West of England Mayor Dan Norris visited Bishop Sutton Community Village Hall on Monday 26 August to officially unveil their new solar panels. This North East Somerset based project, part of the region's wider renewable energy push, will increase solar capacity and provide the community hub with clean energy.
New enhancements also include an upgrade to more efficient LED lighting, helping to reduce energy usage. The community project was made possible through support from a West of England Mayoral Rural Community Grant. Bishop Sutton Village Hall has received £35,350 from the UK government through the Rural England Prosperity Fund, part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
"The new solar panels in Bishop Sutton will reduce carbon emissions and help promote cleaner energy across the West of England," said Mayor Norris. "Projects like this that my Mayoral Combined Authority is helping to fund are working with communities to deliver new energy initiatives and are proof of how determined our region is to build a greener, more sustainable future.”
Derek Maltby, a Bishop Sutton resident, said “The Bishop Sutton community who use these wonderful village hall facilities is grateful to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority for their generous grant to enable the installation of the solar panels and the upgrade of our lighting systems to reduce our CO2 emissions.
This has enabled us to reduce costs so those using the hall can continue to take advantage of the low energy costs, keeping hire charges down below what they would otherwise need to be."
In addition to bolstering solar capacity, the new installations reflect the region’s growing focus on energy resilience and sustainability. As the demand for clean energy rises, projects like this will help meet the region’s long-term energy needs, while supporting local communities and businesses to thrive in a greener economy.
The Rural England Prosperity Fund also supports solar and battery projects in village halls across Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire, helping local communities cut energy costs and emissions. In addition, the West of England’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund is backing community-led nature projects through Your Park Bristol and Avon Wildlife Trust.
