Grange Park sports club are delighted to announce that the Installation & Commissioning of the new Solar PV array at Grange Park has been completed. The system, installed by Rugby Club sponsors Local Renewable Services Ltd, would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the Leeds City Councilors for the Wetherby Ward, Leeds City Community Committee and the superb efforts of the Wetherby Beer Festival.
Leeds City Council & the Community Committee have generously awarded Grange Park a £12,500 grant for the scheme. We give our thanks to Councilors Norma Harrington and Penny Stables for this and particular thanks go to Councilor Alan Lamb.
After a number of unsuccessful Grant Applications, Councillor Lamb made the club aware of this stream of funding and was extremely supportive throughout the process. For very good reasons, there is a high degree of scrutiny with public funding so it was hugely helpful to have someone of Alan’s experience able to guide us through this ultimately successful process.
It is a hugely exciting time for Grange Park. Any visitors on a Sunday morning will see the success of both Kirk Deighton FC & Wetherby RUFC Juniors in bringing the benefits of sport to a wide range of the local young population. This was a key factor in the award of the Grant. Councillor Lamb said
“The volunteers that run our sports clubs, such as Grange Park, do an amazing job. When they approached me to try and help find the funds to complete the solar PV project I was delighted to be able to help. This is an innovative and vital scheme that will help the club’s sustainability, both environmentally and financially.”
The system will deliver over 25% of the overall power requirement of Grange Park for an expected 25-year lifetime. The Grant also allowed for the ongoing maintenance of the system.
Wetherby Rugby Club Chairman Jonathan Hirst said, “After 18 months of searching and applying for grants we were absolutely delighted that Alan and the other Leeds City Councillors for the Wetherby Ward supported us in gaining this critical grant. The club has been rocked financially by extreme running cost increases over the past 3 years as many grass roots clubs have. It’s a massive benefit to have the energy generated from our own Solar PV system for our financial stability and it also cuts our Carbon Footprint. The Wetherby Beer Festival, staffed entirely by volunteers, has created new funds that enables us to complete these critical projects. We would d also like to thank the community of our great town, Wetherby, for supporting the Beer and Family Festival and look forward to welcoming everyone back on the 3rd and 4th of May 2024 with a brilliant new format and fantastic live entertainment.”
