Community Windpower’s £300,000 energy fund to help vulnerable residents in Scottish town Dalry heat their homes has opened for applications.
The partnership between Community Windpower and Dalry Parish Boundary Trust, administered by Advice Direct Scotland, is open to anyone in the Ayrshire town struggling with their bills.
Grants are available to assist vulnerable households, with the fund supported directly from Community Windpower’s onshore wind farm in North Ayrshire.There will be a focus on households with children living in poverty, people living with cancer, those in receipt of a disability benefit, pensioners, and households which use a large amount of energy to power medical equipment.
It follows a similar partnership in East Lothian, where over 1,400 households have received grants to help with soaring energy costs.
National advice charity Advice Direct Scotland, which also delivers the Scottish Government’s Home Heating Support Fund, will make payments for electricity usage by issuing PayPoint or Post Office vouchers, or money will be sent directly to suppliers for those with credit meters. Rob Fryer, director of civils and business development for Community Windpower, said: “Following the amazing success of our East Lothian Energy Fund, where £1m helped over 1,400 vulnerable families and individuals in the region, it is great to see a similar initiative supporting the more focused area of Dalry, North Ayrshire.
“This really reinforces that local renewable energy projects do make a meaningful difference to their host communities and are seen as a valuable asset by many locals.
“We have worked alongside Dalry Parish Boundary Trust and Advice Direct Scotland to deliver this fund, which will be a great success.
“Our community offering throughout Scotland has now reached over £8m which is simply staggering.”