A solar power installation is helping safeguard essential care for adults living with cerebral palsy at Pevensey Place, a specialised residential home in Underberg, that has provided long-term care for more than five decades.
Nestled at the foothills of the southern Drakensberg, the facility supports over 70 residents through structured, full-time care delivered by dedicated staff and nursing professionals. Within this environment, consistency is critical, with daily therapeutic routines, assisted mobility systems, and environmental regulation all dependent on reliable electricity supply.
For residents living with Cerebral Palsy, uninterrupted power is essential to maintaining both care and quality of life. Power disruptions can affect everything from mobility support systems to therapy sessions, impacting the stability and predictability that specialised care environments require.
As South Africa marks Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, the installation highlights the critical role infrastructure plays in sustaining care, particularly in rural and semi-remote communities such as Underberg, where energy reliability is key to maintaining safe and supportive environments.
To address this need, a 240-panel solar power system has been installed at the facility. The intervention was enabled by the Hollywood Foundation through its Community Infrastructure & Enabling Spaces programme, which focuses on strengthening environments that support dignity, wellbeing and continuity of essential services.
“Care environments depend on stability,” said Ryan De Beer, Chairman of the Pevensey Place Association Management Committee. “Reliable energy supports the structured setting residents rely on, helping ensure that essential care and daily services continue seamlessly.”
Vuyisile Ngobese, Hollywood Foundation Public Relations Officer, emphasised the importance of programme-led interventions, “Through our Community Infrastructure & Enabling Spaces programme, we focus on strengthening environments that sustain essential services. In settings such as Underberg, infrastructure reliability plays a fundamental role in ensuring that care remains consistent, safe and dignified.”
Beyond improving day-to-day operations, the solar installation contributes to the long-term sustainability of the facility, reducing its vulnerability to power interruptions while supporting uninterrupted care delivery.
The turnkey solution, implemented by Ray I Light, incorporates grid-tied integration and a Building Management System (BMS), enabling intelligent monitoring and efficient energy management.
As awareness grows during Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, initiatives of this nature underscore how infrastructure, often unseen, plays a defining role in shaping quality of life within specialised communities, ensuring that care environments remain safe, dependable and conducive to dignity and wellbeing.
The Hollywood Foundation is a non-profit organisation that places the needs of the community at the heart of its work. Established in 2021 by Hollywoodbets, the Foundation drives impactful change through its four key pillars, MyCommunity, MyEducation, MySports, and MyBusiness.
Interview opportunity: Vuyisile Ngobese, Hollywood Foundation Public Relations Officer, is available to share more insight about the campaign. For more information email: vuyisilen@hollywoodfoundation.co.za Cell: 072 841 5471
