South Yorkshire community projects receive £7,000 grants from Penny Hill Wind Farm benefits fund

Two South Yorkshire community projects have been awarded grants totalling £14,000 from the benefits fund linked to a neighbouring wind farm.

The Treeton Memorial Community Centre & Playing Fields charity and Ulley Sailing Club have each been awarded a £7,000 grant through OnPath Energy’s Penny Hill Wind Farm community benefits fund, which is designed to build long-term community value for local people.

The Treeton charity has used its grant to purchase some recycled furniture from local specialist supplier NBB Recycled Furniture to go outside the clubhouse at the Treeton Cricket & Football Club sports ground, in order to give spectators somewhere comfortable from which they can watch matches and training sessions.

Fifteen recycled picnic tables and ten recycled new benches are now in place at the Washfield Lane venue, joining five other tables and five benches that were paid for with a previous grant from the Penny Hill fund.

Ulley Sailing Club is using its grant to expand its dinghy fleet to give more local young people the chance to give sailing a try and to give it the capacity to deliver a greater number of Royal Yachting Association-accredited training courses.

It has purchased four Topper class sailing dinghies, which are specifically designed for youth racing and will give an increasing number of young people attending the Club’s Youth Squad the chance to take part in casual and competitive sailing sessions.

Based within Ulley Country Park, the Sailing Club is a volunteer-run organisation which offers affordable sailing opportunities to people of all ages and abilities.

It has also previously received support from the Penny Hill Wind Farm fund, with grants helping cover the cost of refurbishing its race tower, upgrading its main jetty and providing dedicated access to the lake for people with disabilities.

Tom Chaplin, partnership and community manager at OnPath Energy, says: “The community benefits funds linked to all our wind farms are continuing to deliver long-term tangible benefits to the places in which they’re located and these two projects provide great examples of how this is happening in South Yorkshire.

“Both of these groups are working to provide local people with new opportunities and better facilities, and we’re very pleased to be extending our support for their excellent work

Tom Chaplin, Partnership & Community Manager

“Projects supporting health and well-being have been a particular focus for the Penny Hill fund over the last couple of years and we’re always open to ideas for how the revenues generated for it by the wind farm might be used to deliver further local benefits.”

OnPath Energy’s Penny Hill Wind Farm Community Fund is ring-fenced for use within the parishes of Aston, Thurcroft, Treeton, Ulley and Whiston, and is designed to make a positive, long-term difference to voluntary groups, environmental projects and community projects in these areas. Environmental and community projects in the vicinity of the Penny Hill Wind Farm which are interested in applying to its community fund should first contact the fund manager via apply@onpathcommunityfund.co.uk or on 0191 378 6342 to confirm that their group or project is eligible.