Share Offer Launch Event: A Milestone Moment for Community Energy in Hampshire
On Tuesday 8 July, we welcomed over 140 guests to Churcher’s College in Petersfield for the launch of Energise South Downs’ first community share offer – a project two years in the making to fund the installation of three community-owned solar projects in 2025 on Hayling Island Sailing Club (Hayling Island), Britannia Reeves (Petersfield) and Energique (Alton Town Council Building).
It was a proud moment for the team to finally share our vision, respond to questions from attendees, and connect with so many people who care deeply about the future of energy in our region.
We were thrilled to have raised 75% of our total in the first week of our share offer being live.
The evening featured a screening of We the Power, Patagonia’s documentary celebrating the community energy movement across Europe. The film served as a powerful reminder of what’s possible when citizens come together to take ownership of their local energy systems.
Our CEO, Catriona Cockburn, spoke about the motivation behind the share offer, both personally and from an organisational perspective. She shared this quote from Margaret Mead:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Guest Speakers
We were also joined by three inspiring speakers who brought national and global context to the discussion:
- John Taylor, Community Energy England – on embedding renewables into communities and building civic pride
- Will Lall, WWF Youth Ambassador – on attending COP26 and the global significance of community energy
- Eve Rushin, Physical Geography, Newcastle Uni graduate – on solar as a practical, democratic solution to the climate crisis
Here in the UK, community energy is on the rise. According to Community Energy England’s 2023 State of the Sector report, nearly 70,000 people were involved in community energy organisations last year, saving a combined 165,980 tCO₂ and generating over £43 million in turnover.
Get Involved
If you weren’t able to attend, or would like to learn more, you can find full details of the share offer and invest via Ethex.
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported this project so far. Together, we’re powering up Hampshire, with local people, local energy, and a shared commitment to a cleaner, fairer future.