Community wind farm charity Point and Sandwick Trust, on Lewis in Scotland’s Western Isles, this week made the biggest one-off donation in its history – a £40,000 donation to local health services to support efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The owner of the 9MW Beinn Ghrideag wind farm donated the sums to NHS Western Isles, in recognition of the “heroism” of frontline staff and to support islanders suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.
The charity, which says it owns the largest community-owned wind farm in the UK in terms of output and reinvests all its income back in the local community, made the donation to the National Health Service as the first grant from its newly set up pandemic community fund.
The money is to be mainly used to support frontline staff and covid-19 patients and Point and Sandwick Trust say it will hopefully also benefit cancer patients.
NHS Western Isles chief executive Gordon Jamieson said: “We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of businesses, organisations and individuals across our local communities, who have demonstrated such kindness and have pulled together to help at the toughest time we have faced in the history of the health service.
“The donation from the Point and Sandwick Trust was completely unexpected but so incredibly generous. I would like to thank the Trust on behalf of our staff and the health board. We will be involving our staff in deciding how to make the best demonstrable use of this very kind gesture.”
Initial ideas include therapeutic pamper packs for frontline staff, including some local products so the money can be reinvested in island businesses, and emergency items for patients who are admitted in a rush, without personal belongings and without the possibility of receiving them later on from a friend or relative, due to the current ban on visitors.
Emergency admission items could include nightwear, underwear, toiletries, phone chargers and other essentials.
Consideration is also being given to upgrading rest areas for frontline staff and to funding access to external counsellors for staff struggling with the impacts of the pandemic.
Point and Sandwick Trust board member Agnes Munro, a retired Accident and Emergency nurse, and former winner of the Scottish NHS Manager of the Year award, said: “The PST board are delighted to be able to help in this way, in what is an awful time of crisis.
“We’re aware that there are situations where patients are admitted to hospital unexpectedly and don’t have the essential items that would normally be considered required for hospital. We’re also conscious of the huge pressures the staff are under and it would be good to think that some of the funds could be channelled towards helping maintain their physical and mental health”.