9th September 2024
A MAJOR milestone in community sustainability was celebrated as young people were honoured for their pivotal role in the successful completion of an innovative ‘Greener than Green’ project which helped secure the future of their local football club.
The celebration event, held at Cleator Moor Celtic Club, brought together key partners, community members, and young innovators to commemorate the project’s achievements.
The ‘Greener than Green’ project, a collaboration between the Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH), Co-Lab Engineering, and Cleator Moor Celtic, challenged young people to develop a sustainable solution to help secure the future of the much-loved community sports group.
Faced with rising energy costs and an uncertain economic climate, the club, which has over 400 members aged between six and 60, aimed to halve their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.
With support from iSH, Co-Lab Engineering and help from a range of organisations including Jacobs, Westinghouse, React, Technology Consortia Ltd, Radiance Renewable Energy Solutions and other local contractors including JT Atkinson and Travis Perkins, 15 young members of Cleator Moor Celtic, aged between 12 and 14, spent last year’s half term holiday working together to research and develop ideas that would enable the club to become more sustainable.
One year on, the solution has been delivered, thanks to funding from Sellafield Ltd and Electricity North West, and the installation of new solar panels was unveiled at the event in front of local figureheads, including Euan Hutton, Chief Executive Officer at Sellafield Ltd.
The renewable energy generated will help sustain the club for future generations and support the club’s growth by reducing its energy costs.
The celebration of the ‘Greener than Green’ project showcased the successful collaboration between key partners and underscored the impact of empowering local young people to tackle real-world challenges. It showed how collaboration and innovation can drive
meaningful change for a brighter, more sustainable future.
Gary McKeating, Managing Director of iSH, who led the event, said: “We’re delighted to celebrate this project coming to fruition – a real partnership between Cleator Moor Celtic and the local business community. It is an important local organisation that provides sporting and social opportunities for the community and involving the club’s young members has been a huge success, a real legacy for them and the club.
“iSH is all about collaboration and enhancing the capability of those around us – in education, business or community.
“This project has enabled local young people to gain experiences that they can add to their portfolios, CVs and talk about at future interviews for apprenticeships or other employment opportunities.
“Their hard work is really going to make a difference to the community as well as getting exposure to industry – and that sets them apart when it comes to applying for jobs further down the line.”
Euan Hutton, CEO of Sellafield Ltd, praised the young people who took part in the project for giving up their school holidays to achieve an impressive, innovative and sustainable outcome for a much-loved and important community sports club, while at the same time gaining new skills which will help in job interviews and their future careers.
Euan said: “Sellafield is all about innovation – first-of-kind and one-of-a-kind innovation which is turned into repeatable operations.
“We are always onto the next new thing and the next exciting challenge, such as the RAICo collaboration with all our different robots and training our people how to operate them.
“Buildings we are building at Sellafield today, the people who will operate them have not started their GCSEs yet, and the buildings we are planning to build, the parents of the people who will operate them have not even met yet.
“So we have lots of cool jobs in robotics and other areas of Sellafield and the supply chain, but we also need a sustainable community to support those jobs, because the people who will do those jobs want to have cool places to be and cool places to live and that includes
having a good, sustainable, inclusive sports club like this.
“The fact that the young people here tonight have achieved this, saving their local football club money with a renewable, sustainable solution, delivered as part of an innovative project with the help of funders and the support of the supply chain, fills me with hope for the future.”
When asked by Euan to sum up in one word what they had gained from the project, the young people involved, who all received certificates on the night, said the “knowledge, experience, teamwork, engineering, and resilience” they had gained would stand them in
good stead for future employment opportunities.
Twin sisters Sofia and Lilly Murphy were among those who took part in the initiative. Sofia said: “I was really excited to be involved in the project and I enjoyed learning new engineering skills.” Lilly said: “Learning about different renewable technologies was a great
experience and I’m pleased the solar panels will help the Celtic club reduce costs.”
Cleator Moor Celtic Club chairman Neil Grears, who spoke at the event, said: “Thanks to everyone for getting this project, which is all about sustainability, self-sufficiency and using natural resources, over the line – to the funders Sellafield Ltd and Electricity North West and
everyone involved, it means an awfully great deal to a non-profit organisation like us. I can’t thank you all enough.”
Peter Hodgson, also from Cleator Moor Celtic, who has supported the project from the outset, hopes the outcome will bring a sense of pride and belonging to all involved, and all those who use the club.
He said: “The Greener than Green challenge was about how we can make sure the club can survive not only the cost of living crisis, but become sustainable for the community well into the future.
“iSH supported the project to get young people to consider a career in engineering, and some of those involved would have never previously thought of a career in the field. It allowed them to see what the industry is all about, and gave them the chance to work with
some young engineers from our community.
“I believe the project has given these young people a new-found confidence, and something valuable to talk about in future interviews.
“The next stage was brilliant, iSH worked with us to connect with Sellafield Ltd and Electricity North West, ensuring that the solar panel idea could become a reality. Sellafield’s funding highlights their commitment to the local community and sustainability, for which we are very grateful.
“Special recognition also goes to Clyne Albertelli and Co-Lab. As a native Cleator Moor lad, he played a vital role, and we extend our thanks to him and Co-Lab.”
Clyne, founder of Co-Lab Engineering, said: “As a local, giving back to my community and inspiring the next generation align with the purpose I set for myself and for Co-Lab.
“Delivering this initiative has highlighted a powerful way to connect education, sustainability, and community pride; I know that this is just the beginning.”
Closing the event, Gary said: “It’s inspiring to see what has been achieved here. Sports clubs like this are at the heart of our community and sustainability is the heart of everything for Sellafield, iSH and the wider community. There’s a passion for this town and this area,
there’s investment, Leconfield is buzzing, Cleator Moor is buzzing, so let’s all get our shoulder behind the wheel and build an even brighter future.”
