Within Energy Retail, community sponsorships are designed to help young people become more energy efficient. That’s why we sponsored a range of initiatives designed to encourage young people to switch off their TVs and do something different! Sponsorships include Scottish schools athletics through the Energising Scotland’s Youth initiative and Read for the Future, a literacy programme developed with Friends of the Earth. We also help fund green energy projects in the community through our Green Energy Trust Fund.

Energy Retail supports the “Energising Scotland’s Youth” initiative in a bid to persuade kids to switch off their televisions and computers to save electrical energy and get active – by using energy of a different sort.

Each year, around 6,000 young athletes from across Scotland have taken part in events including the ScottishPower National Cross Country Championships at Falkirk’s Callendar Park in February, the Secondary School Indoor Championships at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and school cross country events at Irvine and Kirkcaldy.

At the ScottishPower National Cross Country Championships, 1,800 runners battled it out in Callendar Park, Falkirk, for more than £5,000 worth of prizes thanks to ScottishPower’s sponsorship. Kilbarchan Athletics Club triumphed, landing the title of Overall ScottishPower Club winner and a £1,000 prize.

Nearly 1,000 young athletes from 100 schools took part in the ScottishPower Schools Indoor Championships, organised by the Scottish Schools Athletics Association (SSAA). These took place at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena. The event included running up to the 1,500 metre distance, as well as long jump, triple jump, pole vault, high jump and shot putt.

The Read for the Future campaign with Friends of the Earth is not only encouraging children to switch off electrical gadgets in favour of reading, but is helping to improve literacy standards and raising money for energy efficiency projects.

Our independent Green Energy Trust Fund supports projects such as small-scale wind and solar energy schemes in community and educational settings, including schools

During 2005/06 the Green Energy Trust funded 11 projects across the UK, investing over £128,000. Many of the Trust’s projects are in schools, and are helping to educate people about the benefits of renewable energy, and, in many cases, helping save money on fuel bills. In 2005 the positive impact that Green Energy Trust projects are having on local communities was recognised  for the first time, with a Big Tick from Business in the Community in its annual awards scheme. The Big Tick was reaccredited in June 2006.