Sir Roger Manwood’s students held a presentation evening in December to update guests on their Solar for Manwood’s’ project success
Students are being congratulated and news is being welcomed that The Open Legacy Fund has helped a local school with a project that has led to the installation of 345 solar panels that are set to save 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
This comes as Dover District continues to take active steps to combat climate change, with Dover District Council aiming to become a net zero emitter by 2030, and aspiring for the district to be carbon neutral by 2050.
The solar panel project at Sir Roger Manwood’s School was one of six community projects in Sandwich that were successful in securing funding from the Green Initiatives Grant Programme, part of The Open Legacy Fund provided by The R&A following staging of the Championship at Royal St George’s in 2021.
The Green Initiatives Grant Programme was launched by The R&A, Dover District Council, Kent County Council and Sandwich Town Council to enable community groups/organisations in Sandwich to apply for funding to support initiatives that offer social, environmental and health and well-being benefits for the town and its residents.
An award of £15,000 was made to the school for their ‘Solar for Manwood’s’ project. The Eco Society aimed to make the school more sustainable and raise awareness of environmental issues. The project went on to raise a staggering £75,000 to install 345 solar panels, that are now providing environmentally friendly electricity at the school.
Cllr Chris Vinson, DDC Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “We are delighted to see the success of this project, and congratulate the students on planning and delivering this excellent scheme. We were very pleased to welcome the return of The Open to Royal St George’s in 2021 and to learn more about The R&A’s commitment to sustainability. It’s great news that community groups in Sandwich are benefitting from The Open Legacy Fund and helping to build a cleaner, greener, healthier future.”
Dave Anderson from Sir Roger Manwood’s School said: “We are very grateful for the support we had from The Open Legacy Fund. We were delighted that they recognised that students were leading our project and it turned out that winning this grant was the turning point in our fundraising efforts.”
For more information on the Green Initiatives Grant Programme, please see here.