Stourbridge Glass Museum is set to offer free glass fusion workshops for young people across the area thanks to funding from enfinium Kelvin, an energy from waste facility currently under construction in Sandwell.
Run by local volunteers since 2022, Stourbridge Glass Museum showcases and celebrates the rich heritage of glassmaking in Stourbridge through its exhibitions and live demonstrations. Now, thanks to a grant from enfinium, the museum will run a series of free glass fusion workshops for the local community.
The funding has been awarded as part of a £50,000 Community Benefit Fund from the nearby enfinium Kelvin facility in West Bromwich. Eleven workshops will run monthly over the course of a year and will be free of charge to increase accessibility for underprivileged groups.
The workshops will also champion sustainable, low-carbon practice by using renewable energy from the museum’s own solar panels on site. These will be used to heat recycled glass to create fused art pieces, such as decorative objects and jewellery. This makes the museum the first glass studio in the UK to use entirely renewable energy and to rely entirely on recycled glass.
Alexander Goodger, Director of Stourbridge Glass Museum, said: “We’re really grateful for the support from enfinium with this grant. These workshops will help us deliver engaging, fun and accessible art activities for young people who might not have these opportunities at home or at school. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate Stourbridge’s rich glass making heritage – and have a local business in the area help preserve that.”
Chris Swanick, Project Manager at enfinium Kelvin, said: “We’re pleased to be able to announce funding for the museum. It’s an important local charity that’s working to promote the area’s history while upskilling local people in a creative and modern way – particularly in the use of recycled glass and renewable energy. It also aligns with our commitments to supporting efforts to decarbonise and companies that promote these efforts. That’s why we’re excited to be a part of this initiative helping make these educational workshops available to all.”
enfinium’s £50,000 Community Benefit Fund has been made available to community groups and organisations in Sandwell and the surrounding area through enfinium Kelvin, which is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2025.
Applications to enfinium’s Community Benefit Fund are open and will be accepted from projects or organisations that will directly benefit the communities neighbouring the facility’s site. Organisations who are based outside of this area are also eligible to apply for grants, as long as they can prove how the award of funding will have a beneficial impact on these communities. Applications are welcomed from registered charities, schools, places of learning, not-for-profit companies, community organisations and groups – including those supported by public funding.
All applications must demonstrate that the project or event in question will either deliver environmental benefits (such as the promotion of clean energy, waste reduction and / or recycling improvements), improve standards of health, safety and wellbeing or enhance the wider community. This could mean promoting skills and educational development, environmental improvements or activity that helps boost community cohesion. Application criteria and application forms can be downloaded from the project website: www.enfinium.co.uk/facilities/kelvin. For more information, please call 0800 422 0036 or email kelvin@enfinium.co.uk.
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About enfinium
enfinium is a leading UK energy from waste operator with four operational sites in the UK, in West Yorkshire, Kent and Flintshire, and two in construction. enfinium diverts 2.3 million tonnes of unrecyclable waste from climate-damaging landfill, putting it to good use by turning it into home grown energy, enough to power 500,000 UK homes. enfinium’s ambition is to transform its facilities into local ‘decarbonisation hubs’ powered by the millions of tonnes of unrecyclable waste the UK will produce for decades to come. Using existing energy from waste infrastructure, enfinium could contribute to heat networks, produce electrolytic hydrogen, or use carbon capture technology to provide durable, high quality carbon removals which will be critical for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050. For more information on enfinium, please visit www.enfinium.co.uk.
