ECOE’s community fund supports Topsham’s first multi-model electric vehicle charger
£6,235 available from 2019/2020 fund – deadline January 17 2019
Award-winning Devon volunteer organisation Estuary League of Friends has installed Topsham’s first multi-model electric vehicle charger outside its new community hub at Nancy Potter House. The project was supported by a £900 grant from the Exeter Community Energy (ECOE) community fund, which is accepting new applications until 5pm Friday January 17th.
‘With the start-up funds from ECOE, our project became a reality, as we were able to use those funds as match funding,’ says Emily McCarthy, Community & Services Development Manager at Estuary League of Friends. ‘Estuary are excited to enable staff and the community to become greener, lowering their carbon footprint.’
‘This charger shows how our community fund can power up Devon,’ adds ECOE director Andy Extance. ‘However we welcome applications from any community project to help fight climate change or fuel poverty. Over the next 20 years ECOE expects to give over £170,000 to local groups using income from our solar power generation sites – this year we have £6,235 available.’
Estuary League of Friends works to ‘improve the quality of life of those in need of care, comfort and support in our community’, McCarthy explains. In doing so it transports people over 100,000 miles per year in and around Exeter. The charger is a first step towards Estuary League of Friends acquiring an electric vehicle (EV) that would save over £120 per month on those journeys, and reduce contributions to climate change and air pollution. The charge point is also available for local residents with EVs who are likewise reducing emissions. It is located in the first car parking bay at the rear of Nancy Potter House.
In 2018/2019 ECOE’s biggest recipient from ECOE’s 2018 grants was Art and Energy, who got £1,400 to produce solar panel-based artworks. ECOE funding has enabled them to run workshops for children and adults to make their own solar-powered, device-charging creations. Also, Pinhoe Road Baptist Church got a £900 ECOE grant for efficient LED lighting.
ECOE will allocate the 2019/2020 grants together at an open event on Wednesday February 12 2020 – we welcome anyone who’d like to help our decision. Anyone interested can find out who can apply, for what and criteria for allocating grants at https://www.ecoe.org.uk/ecoe-community-fund/ or email ECOE director Patrick Devine-Wright at patrick@ecoe.org.uk.
