Communities urged to apply for funds

S o u t h L a n a r k s h i r e communities will benefit from £ 600,000 worth of funding to fight the financial hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The money pot opened by Clyde Wind Farm and SSE Renewables donates profits from wind farms to charities, community groups and non- profit making organisations in a bid to help local economic recovery.

T h e S u s t a i n a b l e Development Fund allows successful projects to use the annual funding to deliver transformational social, economic and environmental changes in local areas and supports long- term community development – a sector hit hard by the Covid crisis.

Groups are asked to apply for the funding and the panel is looking for applications from projects which would boost local employment, help communities take ownership of local assets and help local people to adjust to the new ways of working following the pandemic, which might include the creation of local business hubs.

The funding of £600,000 aims to create more opportunities in difficult times, the firm announced this month. In the midst o f t h e c o ronav i r u s pandemic, the Sustainable D e v e l o p m e nt Fund panel want to support community initiatives which will help local society and the economy recover in recognition of the fact that the pandemic has put unforeseen pressure on local communities.

L o r d Mc C o n n e l l , chair of the Sustainable Development Fund, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on local communities and job prospects.

“We want to utilise this fund to help boost the local economy, create meaningful employment and enable communities to make best use of local assets.”

The fund, which is distributed every two years in South Lanarkshire and is valued at £10.3 million over its lifetime, is administered by SSE Renewables on behalf of the wind farm partners and delivers financial support to a diverse range of community projects near to Clyde Wind Farm.

T h e d e a d l i n e f o r a p p l i c at i o n s t o t h e Sustainable Development Fund is noon on January 20, 2021.

For full details on the money available, go to www. sserenewables.com