COVID 19 Update

Seven glass bottles of hand sanitiser from Ice and Fire Distillery displayed on a wooden surface.
“These funding awards are fantastic news and will be very welcome. The fact that we can supply hand sanitizer for up to the next 12 months is going to be such a benefit to the community. Covid 19 is not going away any time soon so I think that using sanitizer is going to be a part of everyday life and the ability to give it to people for free is fantastic”.

Ice and Fire Distillery Director

Two people stand next to a cart with a box and bags, on a marked parking area with yellow lines.

“On behalf of the critical care staff I would like to formally thank you for your kindness in providing lunch boxes and hot meals for our staff.  It has been so heart-warming and so appreciated by all the team. These gestures of kindness raise the morale of staff hugely while working under stressful and challenging times.”

Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital

Our community funds have been committed to supporting the communities that neighbour our renewable energy projects during the COVID 19 pandemic, helping them to meet the rapidly evolving challenges in these unprecedented times. Some of our community funds opened COVID 19 immediate response funds, others have prioritised COVID 19 related applications and now many are supporting projects that are helping in local communities to recover and re-build for the future or even opening COVID 19 recovery funds.

Their aim has been to respond to urgent requests for funding as well as supporting organisations already in receipt of grants by taking a flexible approach should their plans need to change a result of COVID 19.

Thanks to those measures we have seen these funds making a positive impact on the fight back against COVID-19 across the whole of the UK. From getting food and financial support to those who needed it most, to supporting community facilities and projects that have lost income and resources.

In early 2020 as the pandemic broke in the UK, hand sanitiser supplies were running dry and nobody was able to source this vital tool in the fight against COVID 19. £9,098.09 from Camster Wind Farm was donated to Ice and Fire Distillery to switch its normal operations during the coronavirus crisis to make World Health Organisation approved hand sanitiser. The sanitizer was distributed free to those who need it across Caithness, including public services such as doctors surgeries, local shops,  District nurses, Macmillan nurses, care workers and train stations.

We were particularly proud to see these funds being used to aid the NHS as they led the fight against COVID 19 on the front line. £60,000 from our Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm went  towards an innovative 3D printing project that supplied a local hospital with vital PPE supplies. Just as important was making sure that NHS staff were cared for. Which is why it was heart-warming to see  A donation from our Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm contributed to an innovative private sector and social enterprise partnership project aimed to make sure NHS staff were cared. They provided 12,500 nutritious meals to frontline staff working at local ICU and A&E departments.

As communities start to plan to recover from this unprecedented time our Clocaenog Wind Farm has  awarded the Clwydian Range Food and Drink Group  £24,000 to fund a co-ordinator for 1 ½ years, whose role will be to assist businesses to recover from covid19 crisis. The funding will also be used to host food and drink events and to explore new ways of collaboration for local businesses including remote selling.

Some of our funds opened COVID 19 immediate response funds to meet urgent requests for funding:

Many funds prioritised COVID 19 related applications in their normal funding rounds. Now our fund decision making panels are really interested in receiving applications from projects that are supporting the local COVID 19 recovery.

If you are a project looking for funding please click here for details of our fund administrators who will be able to advise you further.