08 January 2008 16:20 Central Networks gives a helping hand to community groups in Staffordshire

The company, part of E.ON UK, has donated £2,500 to Prospect Village Resident's Association in Cannock to create a rural walkway within the village for the elderly and disabled. St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent also received a grant of £2,000 to create a sensory garden for children with special needs.

A further grant of £2,500 has been awarded to Westlands Primary School in Newcastle-under-Lyme to create an interactive wildlife garden for the school's students.

The projects are all winning applicants of Central Network's £70,000 Safer Environment Fund, which makes money available for projects that demonstrate they will have a lasting and positive effect on the local environment.

Phil Wilson, Customer Operations Manager for Central Networks, said: "We're delighted to be able to support these three projects in Staffordshire as they'll all have a positive and long-lasting benefit to the people in these areas.

"It's important to create safe and interactive outdoor environments for both children and adults to enjoy and it's great that we're able to help these community groups in creating these."

Helen Whitehurst, from Westlands Primary School, said: "The money we received from Central Networks will help the children to better understand how to look after our environment at both a local and global level, as they'll be able to help create and look after the garden."

Nicholas Bullock, from Prospect Village Resident's Association, said: "We're creating a new rural pathway for walkers and hikers within the village bounds, as it was previously an overgrown and disused railway line. The money from Central Networks means that we'll be able to make sure that people are able to safely walk on these paths without trampling vegetation or disturbing wildlife."

The Safer Environment Fund is open to all local community groups and not for profit organisations with their own bank account located in the Central Networks distribution region, which covers central England. Groups can apply for grants of up to £2,500. For more information and to download an application form visit www.central-networks.co.uk/sef

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Central Networks, provides a reliable supply to 4.9 customers in central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables - enough to go round the Earth more than four times - and via almost 97,000 substations.
• The company covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

For more information contact:

Deanna Mooney on 02467 183 678