COMMUNITIES across Dumfries and Galloway have now benefited to the tune of almost £12 million from ScottishPower Renewables community funding thanks to the power of wind.
The funding comes from community benefit schemes set up in areas where the firm has a windfarm.
Locally these are Ewe Hill, Glen App, Harestanes, Kilgallioch and Wether Hill.
And across Dumfries and Galloway, the funds have helped create community facilities and bring disused buildings back to life, provide employment opportunities and economic boosts, deliver education programmes and skills development to enhance career opportunities and fund net zero initiatives.
Barry Carruthers, onshore managing director at ScottishPower Renewables, said: “I’m really proud that we don’t only power our communities – we empower them too – and it’s amazing to see the variety of projects our funding is supporting across Dumfries and Galloway.
“It is, in many cases, able to bring about real change and shows the incredible added value our funding can bring to local projects. They are genuinely creating a legacy on many levels and that’s testament to our way of working, which is all about being a good neighbour and helping us all enjoy a better future, quicker.”
Senior community liaison officer Gillian Arnot added: “One of the most exciting elements of how we work with local communities is that we’re here from start to finish so we get to see the tangible outcomes of our funding first-hand. Whether that’s young people starting work after being inspired by the education programmes we fund, improving accessibility to local facilities, or creating usable and sustainable community spaces – every penny and pound of that almost £12 million really counts for the people and communities of this region.”
