Courtesy of local firm Great Elm Utilities, Fair Frome has just had installed a complete Solar PV package at their new base on the Marston Trading Estate. Best known perhaps for being the organiser of the local food bank, Fair Frome is also responsible for running initiatives from Food @ Five and the Furniture Bank, to Holiday Hunger, the Community Pantry, Baby Basics and the Assistance Scheme.

Nigel Willis is Trustee at Fair Frome and is project lead for the solar power installation.

'Great Elm Utilities have been incredibly generous,' says Nigel. 'As well as the actual solar panels, they have also donated free of charge the inverter and battery storage units, thus ensuring that our main building here in Frome now has a green and sustainable energy source. The whole installation will provide a major source of electrical energy for the enterprise and will mean that for large parts of the year Fair Frome will be virtually self-sufficient, thereby helping to make our operation even more efficient. Local business has always been keen supporters of Fair Frome and on behalf of everyone at our charity I would like to say a very special 'thank you' to Great Elm Utilities.'

A spokesman for Great Elm Utilities said that the company was particularly pleased to be able to support Fair Frome.

'As a company, we have always been keen to do a great deal more than just provide an alternative energy source to individuals and business,' he said. 'Our business model and its profits contribute to social and environmental causes, such as supporting local communities and promoting energy conservation and sustainability. Fair Frome is exactly the kind of organisation that we are delighted to be able to support.'

'We must also thank Tom Robson and his team at Frome's WS Group who installed the system for us,' adds Nigel. 'Thanks to the fantastic help from GE Utilities we will now be able to save substantial monies on our energy costs and instead channel those costs into helping the people of Frome directly via our ongoing projects.'