Foundation News
Favourable wind for communities as energy company provides funding
15th August 2012
VOLUNTARY groups working close to a new wind farm construction on the outskirts of Doncaster are set to benefit from an influx of grant funding in the area.
Further to the completion of the new Tween Bridge Wind Farm near Thorne and Moorends, energy company E.ON has committed to providing grant funding for communities close to the development.
Community groups that lie within a three mile radius of the wind farm boundary could be eligible to apply to the Tween Bridge Wind Farm Community Benefits Fund.
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Projects working in Thorne and Moorends will receive around 80% of the funding, while certain parts of Hatfield, Hatfield Woodhouse, Sandtoft, Fosterhouses, Stainforth, Ealand, Fishlake, Crowle and Belton are also eligible.
Sophie Moeng, of E.ON said the funding would hopefully come as a major boost to many volunteer led projects throughout the area.
She said: "The community benefits fund is a voluntary contribution and we are delighted to provide this as our ongoing commitment to be a good neighbour in the local vicinity of the wind farm.
"We hope to see many community projects being funded, big and small, over the years and encourage people to think how the money could be spent on projects that will give a longer lasting legacy."
E.ON will be working locally with the South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF), to ensure that funding goes to the local projects that need it most.
Since 1986, SYCF has provided targeted support for communities in the area, encouraging local people to take action to improve the area that they live in.
An independent panel of local people will meet to decide on the successful applicants for funding from the Tween Bridge Wind Farm Community Benefits Fund.
Pauline Grice, chief executive of SYCF, said the organisation was confident of receiving some really inspiring applications for funding.
She said: "There is a great deal of community work that goes on in local communities that often goes unnoticed.
"This funding that is coming available will come as a welcome boost to many of those small volunteer led projects that could do with support in providing the vital services they do in their area.
"There is no doubt that the funding will be in demand, so the independent panel of local people will be vital to ensure that the needs of the area are truly taken into account with all funding being spent where it is needed most.
"We have been working with a range of different donors throughout the whole of South Yorkshire for more than 25 years, to help them ensure that there charitable objectives are met."
Grants from the Tween Bridge Community Benefits Fund will normally be in the region of £1,000 to £5,000.
