Wigan borough cricket club awarded £80k for energy efficiency

The funding has been awarded by Centrica through its Energy for Tomorrow (EfT) social impact fund, which makes support available to groups and social enterprises to help boost local green projects.

The grant will allow Atherton Cricket Club to replace an inefficient oil heating system with an air source heat pump, as well as install solar panels and battery storage facilities to generate and store energy independently on-site.

In addition to reducing its carbon footprint, the grant will also significantly cut energy costs and promote greater financial security, allowing them to open its facilities to the local community more often.

Launched in 2007 to support the UK’s transition to net zero, the Centrica EfT fund encourages the development of initiatives within local communities that deliver affordable, accessible and sustainable energy solutions for everyone.

Along with the financial support, Centrica will also provide technical advice on implementing the sustainable technologies and work with the club to help it to provide energy efficiency advice to the local community.

Founded in 1872, Atherton Cricket Club is home to several senior and junior cricket teams and functions as a community hub, hosting fun-days, music festivals and charity fund-raising events.

Club chairman, Tony Gredecki, said: “Atherton Cricket Club prides itself on being placed right at the heart of the local community and our endeavours stretch far beyond simply cricketing and sports activities.

"We have been on a journey to decarbonise our club over the past few years but have faced a number of financial challenges associated with the goals and objectives.

“The grant and overall support EfT has provided is ground-breaking and allows us to make the most significant step in our decarbonisation journey.

"Furthermore, it enables the club to extend our opening hours and reach even more of the community to support those in Atherton and the surrounding areas.”

Programme manager at EfT Sarah Wright said: “Atherton Cricket Club plays a key role at the heart of the local community, and this grant will help give the club added financial stability for years to come by significantly reducing its energy costs while also delivering big sustainability benefits.

“It’s more important than ever that we continue to support communities across the North West and the rest of the UK, at the same time as creating sustainable solutions that will help us achieve net zero.”

The EfT fund derives revenue from the feed-in tariffs of solar panels installed by Centrica on more than 250 schools across the UK.

The solar panels save each school almost £2,500 yearly, offsetting just over 13,000 tonnes of CO2.

For more information visit: www.centrica.com/sustainability/energy-for-tomorrow