Pupils at Meadowfield Primary School in Halton Moor are enjoying learning surrounded by summer wildflowers in bloom, thanks to a grant from enfinium.
The grant has been awarded as part of a £50,000 Community Benefit Fund, made available to community groups and organisations in Leeds during the construction phase of enfinium’s Skelton Grange Waste to Energy Hub project, which is scheduled for completion in 2025.
The school’s once vibrant wildflower meadow had slowly declined in recent years and was in dire need of a boost. Fortunately, funding from enfinium helped pupils and teachers to breathe life back into their meadow.
Now a sea of colour, the meadow is once again an exciting new outdoor learning space where pupils can learn about sustainability, science and nature. Even the new benches and outdoor furniture are made from recycled materials.
The next stage of the rewilding project, taking place over the coming month, will see a variety of flowers being planted. The project is helping to re-establish ecosystems, create new habitats, and help improve the overall health and emotional wellbeing of children and staff.
Lisa Ullyart, learning assistant at Meadowfield Primary School said: “We are extremely grateful to enfinium for awarding this grant to our school. We can see our lovely meadow coming back to life and this has already had a significant and positive impact upon pupil wellbeing. Our children are immensely proud of all they have achieved so far in their efforts towards recycling and reducing waste. They are committed to continue creating a sustainable future for their community and future generations. This funding is enabling us to create a wild, beautiful and inspiring outdoor space for them to enjoy and learn from.”
Dan James, Plant Manager at enfinium Skelton Grange, said: “We are already creating jobs and generating supply chain opportunities for local businesses – but we know that our commitment to Leeds goes further than this. We will always be a good neighbour to the communities in which we operate and are delighted to be supporting the great work that Meadowfield Primary School is doing. It’s brilliant to see the meadow already blooming again and educating the next generation on the importance of looking after the environment we live in. It will be great to see how this grant – and the other grants we have been making across Leeds over recent months – make a real difference.”
enfinium’s £50,000 Community Benefit Fund has been made available to community groups and organisations in Leeds via enfinium Skelton Grange, which is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2025.
Applications to enfinium’s Community Benefit Fund are still 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/skelton-grange. For more information please call 0800 422 0036 or email skeltongrange@enfinium.co.uk.
ENDS
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 on enfinium, please visit www.enfinium.co.uk.
