CEP now has its own website with a brand new logo designed by a student at Preston College! communityenergypreston.co.uk

Living-future accredited Architect Ann Vanner gave a presentation about home energy efficiency at the recent CAP ‘Warm Homes’ event. She stressed the need for adequate ventilation for indoor health.
The model house at the Climate Emergency Centre is being ‘retrofitted’ to show many actions that can be taken to reduce money and carbon emissions leaking from homes.
Ann’s presentation is now on the ‘Warmer Homes’ project page.

A good number of people interested to find out more and get involved attended a social event at CEC. Robin Jones gave a comprehensive slide show of the progress
and ambition of the project. Several current volunteers gave enthusiastic testimonies about the importance of community energy before everyone enjoyed lots of food and drinks.

CAP is very grateful to Lush Fishergate for the invite to take part in their ‘Charity Pot’ event. CAP promotional materials were handed to customers, They were asked to sign the ‘United for Warm Homes’ petition and the campaign quilt was on display. Revenue for all the shop’s weekend’s sales of the ‘Charity Pot’ product which amounted to £274.65 was donated to CAP! What a fabulous result!

Volunteers at the Dobcroft Urban Nature Reserve in Ingol were treated to an expert ‘birding’ session for ‘Earth Day’. Lancs Wildlife Trust’s Joel Micklethwaite pinpointed blackcaps, great tits and goldfinch by their calls. Robins also sang loudly but they stayed in plain sight! The volunteer ‘land management team’ conserve nature and wildlife on the five-acre site specifically for Great Crested Newts but diverse native flora and fauna are also increasing in the ponds, meadows and woods. 150+ local people visited for the recent Spring Open Day.

Sheets of signatures on the ‘United for warm homes’ Friends of the Earth petition collected at CAP events have been sent to Mark Hendrick as he returned as Preston MP to Westminster.
In the debate after the Kings speech, Sir Mark spoke in favour of community energy projects and the benefits to come from Great British Energy.
FoE estimates that £6 billion a year is needed nationally to properly fund insulation schemes to curb heat loss from homes. In Preston 53% of homes are rated EPC D or below, that’s 22,765 households with unnecessarily high energy bills. There are 25 ‘hotspots’ in the Preston constituency where incomes are below average but bills are above average.

Preston’s climate jury has started. A group of randomly selected people representing the demographic of Preston are considering what the city should do about climate change. After questioning experts on climate change and emissions, the jury then get to choose what topics they want to focus on.

https://www.preston.gov.uk/article/7872/People-s-Climate-Jury

This CAP project which has been meeting for the last two years has received ‘Advancing a Shared Economy in Preston’ funding. It will be used to employ someone part time to progress solar installations.

Have your say on the future of this project to develop everyday cycling at The Larder July 16th 2.30-5.00pm.
See lots of updates on the Projects page.

There was a good turnout on 17th June for Robin Jones’ presentation on the progress of Community Energy Preston. Clear explanations of what CEP’s solar offer is, showed the audience that the project is well on its way to viability. An expected grant will enable the part-time appointment of someone to work with the volunteers and coordinate the next steps. Julie Ridley also had exciting news of the success of an application to LCC’s Access Fund for ‘Preston Pedals’ to move into the future.
Members of the public were invited to write ‘Letters to tomorrow’ recording fears of increasing threats to the natural world and demands for political leaders to act. These were published on the Great Big Green week site.