Communities Fund has provided £565 of match funding
A Greener Future for Wootton Fitzpaine
Bridport, England, United Kingdom
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Aim
Protect the community spaces that bring Wootton Fitzpaine together and create a greener, more resilient, lower-carbon future for the village
Wootton Fitzpaine Climate Action: Helping protect the places that bring our community together
Wootton Fitzpaine is a small rural village in West Dorset, home to around 200 people.
Like many small villages, we do not have a large number of public spaces, services or facilities on our doorstep. That makes the places we do have especially important.
Our Village Hall, Social Club and traditional Skittle Alley sit at the heart of community life. They are where people meet, socialise, celebrate, fundraise and stay connected, hosting everything from skittles, darts and pool to coffee mornings, community meals, meetings, Artsreach performances and local events.
The Skittle Alley is particularly important, not only to Wootton Fitzpaine but to the wider local skittles community. It regularly hosts league fixtures and visiting teams, and as traditional skittle alleys continue to disappear elsewhere, facilities like this are becoming increasingly valuable. Protecting the alley means protecting somewhere people can continue to play, compete and come together, while helping to preserve a long-standing local tradition for the future.
For some people, these buildings are simply enjoyable places to spend time. For others, particularly older residents, people living alone, families and those without easy access to transport, they offer something much more fundamental: somewhere local to go, familiar faces to see and a way to remain part of village life.
These spaces have been kept going for generations through volunteering, fundraising and the commitment of local people. But keeping them open, comfortable and affordable is becoming increasingly difficult.
The deteriorating roof on our much-loved Skittle Alley can no longer be put off. Its condition is worsening and there is real concern about how well it will withstand another winter. Repairing and protecting it has therefore become an urgent priority for the community.
At the same time, the buildings are expensive and inefficient to heat, and rising energy costs are placing increasing pressure on already limited community funds.
We do not want to wait until the condition of the buildings or the cost of running them forces difficult choices.
Instead, we want to act now, protecting the places that matter to our village while investing in a greener, more resilient and more affordable future.
Our plan for a more sustainable future
We have developed a coordinated programme to protect these buildings and make them more sustainable, efficient and affordable to run.
The first priority is the deteriorating roof. Rather than repair it now and return later to install solar, the aim is to carry out the roof works and solar installation together, allowing the two elements to be carefully coordinated and the solar incorporated into the renewed roof where appropriate.
Alongside this, we plan to improve the way the buildings use energy through new air-to-air heat pumps and upgraded LED lighting.
The proposed solar installations are expected to generate more than 16,000 kWh of renewable electricity each year, reducing the amount of electricity the community facilities need to purchase from the grid. The new heat pumps will provide a far more efficient and responsive way of heating the buildings, while LED lighting will reduce electricity demand further.
Taken together, these improvements will do more than simply reduce energy use. They will help protect the buildings themselves, lower ongoing running costs and make it easier for the community to keep these important spaces open and affordable for years to come.
What your donation will help fund
Our crowdfunding target is £10,000.
Every donation will go directly towards the essential repairs and energy improvements that form this wider programme.
Roof repairs and integrated solar photovoltaic system - £48,330
The deteriorating Skittle Alley roof will be repaired alongside the installation of the new solar photovoltaic system, allowing both elements to be completed together as efficiently as possible.
This will not only protect an important community building, but also create a source of locally generated renewable electricity that will help reduce future energy costs.
Air-to-air heat-pump system - approximately £19,500
New air-to-air heat pumps will provide a more efficient and responsive way of heating the buildings, allowing individual spaces to be heated when they are actually needed rather than consuming energy unnecessarily.
This will help make the buildings warmer, more comfortable and less expensive to run.
LED lighting and associated electrical works - £2,386
The remaining lighting will be upgraded to energy-efficient LED fittings, alongside the associated electrical works, reducing electricity consumption and improving the overall efficiency of the buildings.
Our £10,000 crowdfunding target will form an important part of the overall funding package, alongside grants, community fundraising and other funding we are working hard to secure.
