2026 Share Offer · Now open
Help fund solar power at three Sussex sites
And own a share of it!
Invest from £250 in local, community-owned solar, earn a target return of 5% a year, and help three Sussex organisations spend less on energy and more on the people and animals they serve.
What is a community share offer?
It’s a way for local people to invest directly in something real and close to home.
When you invest in OVESCO Ltd’s share offer, you’re not just handing over money, you become a member of OVESCO Ltd, the community benefit society that will own these solar arrays. You get one vote at our AGM, whether you put in £250 or £35,000, and a target annual return of 5%, starting in 2028.
Here’s the short version: your money helps fund solar panels at Raystede, Holmansbridge Farm and Bevern Trust. Those panels generate electricity.
The sites buy that electricity from us, at a price that’s always capped well below what they’d otherwise pay. Any excess electricity is sold to the grid. The income from that pays for the upkeep of the arrays, pays you a return and, over the next 25 years, repays your capital.
The goal isn’t to maximise what you get back. It’s to fund something worthwhile, close to home, and get a fair return for doing it.
This is our fourth share offer. Since 2011, our members have invested £490,000 and helped us install 230kWp of community-owned solar across Sussex.
The projects
Two of these three arrays are already up and generating power, built using short-term bridge loans. This share offer replaces those loans with long-term community investment, so the ownership stays local, and funds the third array. Together, all three will generate around 205,000 kWh of clean electricity a year.
Holmansbridge Farm Shop, near Barcombe
14.6 kWp · Installed and generating
A family-run farm with a café, farm shop and butcher, a well-used community hub. The array’s already up on the roof, cutting the farm’s running costs so more of what it earns stays in the farm, not on energy bills.
Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, near Ringmer
90.5 kWp · Installed July 2026
An animal welfare charity caring for animals since 1952, welcoming over 65,000 visitors a year. This is one of our biggest arrays yet, taking a serious bite out of Raystede’s electricity bill, so they can spend more on the animals they care for.
Bevern Trust, Barcombe
101.5 kWp + 100kWh battery · Subject to planning permission
A charity supporting people with profound disabilities to live full lives in their community. Once complete, this will be our biggest installation to date, with battery storage on top, meaning one of Sussex’s most valuable charities can decarbonise and lower bills.
Why invest?
Real local impact
Your investment funds clean power on buildings you can visit. An animal charity, a working farm, a disability charity. Not a portfolio. Three named sites in Sussex.
A fair return, clearly explained
A target return of 5% a year from 2028, with capital repaid over 25 years. It’s not guaranteed, and it’s not designed to be flashy, it’s designed to be honest. (Please read the risks section in the Share Offer Doc).
A say in how it’s run
Invest £250 or £35,000, you get exactly one vote. OVESCO Ltd is run for its members, not for outside shareholders. Any surplus goes back into more projects like these.
How to invest
Read the full share offer document. It covers the risks, the numbers, and exactly how returns work. Please read it before applying.
Decide how much. Invest from £250 up to £35,000 as an individual, or up to £100,000 as an organisation.
Apply online via Ethex. All applications and payments go through Ethex, it’s paperless, applications cannot be made by post.
Get verified. Ethex runs a standard identity check (name, address, date of birth) to meet money laundering regulations, this is routine for all UK share offers.
Become a member. Once your application and payment are in, you’re a member of OVESCO Ltd, with an equal vote regardless of how much you invested.
Your money is held safely until the offer succeeds. Funds stay in a separate account until we hit our minimum raise. If we don’t get there, you get every penny back.
Get your share certificate. Issued around a month after the offer closes. Target interest of 5% a year begins to accumulate from 2028 and paid to you as of Q4 2028, with capital repaid from 2030 over the following 25 years.
Know the risks before you invest
Risks — please read this bit
This is a long-term investment in a real trading business, not a savings account. It isn’t protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, and you can’t complain to the Financial Ombudsman if things don’t go to plan. Your capital is at risk, returns aren’t guaranteed, and you shouldn’t invest more than you can afford to not see again for up to 25 years.
The main things that could affect your return: electricity prices moving, the arrays generating less power than projected (weather, shading, technical issues), the grid connection being unavailable when we need it to export power or the sites using less electricity than expected.
Read the full risk section in Section 5 of the share offer document.
Governance
OVESCO Ltd is a Community Benefit Society regulated by the FCA (No. 30875R), run by a volunteer board of directors, elected by members, for the benefit of the community rather than private shareholders. If OVESCO Ltd were ever wound up, its assets would pass to another organisation with similar aims, never to private hands.
See how we’re governed → ovesco.co.uk/governance
Track record
Since 2011: £490,000 raised from members, 230 kWp of community-owned solar installed, 4.2 million+ kWh generated, an estimated 1,446 tonnes of CO₂ avoided. We’ve also helped develop a 5MW community solar farm that raised £1.2 million in 2015, and we’re currently developing a 17MW solar farm in the Lewes district.
Supporting Documents
Ready to dot the i’s and cross the t’s? Here you’ll find all the detailed documentation behind our 2026 Share Offer, from the accountant’s letter to the legal notices, so you can read everything in full before you invest.
- OVESCO Ltd Share Capital Buyback policy — how and when you can get your capital back
- Accountant’s letter — independent check on our numbers
- Solicitor’s letter — confirms the offer is legally sound
- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy — how we keep things fair
Visit our GOVERNANCE page to find:
- FCA registration — proof we’re a regulated Community Benefit Society
- OVESCO Ltd’s Rules — how decisions get made, and by whom
- OVESCO Ltd’s latest accounts
- Minutes and slides from the last AGM
- Company and VAT numbers
- Registered address
Case study
Holmansbridge Farm
This installation was designed from day one to move into community ownership, which is exactly what this share offer now does.
