Communities across Fife celebrate decade of funding support
Three communities in Fife are celebrating ten years of funding from the Westfield Wind Farm Fund, with in excess of £240,000 having been awarded to date.
The Westfield Wind Farm in Fife, which is a subsidiary of renewables energy business Nadara, supports the neighbouring communities of Benarty, Cardenden and Kinglassie. The fund was divided into three sub-funds to reflect the differing needs of each community, and involve more local people in decision making.
Each fund is supported by Foundation Scotland and each has been instrumental in providing opportunities for communities to thrive by supporting local individuals, groups and organisations. The funds provide grants to charitable activities that enhance the quality of life for local residents, that contribute to vibrant, healthy, successful and sustainable communities and that promote community spirit and encourage community activity.
The Westfield Wind Farm fund is now marking its tenth year of operation. Over the last decade, it has provided in excess of £240,000 across all three communities and along the way it has also offered Education and Training funds, microgrants and support for individuals during the 2020 floods.
An award made earlier this year from the Westfield Windfarm Community Fund in Cardenden, illustrates the impact funding can have for local groups. £2,000 was awarded to the Romi Clarke Dance group to contributed to entrance fees and tracksuit uniforms to support young people from Cardenden to represent Scotland and attend the Dance World Cup competition. This was the first time the dance school had auditioned for the National team, and nine girls aged between nine and twelve were selected to join Team Scotland and take part in the competition in Prague in June of this year. (image below)
Danielle Tullis from the Romi Clarke Dance Groups said:
With the hard work and dedication from Romi and the dancers, what was a dream of representing their country became a reality. This was also achieved thanks to the funding we received and RCD Fundraising Group would like to thank Foundation Scotland for their generous support. It truly has been an incredible opportunity for the girls involved and memories that will last a lifetime.
Another organisation which has benefited from funding over the years from the Kinglassie Community Fund is the Kinglassie Old Fold Retreat Association. To date, they have been awarded £16,735 which has been used to support activities including an annual dinner and social event benefitting 110 local older people, care home residents and support volunteers, offering opportunities for people to build a network of friends, enjoy each other’s company, share stories and experiences, and build community connections.
Awards from all three Community Funds are decided by decision making panels, made up of local residents from each Community Council area. The panel members use their local knowledge and passion to ensure that awards are making a direct impact in the community, based on community need.
Earlier this year, the Benarty Community Panel and Foundation Scotland joined forces with Fife Council’s Community Learning & Development Team to organise a participatory grant making event which they called ‘Benarty Decides’. Members of the community came along to hear about all of the prospective projects, and funding was then awarded based on the results of their votes and recommendations by the panel.
Niome Lucjan, Community Funds Advisor with Foundation Scotland said:
This participatory budgeting model has allowed local people to be more involved in decision making across their communities as well as widening the community knowledge of all the fantastic opportunities available to them in their local area.
About the Westfield Wind Farm funds she said:
It is wonderful to see so many impactful and strategic awards being agreed across these communities. Financial support from wind farm funds such as these can achieve significant impact for the communities they reach, offering transformative change which will continue to benefit the communities for generations to come.
As the Cardenden, Benarty and Kinglassie funds celebrate their tenth year, the variety of projects that have flourished thanks to funding from the Nadara Westfield Wind Farm Funds is significant. Community benefit funds continue to demonstrate the power of local residents and the difference a community can make when it focuses on long term impact.
Read more about the funds here