Bids to reduce carbon emissions

Nine communities in the East of England are battling it out for a share of £500,000 in a contest to find ways to cut carbon emissions.

They are preparing to present their ideas on 8 July to a Dragon's Den type panel of expert judges.

The ideas include changing existing street lights to solar powered alternatives and a car club, which aims to reduce car ownership.

The winning communities will be announced on 9 July.

The communities will have to demonstrate a sound business plan to win funding of up to £200,000 per project. Those shortlisted are:

• Brickendon Liberty, a Hertfordshire village, which wants energy monitors for a new Watt Watchers scheme where villagers attend meetings with energy bills to compare readings
• Cranfield, a Bedfordshire village which wants a route for cycling and walking between Cranfield village and Cranfield University
• Flitton and Greenfield Carbon Challenge group in Bedfordshire which wants funds for a school solar energy project
• Highwood, a village in Essex which has applied for funds towards the £1m it needs to replace its village hall
• Holt Area Partnership wants to change existing street lights to solar powered alternatives
• Othona, in Essex, which wants to replace a condemned building with a low-carbon, straw bale construction
• Reepham, a Norfolk town which intends to become carbon neutral and wants to develop a car club
• Sproughton, a Suffolk village which wants to make a tithe barn the flagship of its carbon reduction project
• Wenhaston Energy Support Group (WESG) which has applied for funds to generate energy for their village hall