Farm shops are heavy electricity users, refrigeration alone can account for up to half of a small food business’s energy use, so solar isn’t just an environmental win here, it’s a real financial one too.
Nickie Thomas, who runs Holmansbridge Farm:
“We’ve always wanted to reduce our impact and be more sustainable. This made it financially possible, and more than that, it connects us to something bigger. We’re proud to be part of a project that brings real benefits to the whole community.”
Frank Donghi, OVESCO’s Technical Manager:
“This is exactly the sort of project that gets me out of bed in the morning. It brings together everything community energy is about: local impact, long-term benefit, and a real sense of purpose.”
FAQs
Is my money safe?
No investment is risk-free, and this one is explicit about it: capital is at risk, and you could get back less than you put in. It isn’t covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Please read the risks before applying, we’ve set it out in full in Section 5 of the share offer document, covering:
- Risks specific to the solar projects. Onsite electricity consumption could change and reduce.
- Electricity Grid Prices could drop.
- Solar Generation not fully realised, due to adverse weather conditions.
- Any potential future tenant may not honour the Power Purchase Agreement.
It’s vital that you read Section 5 in full before deciding to invest.
How much can I invest?
From £250 up to £35,000 as an individual, or up to £100,000 for organisations.
What returns can I expect, and when?
A target of 5% a year, starting in 2028, reviewed annually by the board based on how the solar arrays are actually performing. It isn’t guaranteed.
No interest accrues or is paid for 2026 or 2027. This interest-free period gives the projects time to get through construction and their first winter, and lets OVESCO Ltd build up a cash reserve before payments begin.
The first Share Interest payment is targeted for Q4 2028, covering the 2028 calendar year. After that, payments are made annually each December, for the previous financial year, subject to available funds.
How do I apply?
Online only, via www.ethex.org.uk/invest/ovesco-community-shares. No paper applications by post, sorry.
You’ll need to register with Ethex and complete a short Risk Appropriateness Test before you can invest. This is standard practice and just checks you understand the type of investment you’re making.
If you have a question about the application process itself, contact Ethex directly at help@ethex.org.uk. For any other questions about this Offer, please ask OVESCO at invest@ovesco.co.uk.
What happens once my application is accepted?
Once you’ve applied and paid, your money is held securely by Share In (Ethex’s payment partner) until your shares are issued (it isn’t transferred to OVESCO Ltd straight away).
Before any funds are released, Ethex provides the Board of Directors with a list of everyone who has applied. The Board reviews and approves this list at a board meeting, and only then are the funds transferred into OVESCO Ltd’s bank account and your shares issued. From that point, you become a Member and are bound by OVESCO Ltd’s Rules, available at ovesco.co.uk/governance.
What happens if the offer doesn't reach its target?
Our target raise of £245,000 covers all three projects: bringing the two arrays already built at Holmansbridge Farm and Raystede into community ownership, plus funding the new array planned for Bevern Trust.
If we raise less than £245,000 but at least our minimum of £95,000, the Offer still goes ahead, just at a smaller scale. £95,000 covers the cost of putting the two arrays already built, at Holmansbridge Farm and Raystede, into community ownership, but we won’t be able to fund the new array at Bevern Trust.
If we raise less than £95,000, the Offer doesn’t proceed at all. You’ll be notified, and your money will be returned in full, either to your bank account or your Ethex e-wallet, within four weeks of the decision. No interest is paid on returned funds.
Can I sell my shares if I need the money back?
No. Community shares can’t be sold or transferred to someone else, so please only invest what you’re comfortable committing for the long term.
You can apply to withdraw your investment from year end 2030 onwards, subject to three months’ notice, the availability of funds, and Board approval. Withdrawals aren’t guaranteed and may be delayed if OVESCO Ltd doesn’t have sufficient funds available at the time.
Will I pay tax on my returns?
Share Interest payments count as taxable income, similar to interest from a bank account, rather than as dividends.
OVESCO Ltd pays this to you gross, meaning no tax is deducted before it reaches you. It’s your responsibility to declare the payment on your personal tax return for the year you receive it, and to pay tax on it at your usual rate. You’ll be able to access a tax statement each year via the Ethex platform to help with this.
Tax rules can change and everyone’s circumstances are different, so if you’re unsure, it’s worth speaking to an accountant or financial adviser before investing.
Do I get a say in how OVESCO Ltd is run?
Yes. Every member gets one vote at the AGM, regardless of how much they’ve invested, and the right to stand for the board.
What happens to my investment if I die?
If you die, your shares become part of your estate. They can be passed on to a family member, or your executor can arrange for them to be sold as part of settling your estate.
Shares in a Community Benefit Society like OVESCO Ltd may be exempt from inheritance tax, but this depends on your individual circumstances. We’re not able to advise on this ourselves. For more detail, see the Community Shares Handbook’s guide to inheritance tax, or speak to an accountant or financial adviser.
Local people, funding local power, for organisations doing real good in Sussex
Whether it’s £250 or £35,000, your investment keeps solar ownership local, cuts energy costs for a farm, an animal charity and a disability charity, and keeps OVESCO doing the advice work, home visits and outreach that depend on it.
Invest via Ethex
Questions first? Read the full share offer document, or get in touch: hello@ovesco.co.uk · 01273 472405
