZero is focused. They have enthusiastically embraced the community action plan and have already begun a thermal imaging campaign to highlight awareness of energy efficiency. 
• Kidlington Eco Group for funding towards setting up a ‘Draughtbusters’ team of volunteers to implement simple energy efficiency measures in peoples’ homes. They have also received funding from Kidlington Parish Council for the project.  
• Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust have been awarded three small grants in consortia with Westmill Wind and Westmill Solar Cooperatives. They plan to increase and expand their fantastic educational resources for schools and young people. 
• Sustainable Wantage towards holding an energy event to provide accurate information that will help people who are considering installing solar PV and batteries, to make an informed choice. 
• Oxford Friends of the Earth to produce a set of information and advice materials to launch a campaign to help people who are trying to phase out the use of gas in their homes.