The Little Princess Trust is a charity based in the centre of Hereford that provides real hair wigs for children and younger people undergoing cancer treatment where they are experiencing the devastating effects of losing their hair. As a result, the provision of a wig becomes so fundamentally important to their confidence, self-esteem and recovery process. Established in 2006, they have now supplied over 8,000 wigs and have invested around £5m into ground breaking childhood cancer research.
The charity is based at the recently launched Hannah Tarplee building in Hereford City Centre, where they have an in-house salon, but also a large conferencing facility where they will bring senior oncologists, professors and scientists to share best practice and present their work across all areas of research, making this a centre of national significance.
Central to the values and ethos of The Little Princess Trust is the sense of creating a vibrant and sustainable community, so when they were designing the Hannah Tarplee building they wanted to make sure that the power they use is renewable and reduces their impact on the environment. Phil Brace, the CEO at Little Princess Trust approached Caplor Energy for advice and support in installing a suitable solar PV system that would not only meet their climate concerns, but also provide the necessary financial benefits for the charity.
Caplor Energy are very proud to be working with The Little Princess Trust, not just because of the valuable work they do for young cancer sufferers throughout the UK, but also because they can help to reduce the charity’s carbon footprint whilst saving money on their energy bills.
Whenever an organisation is engaging with a provider for any significant project, we often talk the language of partnership and collaboration, but ultimately you have to trust your supplier to do the right things. In fact, organisations today are looking for even more, with assurances of diversity, transparency, common values and ethical practices before they will even consider working with others. The relationship between Little Princess Trust and Caplor Energy has been just that, with a clear balance between expert technical advice and socially responsible practices to provide the most appropriate long term sustainable solution.
For example, with energy costs already at a record high and set to increase again next year, Little Princess Trust have protected themselves from future price rises by generating their own energy through the solar panels on their building. What’s more, they can expect a solid payback period of 5-6 years and a potential lifespan of up to 40 years with ongoing energy security. Under the current economic circumstances, it’s clear that not many other investments could generate such good returns.
In just a couple of weeks’ time, the eyes of the world will be on the UK as we host what is possibly the most important global summit in years, COP26. There can be no doubt that we are facing a huge challenge to reduce our impact on climate change and we can only hope that the world leaders who are present will take the necessary policy steps towards achieving net zero status as quickly as possible, with the support needed to ensure we can all play our part.
However, it is clear that business leaders across all sectors need to take the lead and drive the change, just like Little Princess Trust. What we are seeing now is that it’s not as hard as you may have thought to contribute towards the country’s sustainability goals and make changes that can reduce your impact on the environment. Making the right decisions can actually be good business. With a maturing market and an increase in power demand across all industries, renewable energy costs are rapidly reducing and quality equipment is much more widely available at affordable prices. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to be sustainable, we just need to play our part with a hugely increased sense of urgency.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a real and genuine shift in attitudes across the UK, with organisations and individuals being encouraged to ‘be kind’ to each other and focus on doing the right thing. Well, this also applies to the environment we live in and many businesses are recognising their responsibilities towards climate change and are making positive changes to the way they are doing business. From introducing green travel policies to flexible working, reducing energy usage or becoming more transparent in reporting ESG metrics, all businesses can make a positive impact without negatively affecting their profitability.
In fact, the economics and social factors really do make it easier for businesses to focus on the next generation and make sure that doing good is just good business, which should actually be business as usual!
The team at Caplor Energy are passionate advocates of renewable energy and now have many years’ experience of specialising in the design, installation and maintenance of a wide range of commercial renewable energy systems across England and Wales, helping businesses achieve their own environmental goals whilst saving money on energy costs and providing excellent returns on investment.
To find out more, get in touch with Caplor Energy on 01432 860 644 or visit caplor.co.uk.