Enovert Community Trust

09/10/2026

ECT has co-funded many projects with FCC Communities Foundation over the years. This is a great example of one of the schemes it has funded through the Landfill Communities Fund, and celebrated as part of the scheme's 30th birthday.

09/10/2026

ECT has co-funded many projects with Biffa Award over the years. This is a great example of one of the schemes it has funded through the Landfill Communities Fund, and celebrated as part of the scheme's 30th birthday.

Biffa Award funded Mount Hawke Youth and Community Group's Street S...

08/10/2026

At 1st Albrighton Scout Group ECT awarded a grant of £23,760 to fund the replacement of the roof of the Scout Den, adding insulation and guttering, and installing double glazed windows. The results have transformed a room that was chiefly used for storage, owing to its cold, damp nature, into a smart, airy and comfortable space, already in regular use for exercise classes, flu clinics, and children’s parties, as well as the usual Scouting activities.

As is common with funding awards, this project has resulted in a cascade of other improvements to the facilities, with new storage currently under construction to accommodate the equipment used by the wide range of users.

Funding through the Landfill Communities Fund often attracts match funding from other grant giving organisations, making the funding go even further and adding even more value to the scheme, which is celebrating its 30th birthday this month.

08/10/2026

Solar panels are one of the most popular projects at the moment, with community organisations, sports clubs, and churches all desperate to minimise their outgoings as the cost of energy spirals whilst also reducing their carbon footprint.

At St Andrew's Sedgley, Uk ECT awarded a grant of £20k towards solar panels together with battery storage. The church is at the centre of its community, with a regular cafe, uniformed groups, and multiple outreach programmes to provide comfort and support to people in need, not to mention regular church services.

At Sporting Khalsa FC ECT awarded £50k towards a large solar array together with battery storage. With over 700 people using the site daily for a range of mostly sporting pursuits, energy use is high, so the new installation will have a big impact on both carbon footprint reduction and energy costs.

The funds for these projects have come through the Landfill Communities Fund, which this month celebrates its 30th Birthday.

08/10/2026

Cricket nets can have a transformative effect on the fortunes of a club, by enabling clubs to maximise training opportunities for their members and also attracting new members to increase their talent pool. Today I visited two fantastic new training facilities - one a replacement for an end-of-life set up at Wightwick & Finchfield Cricket Club and the second at Copford Cricket Club, where the previous nets were mobile and not fit for purpose. The new nets are ECB standard and are already being enjoyed by both clubs, who will enjoy seeing the impact of the new resources on their members.

Sporting facilities are popular applications under the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) which celebrates its 30th Birthday this month.

08/10/2026

The kitchen at Wombourne Village Hall has been transformed, thanks to a grant of over £17k from ECT. The makeover is the latest in a number of projects which has seen the Village Hall Trustees upgrade the toilets, replace the windows, and transform the outside space from an unkempt jungle to a tidy, smart space, allowing light to flood in.

The hall is in daily use by a wide range of organisations, from toddler reading groups, to Pilates, to the WI, not to mention private hire for parties and family celebrations.

The funding for the kitchen upgrade came from landfill tax credits from local waste management company, Enovert, through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). This month we are marking the 30th birthday of this innovative scheme by featuring some of the fabulous projects that have been funded since the scheme’s inception.

08/10/2026

Today’s tour is taking me to projects in the vicinity of Himley Landfill Site near Kingswinford. This is another of the landfill sites that funds ECT which has recently closed, and as a result the Trust is no longer funding projects in this area.

First stop is Highgate Common, owned and managed by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust where a grant of over £23k has updated the site’s interpretation boards and trail and also created a new path between the Cory Community Centre and the common. Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the common is a rare lowland heathland and a haven for wildlife. The new footpath will guide foot traffic along a designated route, helping to protect the environment, while improving accessibility and promoting responsible behaviour in this ecologically sensitive area. It also will enable people with limited mobility or those with pushchairs to access the facilities more easily.

The project also entailed habitat creation, supporting solitary bees and wasps.

Since the inception of the Landfill Communities Fund thirty years ago, ECT has worked with many Wildlife Trusts across the country to deliver important biodiversity and access works, which are a priority for the Trustees.

07/10/2026

Last stop of the day was Feering Community Centre, where ECT awarded two grants of £8250 and £16,100 to lower the centre’s carbon footprint, save on heating costs and create a safer, more comfortable environment for its 1900 visitors every month.

The recently completed project involved the replacement of the hall’s single-glazed windows with modern double-glazed uPVC units, as well as the installation of new double-glazed aluminium fire-exit doors, together with fire retardant curtains. The original windows remained from when the hall was originally built in 1987, and these improvements will help to reduce heat loss and improve energy efficiency throughout the main hall.

A further project has seen the replacement of the hall’s existing uPVC front doors with fully automated commercial aluminium doors, enhancing security while improving accessibility for visitors with disabilities, including wheelchair and mobility scooter users.

The community centre is a focal hub for the village as it is located adjacent to the primary school and the playing fields and also functions as the office for the Parish Council.

Sadly this will be one of the last projects funded by Enovert Community Trust in the area, as the scheme is closing to the Colchester environs following the closure of the Bellhouse Landfill Site at the end of the year. Any potential projects need to get their applications in to us by 4 December 2026 if they want to be considered in the Trust’s last funding round.

Community buildings are at the heart of what ECT funds, through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF), which celebrates its 30th year this October. These are 'Category D' projects, which involve the provision, maintenance and improvement of public facilities for the benefit of the community living within ten miles of a landfill site. Most of the projects funded by ECT fall into this category, which also includes play areas, sporting facilities, access improvements to nature sites and community open spaces.

07/10/2026

A big day for churches! Next stop St John's Church in Great Horkesley, where ECT awarded a grant of £11,500 towards the refurbishment of the building's window and sills, including the main church, community room, kitchen, toilet and vestry. A Grade II listed building, the church has a fascinating history, having originally been the family chapel of Horkesley Manor, being donated to the Church of England earlier in the 20th century to honour a family member killed in the Great War. The church has been subsumed by a local housing estate, and is now technically facing the 'wrong way', with the entrance to the site now being behind the church, reached through the housing estate. Plans are afoot to create a new welcoming entrance, facing the village green, which will meet the needs of the church and its community going forward.

This project is a Category E project under the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF), which covers the restoration and preservation of historic and religious buildings. The Trustees value such projects, as they preserve the heritage of iconic buildings within the community in order that they can be enjoyed and treasured for years to come.This October sees the 30th birthday of the LCF, with over £116m having been spent on Category E projects since the schemes inception by Environmental Bodies across the country.

07/10/2026

Next stop on the tour was Stoke by Nayland Church, right at the far end of the catchment area for the Trust. The church originally approached ECT back in 2022, with a project to make repairs to an area of the church which had deteriorated to such an extent that masonry had fallen onto the churchyard. Costs were estimated at around £80k. Unfortunately, as often happens with ancient buildings, further investigation revealed far more extensive works were needed to preserve this iconic Grade I listed church, with funds of over £600k required for the project works. ECT's initial grant was for £20,000, later extended to £10k, with a further application in 2023 awarding an additional £20k.

This project is a Category E project under the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF), which covers the restoration and preservation of historic and religious buildings. The Trustees value such projects, as they preserve the heritage of iconic buildings within the community in order that they can be enjoyed and treasured for years to come.This October sees the 30th birthday of the LCF, with over £116m having been spent on Category E projects since the schemes inception by Environmental Bodies across the country.