The Summerfield Trust awarded a grant of £45,000 in 2011, payable over two years, for a joint project between The Cotswold Canals Trust and the Stroud Valleys Canal Company . 

The aim of the project is to use spare water flowing down the canal to generate income to help support the future maintenance of the restored canal.

 In a typical year, the hydro scheme is expected to generate an income of £20,000 through the generation of over 100 Megawatt hours of electricity. 

The installation is expected to last many decades and a small team of volunteers has been formed to perform regular maintenance tasks.

Read more about the project in the report submitted to the Summerfield Trust in October 2013, or visit their website using the link below.  READ MORE

LINKS:
Cotswold Canals Trust

Pittville Gates are situated at the end of Winchcombe Street in Cheltenham, leading to Pittville Lawn, a residential street which leads to Pittville Park. The Gates were built in 1833 as the grand entrance to Pittville Estate, which was developed in the 1820s by Joseph Pitt. The Gates are listed Grade 2 by English Heritage. 

In 2010, the Friends of Pittville embarked on a long-term project to restore the Gates and improve the immediate area, as both were in very poor condition.  Phase one of the restoration work started in November 2012, which included the gates being dismantled. 

In February 2013 the Summerfield Trust awarded a grant of £20,000  towards Phase 1 of the project and, despite delays caused by bad weather during the winter months, the new stone pillars, renovated ironwork and enhanced landscaping including new pavements are now in place.  The final stages of Phase 1 should be completed in September 2013, and fundraising for Phase 2 continues. 

More information about the history of the gates can be found in the specially commissioned booklet, Pittville Gates: Cheltenham's 'Grand Entrance' by James Hodsden.  Combining old and new images with a specially researched text, it sets out the story of the gates from their origin in 1833 to the present day.  Proceeds from the sale of the book support the restoration campaign run by the Friends of Pittville.

GymNation, a charity based in Gloucester, provides facilities to the Muslim community (although not exclusively).  In 2011 it took over the St James City Farm and Garden from Gloucester City Council to save it from closure due to cutbacks.  The Summerfield Trust awarded  a grant to help it develop the farm to enable local people to get involved in farming, gardening and other environmental projects.  The Duchess of Gloucester visited the Farm in July 2013 to open the new cafe. Kate Hicks Beach, trustee of SCT, joined the celebrations and much enjoyed meeting Faisal Atcha’s owl!

The Gardens Gallery in Montpellier, Cheltenham re-opened on 6 February 2013 with its new, more visually attractive, front facade with six double-glazed panels replacing the previous two single glazed ones. This completed the changes made as part of the Energy Reduction Project and the Gallery is hoping the changes will reduce its electricity consumption by 50% per year.