TSELF bridges the finance gap for The Sustainability Centre

The Social Enterprise Loan Fund (TSELF) stepped in to help The Sustainability Centre in Petersfield, Hampshire, with a £36,000 bridging loan while they waited for grants for a new solar panel installation to come through.

When The Sustainability Centre secured Lottery and Low Carbon Buildings Fund money to install solar panels, they encountered a common problem with grant funding. The grants would only be paid after the work had been done and the charity would have to pay for the work up front. As a result, they needed to access finance to tide them over until the grants arrived. When their bank turned them down, they contacted TSELF who saved the day.

Earthworks Trust is a registered charity, established in 1995, which runs The Sustainability Centre near the village of East Meon, high up on the South Downs in Hampshire. The Centre was established to demonstrate and promote knowledge, skills and technologies that improve the quality of life without damaging the environment.

Although The Sustainability Centre previously had solar water heating and photovoltaic panels, they were not very efficient. The new installation is much larger, more technologically advanced and much more effective, positioned as it is on the roof and a south facing wall. The new solar panels will help to reduce the Centre’s electricity bills by up to 30%.

“We’re thankful that TSELF was able to help out,” says Nigel Cartwright of The Sustainability Centre. “Access to loan funding isn’t easy to come by at the moment, as we found out when we approached our bank for help. The loan from TSELF has enabled us to bridge the gap until the grants come through and we appreciate the support we have received.”

“We were happy to help out The Sustainability Centre,” says TSELF’s Regional Director SJ Davis. “They do a fantastic job educating people about the environment, ecology and sustainability, and the new solar installation will have a huge impact on reducing both their fuel costs and carbon footprint. Getting grant funding is good news, but when it is paid retrospectively, you need to find up front finance too, and that’s where TSELF stepped in.”

The Sustainability Centre runs a very successful education programme, as well as offering programmes aimed at the unemployed and the disabled. The Centre also has a highly successful woodland burial site, eco-hostel and campsite.

To find out more about Earthworks Trust and The Sustainability Centre visit www.sustainability-centre.org.