October 6, 2015 12.20 pm This story is over 100 months old

Lincoln academy forecast to become a Solar School

Sustainable targets: Hartsholme Academy off Skellingthorpe Road in Lincoln has launched ambitious plans to become a recognised solar powered school.

Hartsholme Academy off Skellingthorpe Road in Lincoln has launched ambitious plans to become a recognised solar powered school.

Governors, staff and pupils will be doing their bit to reach a fundraising target of £15,000 by June 2016 so they can install solar panels onto their roof.

The school has achieved just one of 20 places on this year’s national Solar Schools project.

The initiative is run by carbon cutting charity 10:10 in partnership with Good Energy, the 100% renewable electricity supplier.

A series of events began on Tuesday, October 6 with a special launch event and ‘silver coin collection’ at the school.

The £15,000 target is said to be the academy’s most ambitious fundraising target to date.

Other events lined up are hoped to get the whole of the surrounding community involved.

They include a quiz, bag packing, an Easter egg hunt, movie nights and a summer ball over a 10 month period.

In addition, the academy will be contacting local businesses who may be interested in supporting the project.

Charmaine Coutinho from Good Energy said: “The Solar Schools project is a fantastic way to promote climate change education, and it’s great to see the pupils at Hartsholme Academy engaging with solar power.

“At Good Energy our vision is to create a cleaner, greener Britain and Solar Schools has that in buckets. Education, community and sustainability all working hand in hand, bringing sunshine into our classrooms.”

Cecily Spelling, Solar Schools Project Manager at 10:10, said: “We’re so excited to have Hartsholme Academy school on board this year. It’s been a turbulent start to their journey with the proposed changes to solar subsidies – the Feed in tariff, but the team haven’t let it phase them.”