Notes to Editors:
The Walney Extension Community Benefit Fund will be managed and administered by the national grant-making Charity GrantScape (www.grantscape.org.uk). They can be contacted on 01908 247634 or by email at: wecf@grantscape.org.uk
Applications for grants from the main fund must match with at least one of the community benefits fund's four main themes or purposes:
- Community facilities: This might include capital improvements works to a village halls, community centres, museums, heritage centres and community cafes.
- Nature conservation and public green space projects: This might include projects that create and enhance parks, nature reserves, and community growing schemes.
- Community activities and services: This might include projects that focus on health and wellbeing issues, community arts projects, or grants for equipment or support for local clubs and groups.
- Sports, recreation and play: This might include sports field drainage projects, playgrounds, skate parks, indoor climbing walls and sports equipment.
There will be two application rounds for groups to apply to each year. The first closing date for applications is 27 July 2016. Decisions on the first round of applications will be announced in October.
A local Advisory Group has been established to help decide which applications will receive grants. Details can be found on the Grantscape website.
Approximately £500,000 will be available in the main fund to support community and environmental projects for each of the 25 years that the Walney Extension will be operating.
An additional £100,000 will be ring-fenced annually for a skills fund that will support a range of educational and training initiatives designed to equip people for working in engineering industries like offshore wind. Details of how the skills fund is to be managed will be announced over the next few months.
Brent Cheshire, UK Country Chairman for DONG Energy said: "This fund recognises the long-term relationship which the Walney Extension offshore wind farm has with the region. We believe it is important to support local communities in the areas around our developments and the new fund gives us an opportunity to make a difference."
He added: "We rely on local co-operation through the construction phase of such a major infrastructure project and, although the windfarm will be located well off the coast, the establishment of an operations and maintenance team based in the region throughout the lifetime of the windfarm will provide long-term local recruitment opportunities."
The community benefit fund will be managed for DONG Energy by the national grant-making charity Grantscape. Applications for grants of between £500 and £75,000 from the main fund must be from community and environmental organisations located in coastal community areas in areas stretching between Fleetwood in Lancashire to Seascale in Cumbria. A detailed map, searchable by postcode, showing these areas as well as details of how to apply for a grant is available on the GrantScape website and can be viewed via this link.