Every contribution, whatever its size, will help us protect these much-loved community spaces, reduce the cost of keeping them open and give them a stronger, greener future.
Practical climate action with a lasting local impact
For Wootton Fitzpaine, this is practical climate action at community level. It is about reducing our environmental impact while making the places people rely on more resilient, efficient and affordable for the future.
The project will help our community to:
- Prevent further contribution to climate change by reducing unnecessary energy use, generating clean renewable electricity and lowering the carbon impact of running our community buildings.
- Prepare for a lower-carbon future through more efficient heating, lower electricity demand and locally generated renewable energy.
- Adapt and become more resilient by reducing the amount of energy needed to keep these important community spaces open, comfortable and affordable in the face of future pressures.
For us, climate action and community resilience are inseparable.
Every pound we can save on unnecessary energy costs is money that can remain within the community, helping maintain the buildings, support activities and keep these spaces affordable and accessible for the people who rely on them.
By investing now, we can protect the places that already bring Wootton Fitzpaine together while transforming the way they are powered and heated for the future.
For us, climate action and community resilience go hand in hand.
Every pound saved on unnecessary energy costs is money that can stay within the community, helping maintain the buildings, support local activities and keep these spaces accessible to the people who rely on them.
By investing now, we can protect the places that already bring Wootton Fitzpaine together while changing the way they are powered and heated for the future.
A lasting investment in our community
The money raised will be invested in physical improvements designed to deliver benefits year after year: lower energy consumption, more locally generated renewable electricity, reduced environmental impact and lower operating costs.
If we are fortunate enough to exceed our £10,000 target, any additional funds will go towards the remaining costs of the wider sustainability programme, helping us deliver more of the planned improvements and reduce the remaining funding gap.
Your donation could have twice the impact
Through the Aviva Community Fund, eligible individual donations can be matched up to £250 per donation.
That means:
- £10 could become £20
- £25 could become £50
- £50 could become £100
- £100 could become £200
- £250 could become £500
For a community of our size, this is a genuinely significant opportunity.
It means even a modest donation can go much further, helping turn an ambitious programme of improvements into something achievable.
Why these community spaces matter
What makes these buildings special is the life that happens inside them.
On different days and evenings, you might find people meeting for coffee, playing skittles, darts or pool, gathering for a community meal, attending an Artsreach performance, celebrating a special occasion or simply catching up with friends and neighbours.
These are the everyday moments that help keep a small village connected.
The Village Hall, Social Club and Skittle Alley are used by people of different ages and backgrounds, from long-standing residents to younger families, visitors and people who retain strong ties to Wootton Fitzpaine.
They provide somewhere familiar and welcoming where people can spend time together without having to travel elsewhere.
That matters particularly in a rural community, where opportunities to meet socially are naturally more limited. For older residents, people living alone and those without easy access to transport, having somewhere local to go can make a real difference in reducing isolation and maintaining a sense of belonging.
For many people, these are not simply buildings.
They are places where neighbours become friends, where different generations continue to mix, where people living alone can find company and where a small rural village continues to function as a community.
Their value cannot be measured simply by the number of people who live here.
It is reflected in the relationships they sustain, the activities they make possible and the role they play in keeping community life going.
That is what we are working to protect.
The challenge we face
Keeping community buildings like these open, comfortable and affordable is becoming increasingly difficult.
Like many small voluntary organisations, we operate with limited resources. Every increase in energy, maintenance and repair costs puts greater pressure on the money available to look after the buildings and support the activities that take place within them.
The way our facilities are used also makes efficiency especially important. A space may be busy for several hours and then empty for much of the following day, so we need heating and lighting that can respond to how the buildings are actually used rather than consuming energy unnecessarily.
At the same time, some of the buildings now need significant investment simply to remain in good condition. The Skittle Alley roof is the most urgent example. Its repair cannot be postponed indefinitely, and because the roof is also intended to accommodate part of the proposed solar installation, this is an opportunity to address both the immediate problem and the longer-term future of the building together.
