Empowering Learning through the Middle Balbeggie Wind Farm Community Fund

Through both education and training bursaries and targeted community grants, the fund has supported a comprehensive range of learning pathways, from early years provision through to postgraduate studies, demonstrating how strategic investment in education can strengthen entire communities. 

In the last year, the fund has offered over £57,000 in education-related awards. The grants have spanned multiple educational sectors, creating a holistic approach to community learning that addresses a variety of needs.

Early Years Foundation 
Thornton Under 5's provide vital playgroup facilities for pre-school children and their families.  They were awarded £10,433 of funding to maintain their valued work over the next three years. The group meets twice a week at the Thornton Town Hall and serves 30-40 children each week, providing safe and satisfying group play while helping parents build social networks and reduce social isolation. With rising hall rental costs threatening the group's sustainability, this funding ensures continued access to early years provision without passing the increased costs on to local families.

Primary Education Enhancement
Thornton Primary School serves an area of significant deprivation, with 40% of pupils living in Scotland’s 10% most deprived postcodes.

The school was offered £21,515 over three years, from 2024 to 2027, to expand extra-curricular opportunities for its 160 pupils. The funding supports subsidised residential trips to Ardroy Outdoor Centre, educational excursions linked to environmental studies, and online learning platforms including Sumdog, First News and Fischy Music that will extend learning into family homes. The school was particularly pleased that, with the funding in place, costs for educational trips outside the classroom could be provided without placing an undue financial burned on families.

"The funding received in March 2024 was used to subsidise educational excursions for all classes linked to their environmental studies projects, which allowed us to minimise the amount that parents/carers were asked to contribute."

Agricultural Education & Community Connection
The Central & West Fife Agricultural Society is set to receive £3,000 annually over the next three years to support educational activities at the West Fife Agricultural Show.

This investment enhances the Children's Marquee, providing hands-on learning about agriculture and food production for between 2,500 to 4,000 annual visitors. The 2025 funding specifically supported purchasing a milking cow model aligned with the Royal Highland Education Trust's "All Things Dairy" theme.  

This will help to create opportunities for young people to understand food origins, while building positive relationships between the agricultural industry and local residents.

Individual Education & Training Bursaries
The dedicated Education & Training sub-fund offers bursaries to learners 16 years and over to engage in study or training. Awards of up to £800 are available to help local people take up and progress through education and training courses, increasing their skills and enabling access to new employment opportunities.

Since April 2024, 22 bursaries totalling £16,667 have been awarded, reflecting the fund's commitment to skills development and career progression.
Awards have supported courses covering topics from literature and social sciences to criminology and cybersecurity. Recipients consistently highlighted how funding helped to reduce financial stress, enabling better focus on academic achievement.

An Education & Training award recipient at Glasgow Caledonian University, studying 3D Animation said:

"This helped me afford software required for the university like Substance painter, Zbrush etc that the university couldn't give out for free. This helped me do my work for my classes and achieve the results and grades I needed to graduate."

In addition to supporting formal academic qualifications, bursaries have also been offered to those pursuing vocational training, such as HGV licences, and modern apprenticeships.

A First Response Emergency Care recipient expressed the personal motivation behind their studies:

"I've always wanted to help people, it drives me and this was just one step forward in doing so... I wanted to do this course so if someone has an emergency, I don't wait for someone to help them, I'm there, I'm hands-on, I'm helping them."

Recognising that mobility can be crucial for accessing employment opportunities, this year the fund has also launched a new award, offering up to £100 towards costs associated with DVLA Theory and Driving Tests.

These small grants aim to offset challenges of accessing education for rural residents where public transport options may be particularly limited.

Transforming Communities Through Education
By ensuring that early years provision remains accessible to supporting individuals in gaining new skills and qualifications, the Middle Balbeggie Wind Farm Community Fund seeks to support lifelong learning. The combined impact of these education-focused grants and awards demonstrates how comprehensive educational support can benefit the entire community.

Through ongoing, multi-year funding commitments, the Middle Balbeggie Wind Farm Community Fund continues to demonstrate that supporting learning is one of the most effective ways to build stronger, more resilient communities for the future.

Read more information about the Middle Balbeggie Wind Farm Community Fund.