A village hall in County Durham has received funding to help deliver vital services to its local community during times of power cuts.
Lands Village Hall, near Bishop Auckland, has been awarded £17,005.08 from the Northern Powergrid Foundation to get a new generator.
Located rurally in centre of High Lands Village, the hall connects High Lands, Low Lands and Morley.
The Northern Powergrid Foundation’s funding means the hall will be able to provide care to the local community in emergency events in addition to its day-to-day business.
The new generator will allow vital services to be available to the local community in times of crisis.
This will allow the hall to be used as an emergency sanctuary for lighting, heating and refreshments for their predominantly elderly community to use during times of power interruptions, as the electricity supply will switch from the mains supply to the generator.
The hall will also be a base for local volunteers’ emergency response team to perform their contingency plans.
Glen Reffin, chairman of Lands Village Hall, said: “In our rural location we are prone to power cuts of varying durations and our community has no other facilities to rely on.
“It was essential for the village hall to develop a resilience plan to help us create a warm, safe space where the community, young and old, can gather.”
Kate Bradley, a trustee at the Northern Powergrid Foundation, has said: “Northern Powergrid Foundation is proud to support Lands improve its energy resilience at the village hall.
“Village halls play vital roles in the community, especially those located in rural areas and those that support vulnerable communities.
“I am pleased the foundation has empowered Lands to build a safe and warm place for local residents to reside during times of power interruptions and for the community to look out for each other”.
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The foundation is currently accepting grant applications for hthe next round of funding until May 13.
It is encouraging North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire organisations facing issues similar to Lands Village Hall to apply for relief.
Community groups interested in finding out more about the foundation and when to apply for funding up to £20,000 should visitwww.northernpowergridfoundation.com.
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