Dudgeon Community Fund grants for STEM projects in Norfolk
Karl Butler
The Dudgeon Community Fund has opened for grant applications to its STEM for Schools Programme (science, technology, engineering and maths) for projects to be delivered in the 2023/24 academic year, starting in September 2023
The Dudgeon Community Fund is supported by a donation of £100,000 per annum from the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm, operated by Equinor. Its STEM for Schools Programme grants are designed to help inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators and inventors amongst pupils in all school years, up to and including Year 13, within the Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and Broadland districts of Norfolk.
Last year, seven schools and colleges were awarded grants for a diverse range of initiatives including an in-school engineering hub, engineering and medical imaging, a British Science Week programme, a robotics competition and a carbon literacy project.
Karl Butler, the Dudgeon Power Plant Manager, is once again hoping to see some innovative grant applications, saying:
”Since the STEM Programme was launched in 2018 it has supported some great initiatives, and there were some really inspirational projects amongst those which received grants in 2022.
”As a result of the educational partnership which exists across Norfolk, over 12,500 students have so far benefited from the Dudgeon Community Fund STEM Programme, and I hope the grants for the 2023/24 academic year will help many more students on their STEM career journey.“
The Dudgeon Community Fund is administered by the Norfolk Community Foundation and full details of the application process can be found at: www.norfolkfoundation.com/funding-support/grants/groups/dudgeon-community-fund
Although grant support will initially be given for one year, projects which achieve delivery success will be able to apply for a further grant for the 2024/25 academic year.
About Equinor in Norfolk
Equinor is a long-term partner for Norfolk and has been an active member of the community for over a decade through the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms it operates off the Norfolk coast.
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Masdar and China Resources, whilst Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Equitix Offshore 5 (co-owned by Equitix and the Renewable Investment Group TRIG) and a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management).
On behalf of its partners, Equinor is also maturing the proposed Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon extension projects (SEP and DEP). SEP and DEP will double the capacity of the existing Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms, providing renewable energy to power an additional 785,000 UK homes and making an important contribution to the UK’s decarbonisation goals.
Currently, the combined output of Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms is sufficient to power around 710,000 UK homes, and the proposed extensions will increase that to nearly 1.5 million UK households.
Both wind farms have established community funds which in total have awarded over £1 million to projects in Norfolk. The funds were set up to provide grants to Norfolk community groups, including schools and charities, seeking financial assistance for projects or initiatives that meet key criteria and focus on renewable energy, marine environment and safety, sustainability, or education in these areas.
Issue date: 06-03-23
For media enquiries, please contact:
Alice Baxter
UK Media Relations Manager, Equinor
abax@equinor.com
+44 7557973941
For consultation or community enquiries, please contact:
Nigel Tompkins, the Projects’ Community Liaison Officer based in Norfolk,
E-mail: nigel@ni4b.co.uk