Wind farm offers annual £465,000 community cash pot for South Holland villages

Villages in South Holland and south of Boston could share in an annual £465,000 community fund created by the company behind a new wind farm.

DONG Energy of London has set up an East Coast Community Fund worth £9.3 million over the next 20 years for coastal towns and villages within 570-mile radius of both Race Bank and Hornsea Offshore Wind Farms.

Race Bank is to be built just over 16 miles off The Wash coast and villages, including Gedney Drove End, Holbeach St Marks, Lutton and Sutton Bridge, could be eligible for grants from the fund.

Natasha Nanuck of DONG Energy said: “We believe local people should get a chance to benefit from the construction and operation of offshore wind farms which are some of the UK’s biggest energy infrastructure projects.”

You can find out more at two public events, both at the White Hart Hotel, Boston, on Wednesday, November 2, from 5pm until 8pm, and Thursday, November 3, between 10am and 1pm.

National grant-making charity GrantScape has been appointed to help set up the fund and its staff have organised both public events.

We believe local people should get a chance to benefit from the construction and operation of offshore wind farms which are some of the UK’s biggest energy infrastructure projects

Matt Young, chief executive officer of GrantScape, said: “This will be the third community fund GrantScape is administering on behalf of DONG Energy, having already established community funds linked to offshore wind farm developments in Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea.

“We are really looking forward to engaging with the local communities to make sure we take on board as many views as possible when designing this fund.”