Communities across Moray have shared a funding boost worth more than £250,000 from the fourth largest wind farm in the world.
The Duke of Rothesay officially opened the offshore Beatrice turbines on Monday, which will generate enough energy to power up to 450,000 homes.
Yesterday developer SSE Renewables announced the latest funding awards from the platform with nine Moray groups, including the Lossiemouth Community Development Trust, sharing the support.
The biggest recipients including the Garmouth and Kingston Amenities Association to help set up a facility for the food bank, heritage experts and learning groups to share and the Moray Citizens Advice Bureau to fund a benefit officer post – both groups received £50,000.
Meanwhile, the Longmore Hall in Keith received £26,000 to aid its refurbishment while £25,000 was awarded to Forres Area Community Trust to run a digital inclusion project.
There were also funding boosts of £17,500 for Moray Reach Out to create a garden, £18,500 for Morayvia to employ a development manager, £6,9000 for Outfit Moray to run an outdoor learning programme and £6,000 for Social Enterprise Academy to run leadership courses in the region.
Morven Smith, head of community investment for SSE Renewables, said: “Every year we are blown away by the innovative applications to the fund, they offer communities a chance to help grow sustainably and help bring much needed investment in these amazing rural communities. We look forward to hearing how each project progresses.”
Panel member Sarah Medcraf added: “Beatrice enables communities to be empowered and deliver on the ground what matters to them the most.
“No one knows a community like its own residents and we take pleasure in learning about them and fulfilment in watching their aims come to fruition.”
