The Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub has helped pave the way for a net zero future and leaves a lasting legacy.
The hub was led by Cumbria Action for Sustainability as part of an innovative delivery partnership, with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Westmorland and Furness Council.
The Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub received £571,359 from the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and was open to any industry sector, including the third sector, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and transport.
The funding allowed the hub to support SMEs and social enterprises with free or subsidised tailored advice, training and grants, making the move to low carbon practices and technologies more affordable.
Support and advice was provided by a number of partners and specialists from across the county, including the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Tourism, Lancaster University and Electricity North West.
The hub has provided over 1,000 hours of support to over 200 businesses in the Westmorland and Furness area and awarded over £215,000 in grant funding, helping to support an estimated reduction of 280 tonnes of CO2e per annum.
The advice provided through the hub identified an even greater amount of carbon that organisations will be able to save as they implement their decarbonisation plans.
As part of the project, Pennington’s Tea and Coffee based in Kendal, was awarded a grant for a solar PV installation. They went on to secure a grant from another funding source to purchase an electric roaster, to help make their roasting process more sustainable.
Owner Gina Pennington said: “In July 2024, we secured a grant to purchase an electric roaster. This means we can harness energy from the solar panels supported by the Green Enterprise Hub, to power the roaster, possibly making us the greenest roaster in the UK.
“The new kit will produce 30% extra in the same roasting time. We will not be using gas so our bills will reduce by £800 per month.”
Ulverston Sports and Recreation Association has used its energy audit to help apply for further funding to support their decarbonisation journey.
The report gave it the information it needed to enable them to apply for a grant towards cavity wall and loft insulation, which it was successful in securing.
Owain Oxenham, junior co-ordinator at Ulverston Cricket Club, said: “The energy audit was an extremely easy process, taking up only a few hours. It drew our attention to an array of issues which were having a significant impact on our energy bills. It highlighted options to improve.”
While the helpdesk is set to close its doors the Green Enterprise Hub will continue. Partners have pledged to continue working together once the funded project comes to an end on March 14.
The Green Enterprise Hub will continue to exist as on online resource, signposting businesses to help, support and partner resources.
Project manager at Cumbria Action for Sustainability, Zoe Hebblethwaite, added: “It is so important that we all play our role in helping to contribute positively to tackle climate change.
“The Green Enterprise Hub offered a fantastic opportunity to help businesses and community groups make the right choice, helping create a pathway to a cleaner and greener, net zero future. Its great to think that the partnership approach pioneered as part of hub will have a lasting legacy.”
