by tresoc | Mar 3, 2015 | Membership
GREAT NEWS! TRESOC members voted almost unanimously to accept bank loan finance and release our Share Issue investment of £258,000. As a result, we are now 1) progressing with Charity Bank loan documentation and 2) moving forward with the SHINE project – solar on the roofs of 77 Housing Association homes across the area. Next will come the purchase of the roof-mounted 50kW array at Hatchlands Farm. Then we can turn our attention to hydro and start organising our Creative Conversations, where we’ll open up the dialogue about the what, where, why and how of Community Energy.
View the minutes of the AGM and Director’s Report.
by tresoc | Oct 9, 2014 | Latest TRESOC News
Tresoc investors will know from our Prospectus that the Society is looking to raise £500,000 to £1,500,000 to fund a portfolio of hydro and solar projects. To date we have raised some £200,550, which is no small sum, but the income from this level of investment is not enough to cover our annual operating costs (admin, insurance, accountancy etc) even without paying directors. However, we are in discussions with Charity Bank with regards to a loan facility that might allow us to fund our projects and establish Tresoc as a viable business. We are very pleased to be working with this specialist lender whose aims fit well with our own, and who offer flexible loans and support to social enterprises. Please see Charity Bank’s website for more details.
We have met the Bank’s representative and on 29th September submitted our application for a loan that we could draw down, as and when needed. The application process is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks. During this process the bank will be determining whether, and on what terms, a loan may be made to us, and the Board will look in detail at our finance projections to ensure that any loan terms we agree fit with our aims to be a sustainable, growing organisation, paying a return on our members’ investments.
Meanwhile, the Board, in consultation with members, has decided to keep the share offer open on the terms outlined in the Prospectus, until such time as we have a decision on the Charity Bank loan. If we are successful in our application, the full details of the implications of the loan, and what it will allow us to achieve, will then be communicated with our members.
All monies received through this share offer are held in a dedicated deposit account and will be repaid in full if we do not raise sufficient capital to establish Tresoc as a going concern. There is still time for old and new members to invest in Tresoc and now is the time to show your support for renewable energy in community ownership.
Please call us 01803 867431 or email admin@tresoc.co.uk if you would like to discuss this or any other aspect of Tresoc.
by tresoc | Oct 8, 2014 | Latest TRESOC News
A fantastic total of £230,570 has been raised to date and we are still open for further applications. A heartfelt thank you to all our investors, old and new. After careful analysis of our finance model, we are pleased to have submitted our application to Charity Bank for a loan facility to enable us to make up the shortfall to the minimum target for this share issue.
For a useful summary of Questions and Answers on the new loan and what it will mean for Tresoc, you can view minutes from an update meeting held by the team with its members on 22nd July, 2014.
