Octopus will also power the community initiatives at both Skate Manchester and The Queen’s House ice rink in Greenwich, London. Rather than the traditional Christmas tree, Mancunians and those visiting the city will be able to spin, glide and skate around a 15-metre festive themed wind turbine.
Octopus has two mobile wind turbines, designed to demonstrate the speed and simplicity of onshore wind installation. With sustainability at the heart of Skate Manchester, the turbine now makes its debut in Manchester to celebrate the city's growing role in the UK’s energy transition.
Octopus and Skate will be running an online customer competition to name the festive turbine, with the most creative entry winning ten VIP tickets for Skate Manchester.
The community programme, powered by Octopus, will see both rinks support over 100 community partners, giving over 5,000 people the opportunity to skate for free or at a heavily discounted rate. As part of the partnership, Octopus Energy customers can also take advantage of a 2 for 1 skating offer as part of its customer reward scheme, Octoplus.
Octopus will also be inviting local recipients of its grassroots football initiative, ‘Octopus Kits for Kids’, for free skating sessions at the rinks in Manchester and Greenwich. Launched in 2024, the programme has already distributed over 27,000 free football kits to youth teams across the UK, with another 27,000 planned for 2025.
“Our festive turbine is swapping sleigh bells for spinning blades this Christmas” said Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Octopus Energy. “Onshore wind is one of the UK’s cheapest, greenest power sources, and what better way to show it off than by helping light up the ice at Skate Manchester. We can pop up a mobile turbine in just a day, proving renewable energy is quick, fun and brings real benefits to local communities.”
Octopus Energy’s ‘Fan Club’ tariff gives customers living near wind turbines up to 50 percent off their electricity when the wind blows. Since launching, it has drawn over 40,000 requests from communities eager to host a local wind turbine, especially in the Northwest, North East, Yorkshire & Humberside, and the Midlands.
“For 2025, Octopus is focusing on our Manchester site by incorporating a wind turbine into the event's energy plan” added Rob Derry, Director at Tamarisk Events, who coordinates the events in Manchester and Greenwich. “Ice rinks are, by nature, high-energy consuming attractions, but by using a combination of wind power, batteries, and grid energy, we aim to set a new benchmark for sustainable events at both rink locations.”
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