A'Chruach Wind Farm Fund powers up local projects
Over £150,000 has been awarded to 13 groups and organisations in Mid Argyll, thanks to the Nadara A’Chruach Community Benefit Fund, with a further round of awards due to be made in November.
New employment opportunities were supported by the fund, including a £10,000 award to Mid Argyll Rugby Club. They will work in partnership with Mid Argyll Youth Development Services to fund a modern apprenticeship and employ a young person to take rugby into local schools and community groups, growing the game and promoting health and enjoyment through sport.
Lee Buckley of Mid Argyll Rugby Club said:
"Everyone at Mid Argyll RFC is delighted with our award and would like to thank the fund for its continued support. This will make a massive difference to our club, our community and all our young people who will benefit from this modern apprentice role through participation in regular rugby activity during school time. In addition, one of our local school leavers will gain a recognised qualification in sports coaching and hopefully this will be their first steps onto a truly rewarding career path."
£10,000 was also awarded to Dunadd Community Enterprise to fund a part time Community Development Officer.
Steve Walker, a Community Councillor, emphasised the need for the role:
“This grant will allow Dunadd Community Enterprise to really push forward on its community projects and bring needed capacity to other teams and organisations within the wider Dunadd area.”
The A’Chruach Community Benefit Fund supports community projects benefitting those living in West Loch Fyne, Dunadd and Lochgilphead. Nadara is the owner of the A’Chruach Wind Farm, and the fund is administered by Foundation Scotland.
Decisions on awards are made by a volunteer local Community Panel, and grants were made to a wide range of groups and organisations.
Small grants of under £5,000 were awarded to the Lochgair Association, the GRAB Trust, Ford Women’s Institute and Friends of Succoth Ward. One multi year award was made to Kilmartin Museum to contribute to the cost of a 3-year volunteering and skills program for local youth, focusing on archaeology training and transferable employability skills. Large grants of £25,000 and over were awarded to Cairnbaan Community Trust, and Argyll Community Counselling Service, a new organisation founded this year.
The Community Forget-Me-Not-Choir was also awarded £25,000, to support the salary of a full time Development Coordinator. The Choir brings together people at various stages of dementia to sing together and to stimulate memories, have fun and find fellowship and support. It meets weekly and also performs at local and regional events and has been going from strength to strength in the last two years as an entirely voluntary organisation. The award will enable Development Coordinator and choir founder Louise Curtis to take this growing organisation to the next level, expanding its reach.
“Receiving the award from A'Chruach was the icing on the cake for the community Forget Me Not Choir as it means I am able to connect to others that live in very rural areas within Argyll. I learned so much going through the application process, which will help me when moving forward. I would like to say on behalf of myself and the choir members... thank you.”
Erin Murchie, community relations manager at Nadara, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting so many inspiring, and in some cases, life-changing initiatives in and around West Loch Fyne, Dunadd and Lochgilphead. We absolutely appreciate the challenges involved in delivering services in rural areas and are very pleased that funding from A’Chruach Wind Farm is helping to make a real difference to the lives of local people.”
Read more about the Nadara A'Chruach Wind Farm Community Fund