More than £820k has been awarded to community groups and organisations from various renewable energy funds in the South Lanarkshire area.

The largest single amount of £620k was awarded to the Biggar Museum Trust for the construction of a new museum building. The money comes from the Clyde Wind Farm Community and Development Fund, which is supported by payments from Scottish Hydro (formerly SSE Renewables).

The plans are to build a new multi-purpose facility, which will be constructed at a former garage and large workshop which has been acquired by the trust. The total costs for the first phase of the project are £1.3m, with the remainder of the money coming from various other sources of funding, including property sales.

Another group to receive funding is Rigside Playpark Group. The voluntary organisation, made up of parents and interested adults from the village of Rigside, received £32,402 towards redeveloping a park in the village, while Douglas Playpark Group received funding of £46,185 for a similar project.


A further four organisations received funding from the Blacklaw Renewable Energy Fund, which is supported by payments from ScottishPower Renewables.

Forth Royal British Legion received £15,322 for phase three improvements at their premises in the village and includes completing the internal refurbishment including new toilet and kitchen facilities.

Registered charity, Forth and District Initiative, received £20,041 to move and improve the existing Eco Site in the village, but all existing features of the current site, including a small wind turbine and solar panels, will be retained.

Forth Community Resource Steering Group has been awarded £11,027 to set up a series of weekly Work Clubs, while the final group – Lanark Community Development Trust – was awarded £30k. Its project – the Castlebank Horticultural Development Trust – aims to reclaim disused land and refurbish derelict buildings in Castlebank Park in Lanark.

Elsewhere, the Whitelee Renewable Energy Fund, which is also supported by payments from ScottishPower Renewables, awarded grants to two organisations.

St Mary's Episcopal Church in Hamilton received £28,508 which will be split equally over the next three years and go towards refurbishing parts of the existing building as well as creating a new build element. While Trinity Parish Church in Hamilton has been awarded £8,842 to carry out external access improvements and the Pates Hill Renewable Energy Fund, which is supported by payments from Your Energy, awarded funding to the Braehead Project Group for their Braehead Paths Project.

The project was awarded £9,987 to create 500m of low impact pathway onto and alongside Braehead Moss to provide a safe walking environment away from traffic.

(JP/CD)