Local projects given six-figure lift from South Lanarkshire wind farm

A community fund has awarded more £250,000 to local organisations near its South Lanarkshire wind farm.

A new annual report has shown that a series of grants totalling £267,047 have been awarded by the Kype Muir Community Panel (KMCP) from funds of £466,877 contributed by wind farm operator Banks Renewables.

The panel encourages applications from groups within a ten-kilometre radius of the 26-turbine Kype Muir Wind Farm near Strathaven.

The KMCP has directly supported a range of local needs, including the repair of community buildings and offering a lifeline to the most vulnerable throughout the pandemic.

A visit taking place at the Kype Muir Wind Farm near Strathaven.

Climate Action Strathaven, a charity looking to increase sustainability and climate awareness, was set up one month before the first lockdown and has since received vital funding through the KMCP.

Panel chairman George Smith said: “We are proud to help our communities take part in the Kype Muir project which has helped our villages with some truly brilliant projects.

“The future is bright for KMCP as we move into the next chapter of collaboration with the local authority, Banks Renewables and our community councils.”

Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager at Banks Renewables, added: “Grassroots community causes, ideas and inspirations have been at the heart of the KMCP since it was founded, and all of the most impactful projects involving the partnership have been the result of ideas from local people.

“Supporting large scale projects is central to what the KMCP wants to achieve in the future and there has already been some progress in identifying opportunities to deliver positive change in the local area.”