DONG Energy announces grants for community projects in Wirral

Local organisations around Liverpool Bay have been awarded grants as part of DONG Energy's community benefit fund (CBF), while work continues on the company's latest offshore wind farm.

Fourteen groups, including Music in Hospitals and Lancashire Wildlife Trust will receive donations of up to £20,000 under round one of this year's CBF. The grants form part of the community support associated with DONG Energy's Burbo Bank Extension project, located off the coast of Wirral.

About DONG Energy
DONG Energy is one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe. Our business is based on procuring, producing, distributing and trading in energy and related products in Northern Europe. Headquartered in Denmark, DONG Energy has around 6,500 employees, including 600 in the UK. The Group generated DKK 67 billion (EUR 9.0 billion) in revenue in 2014. For further information, see www.dongenergy.co.uk

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 over £80 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.
Each year, approximately £225,000 will be made available for community projects for the expected 25 year lifetime of the wind farm, which will benefit the local area. Applications for round one opened earlier this year to all community organisations located coastally in Denbighshire, Flintshire, the Wirral and Sefton.

The full list of organisations awarded grants under this round of the Community Benefit Fund are as follows:
 
The Aspiration Trust

Prestatyn Men's Shed

Emmaus Merseyside

Park Roots Community Interest Company

Acronova Gymnastic Club

Rice Lane Community Association

SAFE Regeneration Ltd (previously Safe Productions Ltd)

Sefton Talking Newspapers

Hoylake Parade Community Centre

Melrose Club (previously Melrose Welfare Centre)

Lancashire Wildlife Trust

Home-Start Wirral

Music in Hospitals

12th Crosby (St. Luke's) Scout Group


Phil Ford, DONG Energy's Senior Stakeholder Advisor, said: "The first round of the fund received a fantastic response from the local community, and we are delighted that the Fund is able to now start supporting such worthy causes. We look forward to seeing what the next application round will bring."

The second round of applications is now open. For more details please visit GrantScape's website www.grantscape.org.uk or call 01908 247634. The closing date for applications is 7 March 2016.
 
DONG Energy is currently constructing the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay, approximately 7km north of the North Wirral coast. Once completed, the wind farm will have a total capacity of 258MW, enough to provide power for over 180,000 homes. Onshore works on the project have already begun while offshore construction is expected to start in spring 2016.

For additional information, please contact:

Brad Watson - Ørsted
+ 44 1908 247 630