Accrington Stanley Community Trust - Impact Report 2023

Stanley Sports Hub to save £250k over ten years after installing 200 solar panels Accrington Stanley Community Trust (ASCT) have installed 200 solar panels at Stanley Sports Hub, which will immediately reduce its carbon footprint by 51%.

ASCT will also benefit from ongoing savings on their energy bills, with £250k set to be saved over the next ten years, meaning these funds can now be better spent on charitable projects for the community of Hyndburn. The £60,000 project was carried out by Accrington based Orchard Electrical Solutions, on the new £1m building extension at Stanley Sports Hub, and has seen approximately 200 solar panels installed totalling 50kw. The solar panels will provide the following benefits over its lifespan: • 51% reduction in carbon emmissions – equivalent to 9 tonnes of CO2 per year • 261,889 car KM avoided • 1,684 trees planted • 87 long haul flights avoided Martin Fearon, CEO of ASCT, said: “We’re delighted to announce our latest investment of around 200 solar panels which will generate green energy at Stanley Sports Hub and reduce our carbon footprint by 51%. ‘’Environmental sustainability is something our charity has looked to embrace over the last couple of years, and solar energy was high up on the list. By creating our own clean energy, we are helping the planet and also providing a cost saving to our Charity to make it more sustainable both financially and environmentally.’’ ASCT have created a 100-point environmental sustainability action plan, which now sees the charity make continuous improvements each year through recycling, green energy, lowering of emissions and more. To find out more about Stanley Sports Hub, please visit www.stanleysportshub.co.uk

29 IMPACT REPORT 2023