New grants fund opens for Stornoway Trust area
29 August 2018
A new £82,000 fund for the Stornoway Trust area has been launched.
Community landowner Stornoway Trust and local wind farm charity Point and Sandwick Trust have formed a an interim joint committee to award grants to projects using money generated by Beinn Ghrideag wind farm.
The fund, which is derived from the wind farm’s community benefit agreement with the Stornoway Trust, will be administered by the panel made up of representatives from both organisations.
The scheme will be supplemented by annual payments of around £40,000 from the profits of the wind farm which began generating in 2015.
The fund focuses on supporting projects across the Stornoway Trust estate.
Stornoway Trust chairman Norman A Maciver said: “By working together we hope that future recipients of the fund will realise and value the benefits partnership working can bring to our community.”
Point and Sandwick Trust general manager Donald John MacSween said: “We are delighted to be working with Stornoway Trust in setting up this new joint projects fund which can benefit the whole of the Stornoway Trust area.
“We feel very positive about this new partnership and would like to thank the factor and trustees of Stornoway Trust for working with us to get the fund to the stage where it can now be launched.”
Point and Sandwick Trust chairman Norman Mackenzie said the “very positive” development and shows how community organisations can “work together to make a difference for their communities, particularly in these times of restricted public funding.”
He added: “As one of the PST representatives on the board, I look forward to working with Stornoway Trust colleagues and delivering exciting new projects in the future.”
Stornoway Trust factor Iain Maciver said projects applying for financial assistance can explore other funding avenues to help maximise the leverage this new fund can bring to their projects.”