About us
We want members of our local community to have a secure, sustainable, and democratic energy future. The transition from fossil fuel to renewables creates opportunities to re-think how energy is generated, stored, and used, including preparing local housing and commercial buildings to cope with the energy demands and sources of the future, and even finding ways in which energy generated locally can be fed back into the grid. We think all of that is incredibly exciting – but it’s not (yet) straightforward.
Our Story
CATSA began in 2019, when a group of Thornbury residents came together in response to growing concern about climate change and the findings of the IPCC.
Inspired by local and global action, we set an ambitious goal: to help reduce Thornbury’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. What started as an informal group became a place to learn, test ideas, and build momentum for community-led change.
Learning &
Focus
We explored many ways to cut carbon — from wildlife and food systems to transport and energy — and learned where we could make the biggest difference.
Powered by Community
Our work depends on our community. Join our mailing list, share your ideas, or meet us at one of our events.
Sustainable Energy, Locally
In 2024, CATSA became a community interest company focused on sustainable energy, connecting local needs with new technology, funding, and policy.
Our work
Our projects help local people to make informed decisions about energy saving, and explore local energy generation for the benefit of the community
We are involved in a number of projects at different stages, all aimed at reducing emissions relating to energy use in Thornbury and surrounding areas. Our projects address different aspects of sustainable energy use, storage, and generation, with a focus on the impact on our local community. They include advising local residents and businesses on options for improving energy efficiency and retrospectively installing new energy generation and storage technologies, and generating power for the benefit of the community.
Retrofit
Retrofit is about the retrospective installation of energy saving and generation technologies – from the very simple such as insulation, to solutions like heat pumps and solar panels
Energy Generation Projects
We are exploring potential options to generate energy locally. Learning from other similar projects in the region, this would be owned and run by the community, and create value by generating energy for local use, or generating income for the community by feeding power into the national grid.
Our Current Funding Partners
We take a holistic approach to supporting our local community by working with key strategic partners.
Through Retrofit West, we provide ‘downstream’ support by helping residents and businesses improve property efficiency and comfort. Simultaneously, our ‘upstream’ partnership with Bristol Energy Network (including the SIFFFT project) empowers locals to develop community-owned wind and solar energy generation.
Our Team
Melinda Evans
Melinda is an environmental scientist and mum of three. Driven by a passion for local action, she develops local community energy projects to benefit the environment.
Jilly Huggins
Jilly brings corporate governance, finance, and project management skills to CATSA. She helped launch the CIC, to promote a sustainable energy transition.
Andy O’Brien
Andy is co-founder of Bristol Energy Cooperative, which has funded and developed over 20 clean energy projects. Before moving into community energy he worked in teaching and IT.
Danny Bonnett
Danny is a civil engineer, working in offshore wind alongside managing several domestic scale home energy projects. He has recently become a town councillor.
Gillian Pollard
Gillian is a structural engineer working in offshore wind. She has two young children and is keen to engage all ages, to create community solutions for everyone.
Zoë Peat
Zoë is a Bristol City Councillor and Communications & Community Engagement specialist with experience supporting over 40 charities, non-profits, and MPs.
Contact us
Email: info@catsa-cic.org
Areas We Cover
Our community includes residents and business owners within Thornbury and the surrounding parishes. The area we cover is shown on the map.