Reading Hydro CBS is supported by a number of different organisations as our institutional investors. They share our goal of generating sustainable energy for community benefit.
These organisations have become institutional investors in our Community Benefit Scheme to ensure that we can proceed with our project. They join our Main Share Offer investors and our Pioneers as members of our Community and we thank them for their generous support. Find out more about them below.
Our Institutional Investors
Co-operatives UK is the network for Britain’s thousands of co-operatives. It works to promote, develop and unite member-owned businesses across the economy. From high street retailers to community owned pubs, fan owned football clubs to farmer controlled businesses, co-operatives are everywhere and together they are worth £37 billion to the British economy.
Power to Change is the independent trust that supports community businesses in England. From pubs to libraries; shops to bakeries; swimming pools to solar farms; community businesses are creating great products and services, providing employment and training and transforming lives. Power to Change received its endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund in 2015.
The Reach Fund is a grant programme that helps charities and social enterprises raise investment. The programme is funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and is open to organisations in England. Social investors are often approached by charities and social enterprises who require extra support to raise investment. Through this programme, social investors can refer these organisations to the Reach Fund to apply for the support they need.
Reading Borough Council is responsible for the local services for around 155,000 residents including education, planning and transport. There are 16 wards in the borough, each represented by three Councillors. The Council recently declared a Climate Emergency, and has supported Reading Hydro through the planning processes as well as now through investment in the scheme.
Reading Sustainability Centre is essentially a group of individuals drawn together by a desire to encourage and better connect community-led sustainability initiatives across Reading. The long-term goal is to develop an eco-education centre in Reading that can act as an information hub and space for sustainable learning. More immediately, the focus is on getting conversations going, developing experiments and ‘popping up’ where possible.