£1.3 million Fund Opens For Brookeborough’s Local Community

Energia Renewables, owners of the Teiges Mountain Wind Farm near Brookeborough have announced a new community fund in conjunction with the Fermanagh Trust. The company plan to distribute £50,000 per year to local community initiatives in the area.

 

Peter Baillie managing director of Energia Renewables and Lauri McCusker Director of the Fermanagh Trust

Energia has set up the fund to ensure that the wind farm, whilst having obvious environmental benefits, will also provide significant social and economic benefits to the local community.
The local community fund has been launched, working in close partnership with the Fermanagh Trust, following consultation with local groups from the areas surrounding the Teiges Mountain Wind Farm, Brookeborough

Administered by the Fermanagh Trust, County Fermanagh’s community foundation, the new Teiges Mountain Wind Farm Fund will be available to community projects within 5k of the wind farm. Small one off grants will be available for various activities, grants over a 1-3 year period for longer programmes and also larger grants for strategic capital projects.

Peter Baillie, managing director of Energia Renewables said “We are very committed to integrate within the communities where we invest, getting resources and much needed funding on the ground. Energia are delighted to be working with the Fermanagh Trust who will operate this new fund on our behalf, providing real opportunity for groups and organisations to access financial support and contribute to community life. We are confident that over time many local community organisations and voluntary groups will see the benefit of this initiative.”

David Bolton, Chairman of the Fermanagh Trust added “This fund will support a wide range of community based projects located around the wind farm. Energia has established a sizeable fund which will enable the local community to do great things over the coming years. We know from our work over the last 20 years that there are some fantastic voluntary projects taking place and we look forward to seeing applications coming in.”

Planning permission for 5 wind turbine generators was granted in 2014, located on Teiges Hill, in the townlands of Eshnanumera and Eshnasillog (adjacent to Lisnaskea Forest), Brookeborough.  The Community Fund will support projects and groups within a 5 km radius of the Wind Farm, through a grant application process.

The Fund is now open for applications this year and groups are invited to submit applications by 1pm on the 4th December. To download guidelines and application forms CLICK HERE or contact the Fermanagh Trust on Tel: 028 66 320 210 / E: hazel@fermanaghtrust.org