Grimsby Energy Collective 2026
Grimsby Energy Collective – Inspiring Cooperative Growth is a regional gathering that brings together community organisations, industry leaders, educators, civic representatives and infrastructure partners to explore practical opportunities for collaboration and shared progress.
Hosted by Grimsby Community Energy at Parkway Cinema, Cleethorpes, the event provides a platform for organisations working across community energy, skills, infrastructure and regional development to connect, share insight and build relationships. Through a series of short talks, an inspirational keynote and an interactive panel discussion, delegates will gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities emerging across the region and how partnership working can help unlock them.
The programme highlights real-world projects, showcases regional leadership, and explores the systems, skills and innovation needed to support locally led initiatives. Speakers represent organisations at the forefront of community energy, electricity networks, battery storage, careers development and national sector leadership, alongside keynote speaker Chris Hines MBE, a highly respected communicator and advocate for positive change.
The event is designed not only to inform, but to strengthen connections between organisations and individuals working toward a shared vision of resilient, locally driven progress. By bringing together established leaders and emerging voices, Grimsby Energy Collective helps create the conditions for new partnerships, future projects and continued growth across Greater Lincolnshire and beyond.
Keynote Speaker
Chris Hines
Chris has been working and campaigning for the environment for over 35 years and revels in inspiring positive change. He was a Co-founder and then Director of Surfers Against Sewage from 1990 till 2000. Regarded as “some of the Government’s most sophisticated environmental critics” by the BBC and “Britain’s coolest pressure group” by the Independent, the SAS helped deliver massive environmental improvements. Chris was then Sustainability Director at the Eden Project for 5 years. This included conceiving and delivering “Waste Neutral”, an early version of the circular economy and helping embed the triple bottom line of sustainable business practice throughout the organisation. He’s given evidence to the UK parliament, the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, the European Commission, briefed the President of the European Parliament, been a special advisor to the Minister for the Environment and appeared on a wide range of media from BBC World Service and Panorama to CNN.
In 2008 he was awarded an MBE for “services to the environment” in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Plymouth in 2011 and Royal Holloway University in 2025.
Has given presentations to a wide range of groups and organisations including Accenture, Comic Relief, BMW Guggenheim Future Lab, the Dutch Tax Office, Bombay Sapphire, Rock Star Games, the National Grid, RSPCA, RICS and the Global Surf Cities Conference and schools from Wigan to the Hague and Geneva. He now aims to deliver positive change by working with clients with a shared vision. Chris works on strategic planning, communications, leadership and embedding sustainability principles as part of a profitable business, and strongly believes that business must be a force for good in a challenging world…and he still gets plenty of surfing in!