h2oPE (Water Power Enterprises), who initiated the UK’s first community-owned hydro schemes, are offering free workshops in London for community groups interested in setting up their own small-scale hydros.
The workshops will run at the Hub, King’s Cross on Tuesday 18 May and Wednesday 2 June 2010. The practical sessions will show people the various stages needed to develop their own community hydro scheme, using the success of the UK’s first community-funded hydro at New Mills as a case study. Each workshop will be followed by a short evening reception which is open to anyone interested in finding out more about community hydro.
Steve Welsh, MD of Yorkshire-based h2oPE who set up the first community hydro schemes at New Mills and Settle and is currently working on a further three projects said:
“We’ve been running workshops for over a year now, but there’s been such a lot of interest in community-owned hydro that we’ve had to put on extra workshops to cater for the demand in and around the London area. These workshops will provide people with an A-Z to setting up a community hydro scheme. We’ll take them through the process on a step-by-step basis, from choosing the initial site and obtaining permissions to raising finance and the legal structures required for community ownership. At the end of the workshop, we hope people will either want to work with h2oPE or feel confident that they can set up a community hydro scheme themselves.
Chris Shearlock, Sustainable Development Manager at The Co-operative Group, added: “We have a track record of supporting innovative small-scale renewables through The Co-operative Enterprise Hub.
“The workshops being offered by h2oPE offer communities in London the opportunity to form their own co-operatives so that the local community can take charge of their own schemes to combat climate change and generate income for local projects.”
If anyone is interested in finding out a bit more about community hydro or would like to invest in a scheme, they’d be welcome to come along to the evening reception.”
Attendance at the workshops is by invitation. Anyone wanting to be considered should contact Steve via email steve.welsh@h2ope.co.uk or telephone 07964 106037.
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Press contact: for further information, or to arrange an interview contact Clare Walker on 07595 873221/01609 883011 or email claremwalker@hotmail.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
1. h2oPE is a Community Interest Company - a social enterprise - limited by shares. It was founded in February 07 by Steve Welsh, MD and Helen Walker, Operations Director. As a social enterprise, H2oPE’s aim is to set up small-scale hydropower projects that benefit both the environment and local communities.
2. h2oPE is supported by The Co-operative Group, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Key Fund Yorkshire
3. h2oPE are joint winners, with The Co-operative Group, of the Renewable Innovation Award at the NEMEX Environment and Energy Awards 2009.
4. For further information about The Co-operative Enterprise Hub and its package of advice, training and finance to help new and existing co-operatives become more sustainable businesses go to www.co-operative.coop/enterprisehub
