Renewable energy company Drax has donated over £37,500 from its Community Fund to 26 local groups and causes near to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire.
Jane Breach, Drax UK Community Manager, said: “Drax has a long tradition of giving back to the communities we operate in, and this year we have stepped up our community funding to allow us to support even more good causes and ensure our business has a positive impact on people, nature and the climate.
“We are pleased to announce that in the first round of community funding this year we will be awarding close to £60,000 of grants to 40 different organisations in the UK which support STEM education and skills or work to improve the local community.”
Of the total, £37,530 has been awarded to 26 different community-led projects local to Drax Power Station near Selby. This includes developing an outdoor space for volunteering and educational opportunities at St John’s Church in Goole, purchasing equipment to deliver a STEM programme for children at Carlton Playgroup, helping Kellingley Juniors Football Club to purchase sports kit and the Stillingfleet Community Group to deliver a village playground project.
Jonny Patton, Operations Director at St John’s Church, said: “As the only green space in the centre of the town, St John’s churchyard has the potential to make a significant contribution to the lives of the people of Goole, and play a key role in the rejuvenation of the town centre. This donation from Drax will help us to progress plans for our project ‘Life and Hope Gardens’, which will be an inclusive and accessible space for volunteering, community-led projects and school activities as well as create opportunities to reduce social isolation and improve health and wellbeing.”
Drax’s Community Fund donations are awarded once a quarter to local projects in the regions where Drax operates which fit into the following categories:
- STEM education, skills development, and employability
- Improving green spaces in local communities
- Improving our communities
Heather Palmer, Director at Carlton Playgroup, said: “We applied to the community fund because we wanted to deliver a new STEM educational programme which would give children the opportunity to develop the concepts and skills needed for these subjects later in life. This donation will allow us to purchase learning resources such as magnifying glasses, nature puzzles, counting blocks, wooden nuts and bolts and coding games all of which promote curiosity and innovation through active learning, playing and exploring.”
Drax’s Community Fund provides donations of £500-£2,000 for community-led projects. In addition, the Drax Foundation was launched in March this year to award larger grants of up to £50,000 for established non-profit organizations.
Organisations and initiatives that meet Drax’s funding and selection criteria are encouraged to visit www.drax.com/community to learn more about the Foundation and submit an initial expression of interest.
