OREANDA-NEWS. July 17, 2015. The village of Chilbolton has been given a helping hand from Southern Electric Power Distribution (SEPD) to bolster its defences in the face of storms, floods and other emergencies.  

Chilbolton Village Hall is receiving a grant of ?10,000 from SEPD’s Resilient Communities Fund to pay for a back-up electricity generator and other essential equipment to be used during emergencies. The Fund helps local groups improve the ability of their towns and villages to withstand extreme weather events.

As the village hall is the focal point for the local community, it has been chosen as an official rest centre as part of its emergency planning strategy. In addition to purchasing a back-up generator and new commercial sized fridge and oven to help provide hot food and drinks in the hall, the money will also be used to buy and install a telephone land line.

Chilbolton Village Hall chairman, Tony Ewer said the grant from SEPD would make a huge difference to all of the local residents. “Our village hall is the focal point for everyone in the village, so it makes sense for it to also be the home for our new kit. It’s so important to be able to offer warmth and hot food in a dry and comfortable environment during an emergency, and the generator, oven and fridge will really help us to do this.

“The cost of buying all of this equipment was beyond our limited budget, so when we heard about Southern Electric Power Distribution’s Resilient Communities Fund we knew that it was something we had to look into. Everyone involved in our application is over the moon that we’ve received the funding.”

Stuart Hogarth, Director of Distribution for SEPD said that the Resilient Communities Fund was all about strengthening the company’s links with its customers: “This application really sums up the community spirit we’re looking for, and I think it’s fantastic to see customers dedicated to working together to help each other in times of crisis and emergencies. While we can’t control the weather, what we can all do is plan for when conditions turn nasty, so I’m really pleased that the people of Chilbolton are going to benefit from this donation.” 

SEPD established its Resilient Communities Fund to help local communities plan for and cope with emergency events, such as gale force winds, floods and power cuts caused by extreme weather events. The deadline for the second round of applications is 25 September 2015, and community groups across central southern England can apply for grants between ?500 and ?20,000. For more information on application criteria, visit www.ssepd.co.uk/resiliencefund