A mental health project, a school radio club and environmental volunteering are among the activities in Caithness boosted by funding from West of Orkney Windfarm over the past year.
In 2022 the wind farm developers set up a small donations fund, offering successful applicants up to £1000 each, and last year 24 organisations across Caithness, Sutherland, and Orkney benefited.
Projects supported in 2024 include plans by Mikeysline to set up a mental health “Hive” in Thurso, an initiative by Dunnet Community Forest to improve the quality of meadows through the use of traditional scythes and efforts to help Wick High School pupils become licensed amateur radio operators.
Other local recipients included Thurso Players, Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Centre and Caithness Environment Volunteers.
The proposed West of Orkney Windfarm will involve 125 turbines on fixed foundations with a blade height of up to 360m. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with the first electricity generated in 2029, subject to permissions.
The proposals include cable landfalls on the Caithness coast.
Caithness Environment Volunteers would welcome new members to their informal and friendly sessions.
Project director Stuart McAuley said: “Our donations programme is just one small way in which we can support some of the many valuable initiatives in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney.
“In every case we have been immensely impressed by the passion and professionalism each organisation brings, whether their focus is on sport, the arts, social care, education or the environment, and we hope the funds we provide help them achieve their goals.”
The Mikeysline “Hive” in Thurso is a safe space for people receive one-to-one support from trained support workers every week.
Support worker Donna Murray said: “Mikeysline is incredibly grateful to the West of Orkney Windfarm for the generous donation that we received.
“It allowed us to respond to the demand of our peer support service at Thurso Hive by increasing the available appointments from three to six within the first six months of being in Caithness.”
The Mikeysline ‘Hive’ is a safe space for people receive one-to-one support.
Dunnet Community Forest aims to promote the conservation, restoration and improvement of the woodlands around Dunnet Bay for public benefit.
Garance Warburton from the group said: “Ten people across the north of Scotland have been trained in the use and maintenance of scythes and have completed an introduction to meadow management course.
“Thanks to the funding provided by the West of Orkney Windfarm, this team of people have access to a scythe library which means they can implement their training for the benefit of species at risk of extinction, for the benefit of forest users, and for their own health and wellbeing.
Scythe tuition in the Dunnet area.
“Making environmentally friendly tools such as scythes accessible in this way provides equity of opportunity to people who may not otherwise be able to afford them and allows us to support the work of other environmentally focused groups in our area.”
Mary Legg, of Caithness Environment Volunteers, said: “The grant we received from West of Orkney Windfarm has covered our essential running costs for the year, enabling us to continue contributing to environmental work across the county.
“Our monthly work parties provide opportunities for people to participate in a diverse array of conservation-focused activity, from building bridges and planting trees to improving species habitat.
Caithness Environment Volunteers carry out tasks ranging from building bridges to improving species habitat.
“We welcome new members to our sessions which are informal and friendly and offer a great way to socialise, stay fit and healthy and contribute to a better environment.”
Lorraine Eyre, chairperson of Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Society, which runs the heritage centre in the village, said: “As inheritors of old premises that had suffered decades of neglect, we found that repairs were necessary throughout.
“The West of Orkney funding towards the job of painting and repairing the exterior and the window frames was a great help. Not only has the work improved the fabric of the building but also rescued it from becoming an eyesore on one of the main streets in the village.”
Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Society benefited from West of Orkney funding. Picture: Alan Hendry
Chris Aitken, Wick High School’s computing science teacher, who runs the school’s radio club, said: “Our club aims to give our students the opportunity to become licensed amateur radio operators.
“To do this we provide practical experiences in all aspects of amateur radio as well as tutoring in order to pass the industry-recognised foundation exam, which is an entry point into becoming a licenced amateur in the UK.
“We are so grateful to West of Orkney Windfarm for supporting the Wick High School Radio Club. The enthusiasm for amateur radio is building and it is in a large way due to the support we have received from the renewables industries in Caithness.”
Wick High School Radio Club gives pupils a chance to become licensed amateur radio operators.
Other organisations that secured a donation in 2024 include Halkirk United Football Club, Bower Primary School Parent Forum, Flow Country Rivers Trust, Pennyland Primary School, Halkirk Community Sports Foundation and Thurso Bowling Club.
West of Orkney Windfarm is being developed around 30km off the west coast of Orkney and around 25km from the north Sutherland coast. With an expected capacity of around 2GW, and first power scheduled by 2030, the project will be capable of powering the equivalent of more than two million homes.
It is being developed by a joint venture comprising Corio Generation, TotalEnergies and Renewable Infrastructure Development Group.
Wick High School Radio Club gives practical experience in all aspects of amateur radio.
Local organisations interested in applying for a donation can fill in an online application form at www.westoforkney.com/communities
The developers have started a number of other initiatives in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney including £50,000 to help local apprentices.
Also being supported is a “lend-a-lab” project for children being developed by the University of the Highlands and Islands.