John o’ Groats Trail

The 147-mile walking trail spanning the rugged Highlands coastline from Inverness to John o’ Groats has received a substantial boost from £10,000 in funding from the Bad a Chèo wind farm. This funding has enabled the improvement and creation of pathways, stiles, bridges, and walkways in the Latheron, Lybster & Clyth community council areas. These enhancements make the trail more user-friendly, benefiting both the local community and tourists. Dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to maintain and improve the trail, overcoming challenges such as dense vegetation, collapsed bridges, barbed wire, and harsh weather. This project not only promotes outdoor recreation and tourism but also strengthens community engagement and showcases the natural beauty of the Highlands.

Thrumster Half-circle

The Thrumster half-circle, located on the Wick Road to Inverness, serves as a central gathering point for both locals and passersby. A grant of over £4,000 has enabled the Thrumster Community Development Association to re-landscape this area and install electricity, transforming it into a versatile venue for community events and seasonal celebrations. This project enhances the village's communal space, fostering a sense of community, encouraging social interactions, and providing a picturesque setting for various activities, thereby enriching the local quality of life and making Thrumster a more vibrant and welcoming place.

The ‘Cynefin’ project

Watten Shop Group

Watten Shop, also known as Woodside Stores, is a remarkable story of community success. When the shop was at risk of closing or being repurposed, a group of dedicated locals united to save it. With over £29,000 in funding from the Camster Wind Farm Community Fund and newly established as a community benefit society, the Watten Shop Group has successfully leased the shop and is preparing to buy it. This initiative has not only preserved a vital community asset but also strengthened local bonds and ensured the shop's continued service to the community.

Haster playpark

Funding from the Camster onshore wind farm has enabled the Tannach & District Community Council to spearhead a significant upgrade to Haster Playpark, greatly benefiting the community. The £32,000 funding facilitated the design and development of a modern, safe, and inclusive park that serves families throughout Caithness. The new equipment is accessible to wheelchair users, ensuring all children can enjoy the facilities. Additionally, the picnic tables and seating provide a welcoming space for families to gather and enjoy outdoor activities, enhancing the community's recreational opportunities.

Derek – Crofter

Education and training grants are a vital part of community funding in Caithness, offering unique opportunities for individuals to gain skills, education, and training that are not available through other funds. Derek, a crofter, achieved his Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Sheep Dips for Crofters course through this funding. This certification allows him to safely dip his own sheep and extend this service to other crofters in the area. This not only benefits Derek by enhancing his skills and livelihood but also supports the wider community by providing a valuable service. Additionally, it helps preserve the cultural heritage of crofting, ensuring that traditional practices continue to thrive in Caithness.

Wellbeing garden project - Snaith School

Funding from the Goole Wind Farms Community Fund has allowed the school to run a gardening project and create an outdoor wellbeing space in the school grounds. The quiet and relaxing outdoor space means lots of young people in the school benefit from the calming effects of being in nature, potentially reducing stress levels, improving mood and enhancing self-esteem.

The project also directly engaged some of the more vulnerable students who had the opportunity to get involved with the planting and maintenance of the garden, building skills which will help them to thrive in the classroom. Growing and caring for plants requires exercising patience, resilience, persistence and commitment. Taking responsibility for helping plants to grow means being trusted to care for them, and helping them to thrive can brings feelings of pride and empowerment.

Community café and garden centre - The Green Team

Development of a community café and garden centre has been supported by the Goole Wind Farms Community Fund. It is part of a recent relocation project to bring all of the Green Teams activities, which also include a charity gardening service and commercial gardening service, onto one site. Overall this will help to facilitate the continued growth of the organisation as well as relieving many of the historic challenges of being based on a split site.

The Green Team provides benefit to a significant number of people – both Volunteers and customers, some of whom may be facing economic, personal or social disadvantage.

For the majority of Volunteers, the greatest development is not necessarily in acquiring gardening skills and knowledge but often more personal. Some have faced huge life challenges or have had negative experiences through their childhood or adulthood but by being exposed to such a positive, supportive environment, where the Green Tea can offer stability, they become the foundation of an inspirational personal transformation and they begin to flourish as individuals.

At the garden centre volunteers have the opportunity to plant seeds, grow plants and flowers which are then sold on to the public to raise money for the charity. This coupled with the profits from the café will help to build the long term sustainability of the charity.

Local heritage archive project - Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society

The Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society aim to illuminate the lives of the hard working watermen who plied their trade on the waterways of 19th and 20th century Yorkshire, sharing and preserving their stories for future generations.

The late Brian Masterman was an Old Goole historian, who amassed an extensive local heritage collection. Funding from the Goole Wind Farms Community Fund has contributed to the archiving of this local historians life work including purchase of suitable storage containers.

The collection includes documents, photographs and artefacts of old Goole, the people who lived in the area and has a particular focus on ship building. Volunteers have been sorting, cataloguing and scanning the archive, making sure it is safe and preserved for the education of future generations.

Abergele Community Action

Watch video

Danger Point

Watch video

Baby Basics Dyffryn Clwyd

Watch video

Building Brighter Futures film

Watch video

Solar panels - Creative Heart

Creative Heart is a welcoming community hub and arts café in the heart of Littlehampton. They are passionate about bringing community together and tackling social isolation and loneliness. They know that creativity of all kinds can improve mental, emotional and physical health and so they provide as many different opportunities as possible for people to join in no matter what their ability, age or background.

By funding 50% of the costs of solar panel installation on the building roof, the Rampion Wind Farm Community Fund has helped to unlock additional match funding and most importantly to reduce the energy usage of the building. This will cut the costs of running the building and reduce carbon emissions, all the while making it warmer for those using the facilities.

Tackling the cost of living - FareShare Sussex and Surrey

Fighting hunger, tackling food waste, creating opportunities – FareShare Sussex & Surrey rescues surplus food that would otherwise go to waste from supermarkets, businesses and farms.
The organisation works with over 153 organisations and charities to make sure food gets to people who need it most. Redistributed food is used in preparing low-cost or free meals, to stock cost-reducing community fridges and to supply emergency food parcels.

Their new electric van which was part-funded from Rampion Wind Farm Community Fund helps to redistribute food to those most at risk of food poverty. It is also helping to reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions for the organisation, helping to support long term sustainability.

The new van means the 150+ army of volunteers can continue to distribute food to food banks, community fridges & pantries, community meals and to residential settings ACROSS Sussex and Surrey.

Getting the community moving - Brighton Bike Hub

Brighton Bike Hub is a volunteer run project based in the heart of Brighton. Working towards making the streets of Brighton a safer, cleaner and healthier place to travel around and live in by reducing waste and cutting carbon emissions. The project also saves many local people money by helping them access vital services by promoting and providing a much cheaper way to travel. 
Members of the public can come to the hub and repair their bikes, get advice, help and have free access to tools and workshop space. Brighton Bike Hub offers affordable new and used parts and a range of refurbished bikes for sale.

Funding from Rampion Wind Farm Community Fund helped pay staffing costs including a project coordinator as well as purchasing a shipping container for bike storage, running classes and DIY repair sessions.