Last week Mark Garnier visited Areley Kings Village Hall in celebration of the building's new solar energy generating system. The event, hosted by Graham and Pauline Baldwin, highlighted the huge benefits in converting to solar power.
Special guests included Mark, Gary Talbot, Deputy Mayor of Stourport and Paul Hutchens, Managing Director Eco2solar. Eco2solar is the Kidderminster based company which provided the solar energy generator.
The solar energy generator is designed to produce over 50% of the hall's electricity; all free of charge. Moreover, for every kw of energy produced the Government pay the hall 43.3 pence. This means that in the 6 weeks that it has been running, Areley King's Village Hall has produced over 700kwh of free electricity, adding up to over £300. This scheme will run for the next 25 years therefore guaranteeing the hall's electricity until 2026.
Half of the £15,000 needed to pay for the generator was raised by the local people of Areley Kings.
Mark, who spoke at the meeting, said: "It is a real pleasure to be able to speak at a meeting celebrating two things the Government is keen on: the Big Society and protecting our planet. The community at Areley Kings have clearly demonstrated, through their incredible efforts, that the Big Society is alive and flourishing in Wyre Forest. But it is also good news that they are making a clear statement of their commitment to our environment. It is vital that people see firsthand all the technologies that are available to help our planet and the Areley Kings village hall is a perfect example of new technologies in action."