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31
Oct
Boroughbridge condom firm receives sustainability grant
A Boroughbridge condom and lubricant company has been hailed for its part in a major environmental initiative.
LTC Healthcare received a business sustainability grant of £13,460 to install solar panels on its premises in The Old Station Yard on Milby Road.
It secured the funding from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is administered locally by North Yorkshire Council.
The council, which aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, has also secured a grant of more than £230,000 from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Net Zero Fund as part of its attempts to help businesses become more environmentally sustainable.
LTC Healthcare, which has been making condoms and lubricants for more than 25 years, supplies the NHS and exports products to 32 countries.
According to its website, it makes 16 million condoms a year.
Company spokesman Craig Mawer said:
We've had LED lights put in and have an electric car charger in the car park for colleagues to use.
We saw that there was an opportunity to apply for a grant from North Yorkshire Council, so that's what we did. It was all very straightforward and now the solar panels are in place we should start to see the benefits.
We did the maths on this and without the grant it would have delayed us by about five years because we just didn't have the cash flow to be able to do that. We're a small business and to be able to invest that amount was not feasible. The grant enabled us to bring those plans forward and get it done now.
Andy Taylor, managing director of LTC Healthcare, said it received the grant in February this year.
He said:
We are a small business and employ seven people. We have put solar paneling on the roof and have seen a 65% reduction in electricity consumption.
It has made a big difference to us when competing for contracts. We already supply the NHS and 27 European countries, but contractors prefer to use suppliers who use less fossil fuels.
LTC Heathcare in Boroughbridge
The combined authority's net zero fund, allocated by the UK government following devolution, is enabling decarbonisation projects throughout the region.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for managing the environment, Cllr Greg White said:
We have been ambitious in our pursuit of becoming carbon neutral and are taking a leading role in encouraging others to follow suit.
While we recognise that adopting new and innovative measures takes time and money to implement, we are confident people will see the long-term benefits of doing so.
The council’s climate change champion, Cllr David Hugill, said:
By working with business, residents and others, we can work towards our overall aim of achieving carbon neutrality.
It will not be easy, but by combining our expertise and access to funding streams with businesses willing to adapt and embrace new technologies we can make it a reality.
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