About DEG
Who we are
DEG is an award-winning social enterprise supporting community led action across northwest Wales. We aim to increase our area’s ability to cope with the rising cost of fossil fuels and improve our natural environment whilst supporting communities transition to zero carbon.
What we do
Our work provides communities with the confidence, knowledge and ambition to take ownership of their future through projects such as:
- Reducing energy use, fuel costs and dependence on unsustainable fuels
- Strengthening the local economy
- Generating sustainable electricity and heat
DEG facilitates the application of best practice by running events that connect communities and encourage learning, sharing skills and experiences.
DEG provides information on what is possible, what has been achieved elsewhere in our area and best practise from community energy groups across Britain. We can help with:
- Identifying opportunities for your community
- Getting people involved
- Project planning and development
- Accessing expertise
- Raising finance to make projects happen
Vision and values
DEG’s work is underpinned by our vision and values:
Vision
We see North West Wales as a collection of vibrant, connected, local economies collaborating to bring home the benefits of our natural heritage.
Values
- We believe that re-localising our economies will make us less vulnerable to rising energy prices and give us more power to create the world we want.
- We contribute to communities becoming stronger, more self-supporting and resilient by generating their own energy and using it efficiently.
- We see the sustainability of the natural environment, fulfilling employment opportunities and the Welsh language and culture as interlinked.
- We want people to feel confident that they can contribute to creating a positive vision of future and work together to achieve it.
- We promote a collaborative approach where individuals and communities recognise their interconnectedness and support each other through sharing skills and resources for mutual benefit.
- We seek to understand and work alongside communities to identify solutions which are right for them, leaving a lasting legacy of skills, knowledge and capability.
Click here to read our Privacy Statement.
The DEG team
Phil McGrath
Cyd Ynni Project Development Manager
Phil is the Cyd Ynni Project Development Manager, and leads on supporting the consortium in developing new projects. He has a varied background in project management, including development of capital projects in Caernarfon, such as the new cinema at Galeri, the new Ffestiniog Railway station and 19 business units in Cei Llechi. Phil also has a contract management and procurement background at power stations in the area. Phil is a volunteer at the Caernarfon Food Festival and is interested in languages, playing guitar and paddleboarding with his children.
Guto Brosschot
Energy Efficiency Officer
Guto originally joined the DEG team as an Energy Local Adviser for Llŷn, testing the feasibility of an Energy Local Club in the area.
Following that he worked on the Sustainable Communities Wales project performing energy surveys and providing tailored energy efficiency advice to over 40 community building across Gwynedd, Anglesey & Conwy. By now he’s working as one half of the Cyd Ynni team as Development Officer.
As a DEA and NDEA (Domestic- & Non-Domestic Energy Assessor), Guto is leading on our Retrofit Service assisting people to decarbonise their homes.
Grant Peisley
Director
A social entrepreneur, localism practitioner and sustainable communities consultant. Grant is one of our Founding Directors and is also a Director of Community Energy Wales, YnNi Teg, Ynni Newydd. Grant administers DEG’s operations, shares learning across projects and generally tries to find new ways of doing things better for Wales’ communities and everyone who lives in them. These days, he spends most of his time establishing the GwyrddNi project.
Lowri Hedd Vaughan
Community Climate Action Facilitator
Lowri is GwyrddNi’s Community Climate Action Facilitator in the Llanberis area. Her career has been varied working across public services in social care, education and training and latterly running a hospitality and biodynamic farm social enterprise. She has a particular interest in the interface and transformative potential between community and ecological regeneration. She has three sons and enjoys writing poetry, making music, wild swimming and climbing and is undertaking MSc study in Sustainability and Adaptation at the Centre for Alternative Technology.
lowri@deg.cymru
Nina Bentley
Community Climate Action Facilitator
Nina is our Community Climate Action Facilitator in Bro Ffestiniog. She has lived in many different communities in the UK and around the world. Previous employment saw her working in Oxford with homeless and vulnerably housed adults as a support worker. Leaving Oxford for Wales, Nina grew some children, renovated some buildings, built a wood cabin to live in, and cultivated a passion for greater sustainability on this planet. She has recently worked with Y Dref Werdd on emergency and recovery responses to Covid within the community.
Chris Roberts
Community Climate Action Facilitator
Chris is GwyrddNi’s Community Facilitator in Dyffryn Ogwen. He looks forward to meeting and talking to as many people as possible in the valley about climate change and their opinions on the way forward in light of the current emergency before going on to hold a more formal climate assembly. Before joining DEG Chris was a research officer at Cyngor Gwynedd and he is part of the team that puts on Gŵyl Arall in Caernarfon.
Casia Wiliam
Community Communications Officer
Casia is the Community Communications Officer for DEG’s GwyrddNi project, working with the rest of the team to ensure that the project reaches everyone within their respected communities, and receives national recognition. Before joining DEG Casia worked as an External Relations Manager for the Disasters Emergency Committee, leading on the charity’s communications and partnership work across Wales. Previous to that she worked as Oxfam Cymru’s Media and Communications Officer for five years. When she’s not working Casia is busy raising her two young sons and writing poetry and fiction for children.
Dafydd Rhys
Community Climate Action Facilitator
Dafydd is GwyrddNi’s Community Climate Action Facilitator in Pen Llŷn. Dafydd is the Community Facilitator for GwyrddNi in Pen Llŷn. He looks forward to bringing together different voices to understand the challenges of climate change by imagining a low carbon future and being creative and resourceful in mapping the routes to get there. As a Geographer and Educator in many sectors of education, Dafydd had a particular interest in developing a curriculum where democratic engagement, current affairs, entrepreneurship, problem solving and community awareness, the environment and co-operative values were central. He has also been involved in the development of a number of community and co-operative enterprises in the creative, publishing and music industries. He was one of the founding members of Gŵyl Pesda Roc and the Cytgord Company, was the manager (and current member) of Maffia Mr Huws – and ran a Residential Cabin for many years.
Grug Muse
Community Climate Action Facilitator
Grug is a community facilitator on climate change in her home area of Dyffryn Nantlle. She graduated in Politics from Nottingham University, and has spent time in the Czech Republic, Spain and the United States. She is an author and editor and is currently completing a PhD on Welsh travel literature. Before joining DEG she worked as a project officer with the Urdd on Prosiect Pleidlais 16/17. She enjoys running, biking, swimming, sowing and lino printing.
Sara Ashton-Thomas
Education, Engagement and Outreach Officer
Sara is the Education, Engagement, and Outreach Officer for GwyrddNi. She’ll be working with the rest of the team to embed learning opportunities into the work of the project. Before joining DEG Sara worked in a variety of roles at the juncture of sustainability, the environment, community, and learning. She’s passionate about the potential of people coming together to create a thriving and sustainable future on this planet and is in her element facilitating opportunities for this to happen. When she’s not working she’s mainly busy bringing up her two children and contributing to her community. She enjoys being outdoors, especially in the woods and the mountains.