Community wind farm charity Point and Sandwick Trust has been shortlisted
in the latest Scottish Charity Awards.
Two years ago, the trust won a Green Energy Award from the renewables
industry for its community-owned wind farm at Beinn Ghrideag on the
outskirts of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
This time, the nomination is for charity work – for its funding and support
of community projects with the profits from the wind farm – and the Trust
is particularly proud to be a finalist in the Celebrating Communities category.
The charity started up in 2005 and the turbines began generating power in
November 2015. It is the largest community-owned wind farm in the UK in
terms of output, generating nine megawatts from its three turbines.
And every single penny of its profits go back into the local community.
It is expected to make £900,000 profit this year, enabling it to support a
wide range of good causes, from major lifeline donations such as the
£55,000 a year to Bethesda Care Home and Hospice to £500 for local schools
in Point and Sandwick.
The awards are run by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, the
national body representing the interests of charities, voluntary
organisations and social enterprises.
The shortlist includes 40 individuals and organisations from across the
third sector in Scotland and members of the public can have their say by
voting for their favourite entry from all the categories in the People’s
Choice Award – to do so, vote online at www.scvo.org.uk/vote by May 18.
All the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in June – hosted
by TV presenter Sally Magnusson and held at the Edinburgh International
Conference Centre.
Angus McCormack, Chair of Point and Sandwick Trust, said: “We are so
pleased to be recognised by the Scottish Charity Awards, even more so for
our shortlisting in the Celebrating Communities category.
“As a Trust we built and operate the UK’s biggest 100 per cent owned
community wind farm for the express benefit of our local community and the
wider Western Isles.
“For a small group of villages in the Outer Hebrides, we are having a
notable impact, and all thanks to the income from our turbines and the
incessant blowing of the Hebridean wind!
“Despite our relatively modest size, we are an inherently ambitious
organisation and operate with a can-do attitude, delivering support to
community-run cafes, respite care services and our local hospice.”
1 Comment
Edward Hall · May 10, 2018 at 8:14 pm
How generous of this “charity” to be distributing money raised by overcharging all of us, regardless of any means test, regardless of living in fuel poverty, cash strapped consumer’s money is given to this organisation to support a ” community run cafe” ! wonderful! . This is a farce, if subsidising these innefficient environmentally damaging eyesores had’nt put most of the population of the western Isles into fuel poverty in the first place, they could probably pay for their own communities needs.