Twelve local organisations around Liverpool Bay are celebrating the news that they have been awarded grants as part of Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund which was set up by DONG Energy in 2015.
The lucky recipients will each receive a share of the £111,809 windfall available under the fourth round of funding awarded by the Fund.
Each year for the expected 25 year lifetime of the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm, approximately £225,000 will be made available for community projects, which will benefit the local area.
The 12 new projects join 46 other groups who have already benefited from grant support through the Fund which has given away £450,000 since it launched in May 2015.
The full list of organisations awarded grants under this round of the Community Benefit Fund are as follows:
- Book of You, Dementia Project in North Wales – £6,400
- Swan Womens Centre Allotment Project, Bootle / Litherland – £13,814
- The Growing Environment, Lansdowne Place, Birkenhead – £12,168
- Stick’n’Step, Supporting Children with Cerebral Palsy in Wallasey – £10,000
- Wirral Connect, Supporting Families Bereaved by Suicide – £4,500
- Christchurch Parish Community Centre, Moreton – £11,250
- Rhuddlan Town Council, Fresh Air Gym – £3,500
- Emmanuel Baptist Church Community Café, Netherton – £25,000
- Cohiba Productions, Working with Women leaving care in Sefton – £5,000
- RISE (Reach-Inspire-Support-Educate), Working with young carers and bereaved children – £8,232
- Friends of Hoylake and Meols in Bloom, Defibrillator for Queens Park- £1,875
- Sharks Community Trust, Inclusive Rugby in Wirral – £10,070
Natasha Nanuck, DONG Energy’s Stakeholder Advisor, said: “We want to ensure the communities in which we operate benefit from our presence, so we set up this voluntary community benefit fund which will be open for 25 years.
The first three rounds of grants has seen some fantastic projects benefit from the fund, including the Mermaid Trail in New Brighton which was opened last month. I’m every bit as excited about this diverse round of successful applicants.”
Amy Couture, Stick ‘n’ Step’s Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this generous donation from the Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund. This donation means that 5 children from the local community will be able to attend our conductive education sessions every week for an entire school year.
“Each child that attends Stick ‘n’ Step works towards their own set of individual goals, whether that be to learn to feed themselves independently, to move from sitting to standing without support or to make improvements in their speech. The support from the Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund will mean that these children have the opportunity to achieve their individual goals and to reach their personal potential.”
The fifth round of applications is now open, where again £112,500 will be up for grabs. The Fund is being managed by national grant-making charity GrantScape and more details can be found at GrantScape’s website www.grantscape.org.uk or by calling 01908 247634. The closing date for applications is 4 October 2017.
The DONG Energy Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm was officially opened in May 2017 and is capable of meeting the electricity demand of well over 230,000 homes.
About DONG Energy
DONG Energy (NASDAQ OMX: DENERG) is one of Northern Europe’s leading energy groups and is headquartered in Denmark. Around 6,200 ambitious employees, including over 900 in the UK, develop, construct and operate offshore wind farms, generate power and heat from our power stations as well as supply and trade in energy to wholesale, business and residential customers. The continuing part of the Group has approximately 5,800 employees and generated a revenue in 2016 of DKK 61 billion (EUR 8.2 billion). For further information, see www.dongenergy.co.uk or follow us @DONGEnergyUK on Twitter.
DONG Energy in the North West
DONG Energy has been operating out of Liverpool for over a decade:
- DONG Energy sustained pipeline of offshore wind farms in the North West represents a £5.4 billion investment over the period of 2005 – 2019
- DONG Energy’s two offshore windfarms off the coast of Liverpool Bay generate enough clean energy for over 310,000 homes.
- Burbo Bank, opened in 2007 and was the first offshore windfarm to demonstrate 3.6MW turbine technology. In 2017, DONG Energy again raised the bar by being the first company in the world to install 8MW turbines, pushing innovation and driving down costs for the industry.
- DONG Energy is building a multi-million pound operations and maintenance centre at Kings Wharf. It will serve both the windfarms and around 45 people will be employed at the site when it is operational.
- DONG Energy has committed to a Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund worth approximately £225,000 each year for the lifetime of the Project. The fund benefits local community groups and organisations in the North West, for example the New Brighton Mermaid Trail.
- DONG Energy has partnered with the education charity Teach First to address educational inequalities in the North, supporting Teach First on improving teacher attraction and retention, and pupil progression in Merseyside.
- DONG Energy’s nationwide partnership with the RNLI includes funding the running costs of the RNLI station in New Brighton.
About GrantScape
GrantScape is a grant-making charity committed to enhancing the environment and strengthening local communities through its grant programmes. GrantScape’s experience stretches back to 1997 and it has awarded grants totalling over £80 million to deserving projects over this time.
GrantScape manages a range of community and environmental grant programmes on behalf of corporate and local authority clients. These are tailored to their individual requirements, which is the charity’s speciality. In addition, GrantScape offers a professional project management and grant process review service to groups requiring support with these activities.
For further information, please see: www.grantscape.org.uk .
About Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund
The Fund supports community and environmental projects along the North Wales and English coast, off the Irish Sea, within a defined area. Approximately £225,000 is available each year. The Fund is split equally between two annual funding rounds. There are two levels of grants available:
- Small grants between £500 and £5,000
- Main grants between £5,001 and £25,000
Applications to the Fund are made using an online application system via the GrantScape website www.grantscape.org.uk .
