Sizeable Donation Funds Essential Maintenance for Community ‘Hub’

OnPath Energy Press releases

AN EAST Ayrshire bowling club has been given the opportunity to carry out some external maintenance to their clubhouse thanks to the Banks Community Fund.

 

The grant of over £5,000 has been used to strip out existing guttering and downpipes and replace a lot of essential building fabric of the clubhouse generally, which is imperative to the safe running of the club going forward.

 

May Wood, Secretary for the Glaisnock Valley Bowling Club said: “It has been nearly 40 years since any previous improvements have been made so this has made a real difference to the outside of the building.

 

“The club now looks a lot newer and this has helped to enhance the look of the building and the area in general.”

 

Founded in 1977, the club is an institution in the area. With more than 100 members, around half of whom are social members, the bowling club provides a key hub for the local community. Offering a space for events of all kinds which can generate yet further funding for the club.

 

May added: “We have all sorts of events in the clubhouse, from teas and family parties, to weddings and bowls nights during the summer months. We are really hoping that the improvements we have made to the clubhouse will encourage new membership within the area, especially with young people.”

 

Glaisnock Valley Bowling Club is home to Stewart Anderson, Men’s singles winner of the 2013 World Indoor Bowls Championships and half of the Men’s pairs winning team in 2016.

 

May continued: “We are so proud of Stewart and what he’s done for bowls in the area. We are hoping that his success, along with the renovations to the club, will help to attract some younger members.”

 

Jeannie Kielty, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “It is very gratifying to see such a well-loved club making the most of their facilities.

 

“We hope that this funding and the renovations it has brought about not only make the clubhouse a more pleasant place to be but also help them to continue hosting wonderful events and raise further funds.”

 

Banks Renewables is the firm behind proposals for the Lethans wind farm which if approved would see 22 turbines installed in East Ayrshire providing 74.8MW of electricity.  An estimated 40,300 homes[1] will have their carbon emissions offset by Lethans wind farm if it goes ahead.

 

Following last month’s decision of the local authority to grant a non-objection, proposals for Lethans Wind Farm will now go to the Scottish Government’s Energy and Consents Department for final determination.

As part of an ongoing period of consultation in 2015, Banks Renewables received over 400 letters of support from the local residents, with just one letter of objection.

The Lethans wind farm would contribute approximately £8 million over the 25 year lifetime of the project towards community initiatives, through a community fund, in addition to a £250,000 investment towards improving access to the site with cycling and walking facilities.

 

The Banks Group currently has several projects under development and two wind farms under construction in the South Scotland region, including the Middle Muir wind farm near Douglas and the Kype Muir Wind Farm near Strathaven.  Both of these wind farms will have community funds established to support local community projects once they become operational by the end of 2018.

 

[1] Based on Scottish Government Wind Farm Carbon Assessment Tool, view online at: http://informatics.sepa.org.uk/CarbonCalculator/?7YFQ-0TE0-77GNv6 (December 2016)