Low Carbon Dorset team and partners

Our team

Dr Erik Blakeley, Energy Efficiency Technical Officer

Erik has university degrees in Metallurgy, Archaeology and Renewable Energy Systems Engineering, as well as a teaching qualification (PGCE).

He joined the Low Carbon Dorset team from Severn Wye Energy Agency where he worked on a similar energy efficiency programme called Target 2020.

Erik has spent several years working in museums across the country, including the National Coal Mining Museum and Tank Museum.

Matthew Peukert, Sustainable Energy Technical Officer

Matthew started his working life in the telecoms industry, from here he made the move into renewable energy where he spent 12 years working as an independent supplier and installer of solar and wind energy technologies. This work saw him mostly based in the East of England (where he still holds the title of Norfolk’s reigning tug-of-war champion!) with the occasional trip south.

In 2019, Matt moved down to Dorset and in 2021 joined the Low Carbon Dorset team as a technical officer.

Sarah Harris, Finance Officer

Sarah has had a wide spanning career at Dorset County Council, and the past twenty five years have seen her work in a variety of roles from switchboard operator to project support for Procurement and Capital Property projects.

In 2011, Sarah graduated from the Yeovil College University Centre with an Association of Accounting Technicians qualification.

Sarah joins the team from the South Dorset Ridgeway Partnership where she worked as a Project Grant and Support Officer.

Gary Foot, Project Support Officer

Gary began his career working for the Ministry of Defence in an administrative role. It was during this time that he completed a Bachelor of Science degree with the Open University, focusing on environmental science.

In 1997, he moved into an IT role within the MOD and later left to work for IBM Ltd. Here he worked on various IT outsourced accounts within the UK.

Gary joined the Low Carbon Dorset team at the end of 2021. In his role as project support officer, Gary’s combined his extensive experience in admin and tech with his interest in the environment and local community.

Gary’s our karate expert (having studied it for nearly 30 years) and loves the outdoors.

Our partners

Starting out

Low Carbon Dorset was started in 2018 thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) secured by Dorset Council in partnership with the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

This ERDF funding enabled us to provide free technical advice and grants towards energy efficiency, renewable energy, and innovation projects, from January 2018 to March 2023. This offer was available for business, community, and public sector organisations across the Dorset Council and BCP Council areas. This programme was independently evaluated by Ash Futures as part of the ERDF funding. You can find out more in the executive summary from the final evaluation report.

Key partners

We have also been fortunate to benefit from the ongoing support of the Dorset Local Nature Partnership (LNP), who formed a grants panel for the programme.

Dorset LNP Board Members have generously given their time to consider grant applications for Low Carbon Dorset projects with a value over £200k, or those where the applicant was Dorset Council.

The LNP panel’s oversight and decision making role has been invaluable, particularly their expertise when reviewing wider environmental impacts of projects under consideration. LNP Panel approval has made the following low carbon projects possible:

Dorset History Centre – Passive Air-Handling Project
Dorset Community Energy – Solar Panels on schools, hospitals and other community buildings
RiversMeet Leisure Centre – Solar PV, Ground-Source Heat Pump, and LEDs
Dorset Council Greenspace Team – Battery Powered Tools & Solar PV
Hazelmead Community Energy Ltd – New Co-Housing Development Micro-Grid
Kingston Maurward College – Ground Source Heat Pump & District Heating
William Hughes Group – Large Rooftop Solar Panel Array
Dorchester Town Council – Corn Exchange Retrofit
InnovaGen Ltd – Prototype waste biomass generation
Athelhampton House and Gardens – Solar panels, Battery and Air Source Heat Pump
The Connaught Hotel – Air Source Heat Pumps
Canford Renewable Energy – Dorset Green H2
National Trust – Kingston Lacy Ground Source Heat Pump

Our independent evaluators, Ash Futures, noted that the LNP Grants Panel have played a “valuable role for the larger/Dorset Council led projects” by taking a “‘what’s in it for Dorset’ view” and making suggestions that lead to “project changes for the better”. We remain very thankful for their participation and contribution.

We have also worked with many other partners who provide excellent support to organisations in Dorset. They have promoted what we can offer to their audiences and given us numerous opportunities to engage directly through webinars, in person events and inputting into resources on low carbon energy related themes. These include, but are not limited to: Dorset Chamber, Dorset Growth Hub, Dorset LEP, Dorset Community Action, and the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils.

Our partners have been crucial to raising awareness of the support we offer, sharing our learning about the benefits and challenges of delivering low carbon projects, and identifying ways we can work together.

Moving forward

We have secured funding from Dorset Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation to continue offering free technical advice to businesses and community groups in the Dorset Council area from April 2023, for two years.

We hope to continue working with a wide range of partners to share low carbon energy advice with organisations in Dorset, reaching even more businesses and community groups, and potentially award grants to low carbon projects in future if new funding can be secured.