Wind farm fund helps power community projects

A South Yorkshire community fund is supporting new local initiatives through targeted grants to benefit residents across the region.

The Penny Hill Wind Farm community fund, managed by Sunderland-headquartered OnPath Energy, has awarded £7000 each to Treeton Memorial Community Centre & Playing Fields and Ulley Sailing Club. 

The fund is designed to create long-term value for communities surrounding the wind farm, with support ring-fenced for projects in Aston, Thurcroft, Treeton, Ulley and Whiston.

Treeton’s grant has been used to purchase recycled outdoor furniture for the sports ground at Treeton Cricket & Football Club, providing comfortable seating for spectators during matches and training. 

The new benches and picnic tables complement earlier improvements also funded through the scheme.

From left, Keith Haynes and Richard Wadsworth Hammerton of the Treeton Memorial Community Centre, with Tom Chaplin of OnPath Energy

Meanwhile, Ulley Sailing Club is using its grant to expand its dinghy fleet, enabling more young people to try sailing and allowing the volunteer-run organisation to offer additional Royal Yachting Association-accredited training courses. 

The club has bought four new Topper class dinghies to support its growing youth programme.

Both projects highlight how the fund continues to deliver lasting benefits for local groups and community facilities.

Tom Chaplin, partnership and community manager at OnPath Energy, said: “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.

“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.”

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