Windfarm community benefit fund opens to Moray groups for last year
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A WINDFARM community benefit fund has opened to Moray groups for the last time.
The Beatrice Partnership Fund was set up to assist groups on the east coast of Caithness and Sutherland and in Moray, including Buckie, Spey Bay and Keith.
The fund has been disbursed over a five-year period since 2017.
It was set up by Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm co-owners SSE Renewables, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Red Rock Power Limited.
The new round of funding is worth £200,000 in Moray.
Support is given to projects which create opportunities for skills and employment; empower communities to be more resilient through social, environmental or economic improvements; or encourage regeneration to improve local infrastructure, landscape or heritage.
The SSE Renewables’ Community Investment Team, which manages the fund, is now looking to award individual grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 to deserving causes.
Previous recipients include the Lossie 2-3 Group, which received an award of £50,000 in July last year for the development of a wellbeing hub.
The group received a further £15,000 in October last year for salary costs to support the Covid-19 response in their community.
Louise McBride, from the Lossie 2-3 Group, said: "The support funding our group received from the Beatrice Partnership Fund has been invaluable to our work in Lossiemouth.
"Our mission is to help those in need, especially while the hardships owing to the coronavirus pandemic are ongoing.
"We are delighted that the Beatrice partnership funding will go towards the build for our community health and wellbeing hub in Lossiemouth.
"This will allow us to have a permanent base where we can continue to support individuals and families within Lossiemouth and surrounding coastal areas."
Head of community investment at SSE Renewables Morven Smith said: "As a responsible developer, we have a duty to support the communities in which we operate.
"Our community investment has the vast benefit of connecting people. This has never been more important than during this past year, when restrictions had the unfortunate effect of making people feel more disconnected than ever.
"However, it is important to remember that funding alone is not what communities need to survive and thrive and, like so many other things in life, it comes down to people. The dedication, care and commitment of the volunteers involved in the projects that we support should never be underestimated.
"With that in mind, we look forward to hearing from community groups throughout the eligible areas and seeing the projects that come forward through the application process."
Details on how to submit an application can be found here.