The challenge is therefore not simply to repair what is deteriorating. It is to make sure that, once repaired, these buildings are more efficient, more affordable to run and better equipped for the years ahead.
Protecting our heritage while planning for the future
Wootton Fitzpaine is a historic rural village, and protecting its character is extremely important to us.
Any improvements therefore need to be carried out carefully and sensitively. The renewable-energy proposals have been developed around the existing buildings and available roof areas, with the aim of improving energy performance while respecting the appearance and character of the village.
We do not believe that protecting historic community spaces and preparing for a lower-carbon future should be competing priorities.
With thoughtful planning, we can do both.
For Wootton Fitzpaine, sustainability is about preserving what previous generations have cared for while making sure these buildings remain useful, affordable and viable for the generations that follow.
Why we need your help
We have a practical plan and a community determined to see it through.
What we do not have is the financial capacity to deliver improvements of this scale through local fundraising alone.
For a village of around 200 people, raising tens of thousands of pounds through coffee mornings, community events and local fundraising is simply beyond what can reasonably be expected.
That is why wider support matters so much.
We are bringing together community fundraising, grant funding and external support to build the overall funding package needed to deliver the programme, and this crowdfunding campaign is an important part of that effort.
Every donation will help close the remaining funding gap and move us closer to protecting these buildings and securing their future.
Your support is not simply helping us meet an immediate repair bill.
It is helping a small rural community make a lasting investment in the places that bring people together, reducing their environmental impact and making them more affordable to keep open for many years to come.
A small village with a lasting ambition
For generations, people in Wootton Fitzpaine have maintained these community spaces through volunteering, fundraising, organising events and simply giving their time.
They did so because they understood what would be lost without them.
That same sense of responsibility continues today, but the challenges facing these buildings are changing.
Looking after them for the next generation means making sure they are not only maintained, but able to operate more sustainably, efficiently and affordably in the years ahead.
Our ambition is simple: community spaces that use less energy, generate clean electricity, cost less to run and remain welcoming and accessible to the people who depend on them.
The result will be about far more than solar panels, heat pumps or new lighting.
It will mean more of the money raised locally can remain within the community rather than being absorbed by avoidable energy costs.
It will mean a lower environmental impact, year after year.
And it will mean that the places which have brought people together in Wootton Fitzpaine for generations are better equipped to continue doing so long into the future.
For a small rural community, this is an ambitious project.
But small communities can achieve remarkable things when people come together behind something that matters.
How you can help
There are two simple but important ways you can support our campaign.
1. Make a donation
Every contribution matters.
Whether you can give £5, £25, £100 or more, your support will take us another step closer to protecting these buildings and delivering the improvements they need.
And because eligible donations can be matched through the Aviva Community Fund, your contribution could have twice the impact.
2. Share our campaign
You do not have to donate to make a difference.
Simply sharing our campaign could help it reach someone who can.
Please consider sharing it with friends, family, colleagues, local businesses, neighbouring communities, former Wootton Fitzpaine residents and anyone who believes small rural communities deserve a sustainable future.
Perhaps you have attended an event here, played skittles, visited the Social Club or have your own connection to Wootton Fitzpaine.
Or perhaps you simply understand how important it is for small communities to have places where people can meet, belong and stay connected.
Every share helps our small village reach a little further.
Thank you 🙏
Wootton Fitzpaine may be small, but the buildings at the heart of our community have supported village life for generations.
Now we have an opportunity to protect them and prepare them for the future.
With your help, we can repair what is deteriorating, reduce energy use, generate renewable electricity and make these spaces more resilient and affordable to run.
Most importantly, we can protect the places where people continue to meet, celebrate, volunteer, make friends and belong.
Together, we can help Wootton Fitzpaine respond to a changing climate while protecting the community spaces that make this village home.
Every donation, every share and every person who helps spread the word brings us one step closer.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 7th December 2026 at 10:25am