Each successful community building will receive up to £4,000 to make energy efficiency and sustainability improvements carefully targeted for their specific design and use.  Improvements like loft insulation, new double-glazed windows, draft-proof doors, thermal curtains and efficient LED lighting.

A wide variety of buildings have been awarded grants this year, hosting projects, charities and organisations which support and address different community needs.

Successful applicants include:

• North East Suffolk Citizens Advice Bureau – an independent charity providing impartial, free advice to the local community
• Heart and Sound – a Scottish youth work and creative media charity
• Alloa Rugby Football Club – a rugby training facility and social club for local sports teams
• St Paul’s Parish Church – the village hub acting as a focal point hosting groups of all ages from across the local area

The sustainability improvements are forecast to save community organisations an average of £649 per year. This will go a long way to helping them maintain these vital shared spaces which provide so much for the people who use them. In addition, the energy efficiency improvements are also calculated to save 23.03 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, contributing to the global effort to address the climate emergency and reach our targets of net zero emissions by 2050.

North East Suffolk Citizens Advice Bureau received £1,781 for loft insulation, which will support an ongoing project to improve the energy usage of the building.