An islands community-owned wind farm has won a major accolade at the Scottish Charity Awards by winning the ‘Celebrating Communities’ trophy.
The award to the Point and Sandwick Trust is for their charity work, funding and supporting community projects with the profits from their wholly community-owned wind farm at Beinn Ghrideag outside Stornoway.
The awards are run by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the national body representing the interests of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The shortlist included 40 individuals and organisations from across the third sector in Scotland.
Donald John MacSween, general manager of Point and Sandwick Trust, who collected the trophy at the Edinburgh ceremony, said: “This is a great recognition of the great support we enjoy from the Point and Sandwick community and further afield.
“We’re so proud of this fantastic achievement, coming only halfway through this, our second year of grant donations to the diverse community groups in our area. We hope to continue making a significant and growing contribution to our community in the years ahead.”
In terms of power output (nine megawatts), the three turbines at Beinn Ghrideag make it the largest wind farm run by a community anywhere in the UK. It is widely regarded as a technically high-performing wind farm.
All the profits from the wind farm go back into the community – and Point and Sandwick Trust have carefully chosen a range of good causes to support.
19 Jun 2018
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