Ørsted awards more than £250,000 of community funding to latest grant winners

A total of 14 deserving local groups will each receive a share of the almost £256,000 windfall available in the latest round of the Fund.

Since the Fund launched in 2016 over £1.75million has now been committed to community and environmental projects located in coastal communities of Cumbria and Lancashire, close to the Walney Extension offshore windfarm.

The 14 groups below join a list of 91 other community groups that have already benefitted from the Fund taking the number of projects now supported soaring past the 100 milestone.

The full list of organisations awarded grants from the seventh round of funding are as follows:

Action for Children, Furness Child Contact Centre - £11,300

ADHD North West, Morecambe Bay Support - £22,000

Askam United Football Club - £18,000

Barrow Celtic Football Club - £20,000

Fleetwood Trust - £25,000

Furness Education & Skills Partnership - £37,500

Gregson Community Association, Gregson Centre - £4,894

Kendal Windows on Art, Morecambe - £4,200

N-Vision, The Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre Society for the Blind - £5,000

SAFA Cumbria - £41,054

Tara Project Lancaster CIC - £8,940

Thornton Action Group, King George’s Playing Field - £16,220

Walney Community Trust - £36,712

Windermere, Ambleside and District Angling Association, Castlehead - £5,000

Imran Nawaz, Ørsted Stakeholder Adviser, said:

“We’re always impressed with the incredible array of community projects in the local area and it’s a privilege to be able to help them achieve their goals. The Walney Extension Community Fund was set up for exactly this reason and it’s great to see that we are helping to make a positive contribution in the area.”

A spokesperson for Walney Community Trust, said:

“Walney Community Trust were pleased to be awarded the grant from the Walney Extension Community Fund which will enable us to deliver City and Guilds courses in Maths and English to local people who, for whatever reason, missed out on a formal education. We have seen a big problem for people we support through the Trust, in accessing vital qualifications in an environment they feel comfortable in. Our informal setting has already proved very popular with our learners, who otherwise would not gain these valuable life skills. We were delighted to receive the funding to develop these functional skills courses for the next 12 months and are currently searching for funding to continue the project into year 2 and beyond.

“The effects of people receiving the learning is amazing, raising self-esteem, confidence, giving a hope and future to locals who never felt they could achieve. We are happy to enrol leaners of ages 12 and upwards, with adult only classes during the day and some evenings available. None of this would be achievable without the amazing support of Walney Extension Community Fund, recognising our project in their locality. We are extremely grateful to them.”

Nicki Smith, Kendal Windows on Art Programme Manager and Community Artist, said:

“The news of our grant award from the Walney Extension Community Fund is very exciting for the children in the Poulton community in Morecambe, as well as the Kendal Windows on Art (KWoA) creative team and local volunteers, as we all can't wait to start our Widening Horizons' children's project!

“The children now have the chance to be in charge of their own project, helping to make decisions as they explore their aspirations. They will be considering who they are, what potential they have, who they want to be in the future and also how they want to creatively share their discoveries with their families and wider community. This funding provides a valuable 'springboard' - the children now have the opportunity to be heard and valued within their community.”

The Fund is made possible by Ørsted which has constructed the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm, Walney Extension, off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria. Each year, approximately £600,000 will be made available for community projects for the expected 25-year lifetime of the wind farm.

The Fund is being administered by national grant-making charity GrantScape and more details can be found at GrantScape’s website www.grantscape.org.uk or by calling 01908 247634. The next closing date for applications is 8 January 2020.

ENDS

Editors’ Notes:

Media contacts

Liz Payne – GrantScape: 01908 247630 liz.payne@grantscape.org.uk

Mike Day – Ørsted: +44 (0)7767 008 893 miday@orsted.com

About Ørsted

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore wind farms, bioenergy plants and innovative waste-to-energy solutions and provides smart energy products to its customers. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 5,600 people, including over 900 in the UK. For more information on Ørsted, visit orsted.co.uk or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

About GrantScape

GrantScape is a grant-making charity committed to enhancing the environment and strengthening local communities through its grant programmes. GrantScape’s experience stretches back to 1997 and it has awarded grants totalling almost £90 million to deserving projects over this time.

GrantScape manages a range of community and environmental grant programmes on behalf of corporate and local authority clients. These are tailored to their individual requirements, which is the charity’s speciality. In addition, GrantScape offers a professional project management and grant process review service to groups requiring support with these activities.

For further information, please see www.grantscape.org.uk or follow us @GrantScape1 on Twitter.

About Walney Extension

The Walney Extension offshore wind farm is located next to the existing Walney Offshore Wind Farm, off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria. With a capacity of 659MW, Walney Extension is the world’s largest offshore wind farm and comprises of 87 turbines. For further information, please visit: www.walneyextension.co.uk

About Walney Extension Community Fund

The Fund supports community and environmental projects along the Cumbria and Lancashire coast, within a defined area. Approximately £600,000 is available each year (£100,000 of this is ring-fenced for a ‘Skills Fund’). The Fund is split equally between two annual funding rounds. There are two levels of grants available:

• Small grants between £500 and £5,000
• Main grants between £5,001 and £50,000

Applications to the Fund are made using an online application system via the GrantScape website www.grantscape.org.uk .