Residents of four Welsh communities are invited to share their ideas and aspirations for community energy initiatives at events through April and May, kicking off an innovative and ambitious scheme to make ten communities more resilient to climate change and fluctuating energy prices.
Severn Wye’s Energised Communities programme, using £1.5 million from The National Lottery Community Fund, will support ten groups in Wales and England to devise and deliver projects focused on reducing energy use and generating clean energy. The communities involved will own and control their projects and the energy generated from them, it won’t be extracted to be used elsewhere.
This first phase of events will run in Wales:
- Llannerchymedd, Anglesey – 4 and 5 April
- Pen Machno, Conwy – 30 April and 1 May
- Llandovery, Carmarthenshire – 11 and 12 May
- Grosmont, Monmouthshire – 4 and 5 April
The events will bring communities together for action-oriented discussions about energy and its impact on climate change, to identify local challenges, establish what people care about and explore solutions. Severn Wye’s support will be there for the long term, recognising that building ideas, skills and confidence takes time. At the end of the projects communities will feel they have agency to act meaningfully on climate change.
Dave Gittins, Severn Wye’s Director in Wales said:
‘Rural communities often have the highest energy prices and most inefficient homes but also have the resources around them to create renewable energy that could be distributed to the community. This project will move climate action from a niche activity to something that everyone feel able to take part in. We’re starting to talk with communities now to work with them to develop projects that will improve their energy efficiency and explore local opportunities to generate clean renewable energy.’
Severn Wye has years of hands-on experience working with communities, individuals and businesses to act on climate change through energy. The heart of their community-led approach is to provide training, personal support and mentoring for those who do not normally engage with climate action programmes, giving them the skills and confidence to take part in community engagement, project planning, fundraising, action groups, and all the other activities needed to get a new project off the ground.
Energised Communities will run until 2029. The full list of communities taking part in the programme:
- Llanfechell & Llannerchymedd, Anglesey
- Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd
- Bro Machno, Conwy
- Llangollen, Denbighshire
- Ceiriog Valley, Wrexham
- Cwmllinau, Powys
- Llandovery, Carmarthenshire
- Grosmont, Monmouthshire
- Coleford, Forest of Dean
- Sharpness, Gloucestershire
