Solar Panel and Battery Installation, St Francis of Assisi Church Centre

This is a project to install solar panels and battery storage at St Francis of Assisi Church Centre in Ingleby Barwick, near Middlesbrough.

The church serves the largest residential ‘village’ in Europe. It holds a morning community café on Fridays as well as providing a warm, safe space for activity groups regularly, along with regular church services. The church and its hall are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure the facility remains sustainable for the Ingleby community into the future.

Future aims for the church include setting up an outreach programme to help reduce youth anti-social behaviour going forward. The church is used regularly for services such as wedding, christenings, religious services and celebrations, and is always well attended (Nicky has personally attended quite a few of these services over the past couple of years and the church is very popular with the local population). Funding streams have not got onto Ingleby Barwick for community buildings, of which this church is 1 of 3 main buildings on the lands.

Environmental considerations: To reduce the church and hall carbon footprint and energy use.

Hard to reach considerations: There are plans in place for outreach programme and a youth club by 2027.