Grant for green community project

The group said renewable energy had to be their next step

A small community has been given more than £40,000 to set up a renewable energy initiative.

The Beech Hill Community in Devon will be powered by its own wind turbine, solar panels and log-fuelled boiler.

They have been given £35,600 from the EDF Energy Green Fund and £7,000 from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

The 14-strong group who live at a large house at Morchard Bishop set in seven acres have taken out a loan to fund the remainder of the £90,000 project.

Residents at Beech Hill already grow their own fruit and vegetables, eat communal meals, host a village composting site, car share, recycle waste, keep chickens and use a natural sewage treatment system.

We didn't want to carry on using oil and we wanted to produce our own electricity Sue Chantrey, project co-ordinator

So the move towards renewable energy was a natural next step.

Sue Chantrey, one of the project co-ordinators, said: "The focus at Beech Hill has always been ecological.

"We are always working towards being more sustainable so we have been talking about renewable energy for a long time.

"With climate change becoming such an issue it became more urgent and the grants made it possible.

"We felt it was now or never. We didn't want to carry on using oil and we wanted to produce our own electricity."

Peter Hofman from EDF said the company was "delighted" to support the Beech Hill Community's project.

"This project promotes a sustainable lifestyle and will provide a focus for interest from visitors considering installing this type of technology," he said.