A new shelter for mothers and their children will have running costs reduced after a renewable energy company donated solar panels.

Not-for-profit Sunny Side Solar has installed solar panels at the soon-to-be opened Transformational Living Centre (TLC) in Pembroke for women and their children.

The TLC project was the brainchild of Habitat for Humanity and the Women’s Resource Centre.

Sheelagh Cooper, the chairwoman of Habitat for Humanity, said the donation will help ensure the home’s long-term financial survival.

Ms Cooper said: “It is one thing to build a wonderful, inviting and therapeutic facility and it’s quite something else to sustain and support it.

“We have seen to many well intentioned projects fail for the inability to continue to properly fund the operation.

“This gift of such enormous solar capacity will go a long way towards reducing our operating costs and we could not be happier to receive such a gift.”

Nick Hutchings, the president of Sunny Side Solar, said that the firm had been impressed with the work of Habitat for Humanity – and that the panels would bring dividends for years to come.

Mr Hutchings said: “We believe solar makes a great gift because it is a multiplier generating ongoing financial support over many years, which is significantly in excess of the original donation.

“At the same time, it promotes environmentally and socially positive results.

“We have made this particular donation because we are so impressed with what Habitat for Humanity and the Women's Resource Centre are doing at the Transformational Living Centre.

“This is a project that will underpin the foundations upon which our community is built and we are proud to be part of it.”

Mr Hutchings added: “We are also pleased to be working with KH Solar, who installed the solar panels under our supervision as part of the Sunny Side Solar capacity building outreach programme.”