A Lanarkshire charity running eco-friendly initiatives has received over £6000 of funding to undertake some key projects.
The grant from Banks Renewables’ Kype Muir wind farm has helped Climate Action Strathaven (CAS) set up a cycle repair workshop, and a number of projects including the installation of a water refill hub in the town centre.
The aim of CAS is to raise awareness of the climate crisis and increase sustainability measures in Strathaven and the surrounding area.
The funding will go a long way to helping the community with £1200 of the total £6200 awarded to set up the cycle repair workshop at Strathaven Town Mill.
This will help locals get their bikes back up and running and encourage active travel across the town.
And £5000 from the wind farm fund has since enabled the group to carry out a range of ‘sustainability for all projects’. As well as the water refill station, it also provides bike repair vouchers, giving 90 per cent off repairs at the CAS workshop.
All applications to the Kype Muir community fund are determined by the Kype Muir Community Panel (KMCP), which has representatives from local community councils and the wind farm operators, Banks Renewables.
Arthur Potter, project coordinator with CAS, told Lanarkshire Live : “At Climate Action Strathaven we have been focused on making sustainable choices as accessible as possible for people in our community, and it has been great to have the support of Banks Renewables in delivering a better and greener future for our town."
The group, formed in 2020, is comprised of five trustees, three employees and a swathe of volunteers, the group has set up a number of educational and practical initiatives to encourage active travel, reduce waste and increase sustainability in the town.
Councillor Margaret Cooper, Avondale and Stonehouse ward councillor on South Lanarkshire Council, said: “As part of South Lanarkshire Council’s Climate Action Group it’s encouraging to see practical, climate positive steps being taken in the local community.
"I fully support the excellent work that Banks are doing to support our local communities.”
In the coming year, the group is hoping to set up a community bus service between Glasgow and Strathaven and launch a retrofitting service to improve the energy efficiency rating of local homes and buildings.
Robin Winstanley, sustainability and external affairs manager with the Hamilton-based Banks Group, said: “We are delighted to be able to support Climate Action Strathaven in delivering sustainability for all in Strathaven and the surrounding area.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work with the group to support more projects that deliver tangible and lasting benefits in the near future.”
The funding received by CAS came from the Kype Muir Community Fund, which started in April 2019 when the wind farm started to generate clean, green electricity and provides £138,000 annually to benefit community groups within 10 kilometres of the 26-turbine Kype Muir Wind Farm.
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