Wind farm community benefit fund announces first grants

TWO PROJECTS in South Nesting are among the first to be given grants from the new Shetland Community Benefit Fund (SCBF), which administers funds made available by the Viking Energy wind farm.

The South Nesting Boating Club is to receive £40,000 to buy the land for a new 40-berth marina at Catfirth and allow the club to move on to the next phase of the scheme.

And the South Nesting Hall committee has been granted £1,900 to improve disabled access to the building.

Both are supported by the Nesting and Lunnasting Community Council.

Meanwhile, two projects supported by Lerwick Community Council have also been approved:

• A £500 grant for the Royal Voluntary Service to help with transport costs for social activities, and
• £4,500 to the North Staney Hill Community Association for a major repair programme and general upgrade of the local hall in preparation for Covid restrictions being lifted.

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Boating club chair Kenny Bradley said the marina at Catfirth would be an important new facility for both local leisure and commercial boat owners.

“This generous and timely grant will be used to purchase the land for the marina site,” he said.

“The South Nesting Boating Club would like to express their thanks to the Shetland Community Benefit Fund for their support which has brought the club’s community marina project significantly closer to its goal which, in turn, will bring real and far reaching benefits to the community and surrounding areas.”

Chairman of the South Nesting Hall committee Adam Priest added: “The SCBF funding was instrumental to the hall quickly progressing the repair to the accessibility ramp.

“As a result, the hall will be accessible to all users by the time normal hall activities resume once pandemic restrictions are lifted.”

SCBF chair Chris Bunyan said the current grant scheme is open to projects supported by any of Shetland’s 18 community councils during the construction of the Viking wind farm.

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“We have had a very encouraging first month and SCBF is particularly pleased that its support will help release funding from other sources,” he said.

During the first year of operation £340,000 of funds will be available to be distributed to eligible projects.

Details of the grant scheme are available at www.scbf.org.uk/ags