Local groups benefit from over £40,000 of funds awarded by the Intelligent Energy Charitable Trust
LOUGHBOROUGH – 19 November 2019 – The Intelligent Energy Charitable Trust has this month awarded over £40,000 to Charnwood based organisations and causes bringing the total donated this year to £100,000. Intelligent Energy, the Loughborough-based fuel cell engineering company, launched its Charitable Trust in January 2019, announcing it had £100,000 to be awarded locally.
In the summer, the company announced it had already donated over £55,000 to local groups who had applied for financial support. Applications were re-opened and the committee met last month to allocate the remaining funds of the year.
The groups and organisations that have benefitted from this recent round of funding awards include the Shepshed Dolphin Swimming Club, Syston Arts and Recreation group, ADAPT Prem Babies, Citizens Advice Bureau, Loughborough University Students Union Action Section and The Bridge with funding awards ranging from £1,440 to £22,015.
The funding will cover training costs for Citizen Advice Bureau volunteers, updates to be made to the venue for Syston Arts and Recreation Group, Aqua fit sessions for people with disabilities or medical conditions, 100 counselling sessions for local families dealing with the trauma of having a premature and poorly baby and support for a local food bank working to stamp out food poverty locally. The Students Union will use the funds to pay for activities they host including cinema sessions and tea dances for the elderly and cooking sessions for young children in local schools.
A further £100,000 has now been confirmed for 2020 and applications can be made via the Intelligent Energy website. The Trust was established to support local causes in need of financial assistance which, support and aid, amongst others; community groups, young people, sport and lifelong learning.
David Woolhouse, CEO at Intelligent Energy, commented: “There are so many groups that have benefitted from the Trust this year and we are looking forward to hearing from them over the coming weeks and months to see how the money they have applied for has been used. We go into 2020 with a further £100,000 to donate. We will announce first round applications early in the new year.”
Clare Fillingham, Customer Services and Quality Manager and Charnwood Food Poverty Group lead for The Bridge (East Midlands) said: “We are enormously grateful for this fantastic funding from the Intelligent Energy Charitable Trust. The grant will go a huge way in ensuring the development and sustainability of the Charnwood Food Poverty Group well in to the future.
“Since the initiative was launched last year, we have already helped in excess of 2000 individuals, families and local food projects in their battle against food poverty. The Intelligent Energy Charitable Trust will allow us to continue this vital work in the Borough of Charnwood and improve the lives of its community members.”
Some of the charities and organisations that have previously benefitted from the first round of donations include Coping with Cancer, Rainbows Hospice, the 1st Loughborough Scout Group, Abel Camps, TwentyTwenty, Peter Le Marchant Trust, Glebe House, BACA Charity, Birstall Methodist Lunch Club and the Syston & District Volunteer Club.
To apply for funds or to read more about the criteria for applications please click here.
About Intelligent Energy
Intelligent Energy is focused on the development and manufacture of its Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell products for customers in the automotive, aerospace, generator, telecoms, materials handling and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sectors. Intelligent Energy is built on 30 years of PEM fuel cell development. Following acquisition by Meditor Energy, part of the Meditor Group, in October 2017 Meditor has accelerated investment to facilitate further development and commercialisation of the technology and expansion of the product offering. The company is headquartered and manufactures in Loughborough in the UK, with additional offices and representation in the US, Japan, China and South Korea.