Spirit of Lanarkshire Wind Energy Cooperative (SOLWEC) Community Support
SOLWEC Community Fund aims to support communities in the vicinity of West Browncastle and Nutberry wind farms to pursue projects which reduce greenhouse gas emissions or improve the environment and benefit the people who live in the immediate vicinity of the windfarms.
The SOLWEC Board allocate a proportion of profits every year towards a Community Fund.
The closing date for the next round of applications is 29th February 2024. Further details and application forms will be available in early December 2023.
The Spirit of Lanarkshire Wind Energy Cooperative's Community Fund has helped a number of local organisations in recent years. The following grants were awarded in March 2023:
The Kilbryde Hospice - £20,000 for solar panels.
St Mary's for All SCIO, Hamilton - £15,000 for energy efficiency measures.
Healthy Valleys - £10,000 for solar panels on their active travel hub.
Community Links (S Lan) - £9250 for energy-saving appliances for low-income households.
Stonehouse Business Association - £6,000 for an energy efficiency advisor.
Climate Action Strathaven - £5,000 towards a project officer and running costs for their community fridge.
Darvel Area Regeneration Team - £5,000 towards resurfacing the Waterlip path.
Coalburn Miner's Welfare - £4,200 for an energy audit of their premises.
Newmilns Regeneration Association - £1,004 for a thermal imaging camera.
SOLWEC also made a special award of £65,000 in Oct 2022 to be split between East Kilbride Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes Foodbank, Clydesdale Foodbank and East Ayrshire Foodbank to allow them to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis.
In 2022/23 we operated a Warm Spaces Support Scheme which made awards to:
Meikle Earnock Community Council - £3,500 for hot meals and snacks.
St Marys for All SCIO, Hamilton - £900 for heating costs.
Calderwood Baptist Church, East Kilbride - £1,500 for food and heating costs.
Newmilns Regeneration Association - £1,159 for food and activities.
Old Blantyre Parish Church - £3,500 for food and catering equipment.
Hamilton Churches Drop-In Centre - £7,500 for food, heating and laundry facilities.
Claremont Parish Church, East Kilbride - £1,685 for heating and wifi in their community cafe.
Healthy and Active in East Kilbride - £3,000 for food and heating.
Gilmour and Whitehill Parish Church, Hamilton - £5,000 for heating their community cafe.
Healthy Valleys - £8,000 for heating, staffing, venue hire and workshops.
Trinity Church, Hamilton - £2,400 for food, heating and equipment.
