Lightsource bp UK Sponsors Championship Winner Tina Cook

European gold and Olympic silver medal winner Tina Cook is being backed for a bright season by new sponsor Lightsource Renewable Energy — the UK’s leading solar energy generator.

As many of you may be aware, Tina entered full-time into the eventing world at just 16 years of age, she rapidly rose through the ranks and gained a coveted scholarship to Gatcombe where she trained for a year with Captain Mark Phillips.

Tina went on to enjoy National and International success — winning gold medals at the 1994 World Equestrian Games and the 1995 and 1999 European Championships. In 2008, she won Olympic bronze in the individual and team eventing with her horse Miners Frolic. Tina rode for the British Team to claim a silver medal on home soil at the 2012 London Olympics.

Lightsource is delighted to announce this new partnership with the British Horse Society Hall-of-Famer Tina as the company looks to write an equestrian success story of its own — in a very different way.

By installing roof-top photovoltaic (PV) panels with no up-front costs, Lightsource is helping equestrian centres across the country save energy and money through heavily discounted electricity bills.

Lightsource pays for all materials and installation of the solar energy system, while the business enters into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) which provides low-cost energy linked to the Retail Price Index. As well as delivering cheaper electricity, a Lightsource PPA has the added benefit of “future-proofing” energy bills by ensuring price predictability.

As Lightsource will own the roof-top installation, all maintenance is taken care of for the lifetime of the system. Businesses can simply enjoy the benefits of hosting a solar power station on their rooftop – with no worries about hidden costs and safe from any sharp increases in electricity prices.

Nick Boyle, CEO at Lightsource, said: “Tina Cook has had a remarkable career so far and has worked incredibly hard to achieve her success, so it’s an honour to support her as she pushes for even more accomplishments this season. We have already started work with equestrian centres around the country to help them reduce costs, so they can utilise the money to reinvest in the future generations of riders — and hopefully produce the next round of European and Olympic champions.”

As well as backing Tina Cook, Lightsource is also set to support emerging talent in the eventing world through its class sponsorship of the Eventing Northern Ireland series later this year.