Apart from helping to reduce CO2 emissions BCE also aims to ensure that as many of the residents of Burneside Parish as possible can benefit from renewable energy. Investors, most of whom are local, will get an interest payment on their loan. However, not everyone can afford to invest or may choose not to. BCE is registered as an Industrial and Provident Society for the Benefit of the Community (IPS Bencom) and is thereby bound to redistribute any additional profit back into the community. The aim is not to divide this “profit” between all residents of Burneside Parish but rather to use it to pay for things that will help them build a thriving, involved, active and sustainable future.
There is a BCE Community Benefit Fund sub-committee whose remit is to consider applications for funding. If you would like to make an application to BCE for funding for a project within Burneside Parish, the Terms of Reference of the sub-committee are here and explain the criteria and process for applications, and the Application Form is here. Applications are reviewed quarterly and applications for 2024 should be sent to info@bce.org.uk by 14 February 2024 or 16 May 2024 or 14 August 2024 or 14 November 2024.
So far BCE has been able to:
- make a substantial contribution towards a Bola Junior bowling machine for Burneside Cricket Club to assist with training the juniors.
- pay for a wooden bench outside the village church
- make a contribution towards a defibrillator at the southern end of the village
- arrange and pay for the installation of solar panels on the roof of St Oswald’s primary school in the village
- pay for the materials used for insulating the roof space at St Oswald’s school
- contribute to the costs involved in setting up allotments in the village
- contribute to the Clean River Kent Campaign (CRKC). Click here to learn more
