COMMUNITY buildings in Oakhill and Litton are each receiving grants from a fund created to help make energy energy efficiency upgrades across Somerset.

The Ashwick & Oakhill Village Hall has been awarded £15,000 for solar panels, while Litton Village Hall has been given £20,000 for what have been described as ‘energy saving upgrades’, which could include insulation, double glazing, and air source heat pumps.

The aim of the grants is help reduce running costs, lower carbon emissions and ensure these well-used spaces remain sustainable into the future.

In total, almost £200,000 has been given to 15 different community buildings across Somerset.

The funding was administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), with expert support from the community buildings team at Thrive, a fellow charity that seeks to support communities within the county..

Many of the buildings across Somerset that have received funding are ageing and draughty, making them expensive to heat and threatening their long-term viability.

Annual savings of at least £500 per year are expected for participating buildings, and it is estimated some groups could reduce annual carbon emissions by up to seven tonnes.

For small, local charities, community groups and social enterprises, the SCF provide more than £4-million of funding to local groups every year.

Clare Stephen, programmes manager at SCF, said: “We’d love to run the funding programme for a second time as we received many more applications than we could support.

“Seeing the work undertaken by the trustees of community buildings across the county has been humbling. They are working tirelessly to ensure the sustainability of these buildings so that many local people and groups can continue to use them.

“These buildings are often at the heart of local communities, and we want to help protect them as essential assets in Somerset.”