A North Yorkshire Scout group has called in a leading regional renewable energy company to help it transform a remote wooden hut into an eco-friendly, green-powered community facility.
Currently Easingwold Outdoor Centre – which is owned by the First Easingwold (Forest of Galtres) Scout Group – has no electricity and the only source of heat is a wood-burning stove.
However the Scouts, who celebrated their 100th anniversary last year, have ambitious plans which will not only see the 1930s timber building moved to a new plot within the existing Dawney Bridge site, but also the installation of a renewable energy system.
To help with this side of the scheme, Harrogate-based Clean Energy (Yorkshire) has worked with the project team to devise and cost a system that will allow the building to generate all of its electrical needs, without the need of hooking up to the national grid.
Clean Energy (Yorkshire) Managing Director Spencer Cassidy (kneeling right) with; Scout Leader Dave Waring; Judith Tubb, owner and manager of Westfield Day Nursery and Out of School Club in Easingwold which has given early-years advice for the improvement project; and three-year-old Max Walker.
Clean Energy’s Managing Director Spencer Cassidy said:
This is superb project to be involved with, which, when completed, will allow a wide range of community groups to enjoy this fabulous outdoor facility.
We were approached by members of the project team to see if we would be willing to work with them to design a renewable energy system for the centre. Together, we have created a number of options which will allow the centre to generate its own power all year round.
Renewable energy systems are a fantastic investment which not only pay for themselves within a matter of years, but also guarantee an income for 25 years.
Dave Waring, Group Scout Leader of 1st Easingwold (Forest of Galtres) Scout Group said:
We are grateful to Spencer and the Clean Energy (Yorkshire) team for donating their time and expertise to helping us with the design stage.
We are relying on the goodwill of a number of businesses to help us achieve our dream of creating a superb facility that will benefit many people from the wider community.
The next stage, subject to planning consent, will be a series of grant applications to help make the Easingwold Outdoor Centre a reality.
Information about the Easingwold Outdoor Centre Project is available by visiting its website at www.outdoorcentre.easingwold.org
