The Dunblane Centre has served its community for 22 years, built on generosity in the wake of tragedy. Recently, the Lynx Sustainable Solutions team was proud to be part of another act of generosity, one that should power the Centre’s next chapter for decades to come.
On the edge of Dunblane town centre sits a building that means more than most. The Dunblane Centre was established using funds donated to the community in the aftermath of the 1996 tragedy at Dunblane Primary School. For 22 years, it has run without government funding, providing facilities and services for people of all ages, sustained by the kindness and commitment of the people who believe in what it does.
A gift of clean energy
Rob and Julie Forrest, owners of Scottish renewable energy company GreenPower and long-term Dunblane residents, gifted the Centre a 50kW rooftop solar array of 96 panels, installed by our team at Lynx Sustainable Solutions. The system is projected to save the Centre between £5,000 and £9,000 a year in energy costs. For a charity with no statutory income, Jenny Stirton, Chair of the Dunblane Centre, says that “the projected savings of up to £9,000 each year are truly transformative.”
The reason is simple. “Every pound saved on energy is a pound that can be reinvested into supporting our community,” says Jenny, “strengthening our programmes, maintaining our building, and ensuring we remain a warm, welcoming and safe space for all.” The Centre’s running costs have always competed directly with its community programmes. Clean, cheap energy changes that equation.
The timing carries its own weight. As the 30th anniversary of the tragedy approaches, Jenny reflects that “this investment in renewable energy feels especially meaningful. It represents not only sustainability in environmental terms, but sustainability of purpose – helping to ensure that the Centre can continue to serve future generations with the same spirit of care, resilience and hope on which it was founded.”
What the savings mean
The project came about through a personal connection. When a trustee from the Centre approached Rob and Julie Forrest to ask if they could offer support, the couple proposed a solar installation as a practical and lasting contribution. For Julie Forrest, it was straightforward: “helping this important community facility to reduce energy bills by installing a solar array seemed like the best way we could help.” The panels, she adds, “will also help to reduce the environmental impact of the Centre in a sustainable way.”
Close to home
For our Managing Director, Matthew Shaw, the call from GreenPower was one he was always going to take. Matthew was born in Dunblane, and it’s where he and his wife Jillian had their first home together. “Dunblane is a place that means a great deal to me personally,” he says. “The Dunblane Centre does extraordinary things on a tight budget, and thanks to the generosity of Rob and Julie at GreenPower, it now has a reliable source of clean energy to help make that budget go further.”
As a business, we’re proud to have played a small part in helping to secure its future. Solar isn’t always about returns and payback periods. Sometimes it’s about putting clean, reliable energy to work where it’s needed most. The Dunblane Centre is exactly that kind of place.
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