Organisations in a Highland community have been given a major boost with an invitation to tap into a potential £2million windfall.
They are being offered sums from £100 up to a maximum of £5,000 for a wide range of charitable activities following the setting up of the Glengarry Trust. It will administer and distribute the £1,000-a-year minimum over the first five years from each of the megawatts generated by the 16 turbines in the Millennium Wind Farm project, which sits between Invergarry and Fort Augustus.
The index-linked sum could bring in a £2million community windfall over the next 20 years to the benefit of the Glengarry, Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston areas.
The package from RDC Scotland, in partnership with Falck Renewables, includes community benefits not offered by other windfarm developers in Scotland, such as giving the communities the opportunity to have a direct stake in the scheme.
The newly-formed trust comprises five trustees drawn from representative groups in the community under the chairmanship of Marigold MacLennan of Laide House, Invergarry.
It has been registered as a charity and is open to not-for-profit constituted groups operating in the Glengarry Community Council area. Initially grants will be limited to a maximum of £5,000 and a minimum of £100. However, the trust says limits will be reviewed to ensure they addressing local needs.
Funding is available for a wide range of charitable activities, including community development projects, arts, heritage, health, sport, the environment and recreation. In some circumstances, hardship grants to individuals can also be made. Marigold MacLennan said: “This funding will be a huge boost to many of our local groups who struggle to find funds to keep their activities going and to develop new ones. Although our funds are limited at this stage, it is hoped that it will grow quickly and be accessed by as many as possible”.
Anyone interested in applying should contact the trust secretary at 1 Oak Villa, Invergarry, or by telephone on 01809 501324. Applications will be considered four times a year, with funding deadlines as follows on June 25, September 4, December 4, and March 5 next year. There will also be an annual public meeting to report on how money has been disbursed.