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Economic Development

Hundreds of investors raise cash for Wiltshire school's solar panels

Community energy organisation WWCE launched the campaign to raise funds for Silverwood last October

An aerial view of Silverwood School in Wiltshire(Image: Rebecca Noakes Phoptography)

Hundreds of investors have backed a campaign to raise cash for more than 1,000 solar panels on a school in Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Wildlife Community Energy (WWCE), which develops community-owned energy projects, launched its first public share offer in more than a decade last October.

The organisation has raised £500,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to put solar panels on the roof of Silverwood - a school for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Rowde, near Devizes.

Silverwood has undergone a period of major redevelopment, with Wiltshire Council pumping £38m into a new sustainable building that is home to a state-of-the-art centre of specialist education.

A total of 1,087 community-owned solar panels are now generating green electricity to run the school, with surplus power exported to the local grid.

WWCE said after securing 200-plus investors, it would also be able to make an annual contribution of £5,000 to a ring-fenced community fund designed to develop and support the delivery of environmental education initiatives in partnership with the school.

Julian Barlow, chair of WWCE, said: “The Silverwood School project embodies what can be achieved when people come together with purpose, with the majority of our investors committing small amounts on the basis that they support renewable energy and community objectives.

"This solar installation will reduce the school’s reliance on fossil fuels, cut energy costs, and provide long-term environmental and educational benefits. We’re proud that students at Silverwood will not only learn in a cleaner environment but also gain a real-life understanding of sustainability in action.”