Groups Share £3million Windfall from Ørsted’s Walney Extension Community Fund
- ·Ørsted fund has now awarded £3.3million to community projects in Cumbria and Lancashire
- A total of 184 projects have now been awarded funding
Sixteen organisations from coastal communities in Cumbria and Lancashire are celebrating the news that they have been awarded a total of more than £330,000 in grants as part of Ørsted’s Walney Extension Community Fund.
Launched in 2016, Ørsted has supported 184 projects in the region through the main Walney Extension Community Fund and the dedicated Skills Fund. In just 5 years, successful groups have already shared a huge windfall of £3,290,537 as the latest announcements take the awarded total past the £3million milestone.
In reaching this significant milestone, Imran Nawaz, Stakeholder Advisor & Community Benefit Fund Manager for Ørsted, said: “The communities where we operate are incredibly important to us and we are very proud to have been able to make more than £3million in funding available to local organisations over the last five years. It continues to be a difficult time for many groups, but the hard work and dedication of these community focussed projects provides real inspiration and showcases true community spirit. We wish each of the projects every success and we look forward to awarding the next round of funding in the New Year.”
The full list of organisations awarded grants from the 11th round of funding are as follows:
- Barrow & District Disability Association – £20,000
- Making Space, Lancaster Volunteering Project – £5,000
- Wellness at Greenacres CIC, Barrow – £9,320
- British Wireless for the Blind Fund – £4,810
- Friends of Torrisholme Play Park – £50,000
- A Stitch Different CIC, Walney Island – £6,000
- Age UK Barrow & District Ltd – £13,552
- West End Impact, Lancaster – £28,500
- Cumbria Alcohol & Drug Service – £46,653
- More Music, Changing Places, Lancaster – £24,120
- BayBuddies, Lancaster – £23,280
- Fleetwood Town Community Trust, Head 4 Health – £26,088
- Barrow Domestic Appliances CIO – £18,352
- The Birchall Trust, Education Programme & Therapeutic Support – £21,738
- Eggcup, North Lancashire Surplus Food Outlets – £28,929
- Youthability Youth Services & Walney Community Services – £5,000
Amanda Bland, Director of A Stitch Different CIC, said: “We are so pleased to be awarded this grant. It means we can reach more individuals and develop this new social enterprise to give real life work experience and meaningful activities to adults living with disabilities.”
Deborah Finn, Chair of Trustees, Eggcup, said: “We are thrilled to be awarded this funding and immensely grateful that Ørsted can appreciate the value of our community food work. This grant will fund Phil our Operations Manager, who keeps our food warehouse running smoothly and happily - over 10 tonnes of food coming in and out of the warehouse every month. Phil makes sure our volunteers are skilled up and happy and that the food is perfectly managed. We couldn't operate as a district food hub without Phil and this funding makes all the difference.”
The Fund is made possible by Ørsted, the global leader in offshore wind, which has constructed one of the world’s largest operational offshore wind farms, 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 7 January 2022.
