OVER €130,000 NOW AWARDED BY SSE AIRTRICITY TO COMMUNITY GROUPS IN CO. TIPPERARY

SSE Airtricity, Ireland’s leading renewable energy provider, has now handed out more than €130,000 to community groups near its Knockastanna Wind Farm in Co. Tipperary.

This year’s presentation was made at Doon GAA Club on Wednesday 13 June, with a total of nearly €14,000 awarded to nine local groups, including schools, sports clubs and community organisations.

The presentation took place ahead of Global Wind Day 2018, a worldwide, annual event that takes place on 15 June, and celebrates the power and benefits of wind energy.

Cullen-Lattin Football Club will be putting this year’s funding towards installing a defibrillator on the wall outside the clubhouse. Club PRO, Anne Bradshaw, said: “Our club is the only community facility in the local area, and the sole location of a defibrillator. The defibrillator is currently housed inside the clubhouse, but with the funding from SSE Airtricity, we’ll be able to move the unit outside, into a heat- protected cabinet, with a keypad for operation. We’ll also install solar-powered lighting to guide users to the unit and illuminate the cabinet.”

Other projects being supported range from wall insulation at Cappawhite National School and Doon Community Council, to installing security cameras for Hollyford Tidy Towns, water-heating systems at Rearcross Football Club and Donohill Development Council, and energy-efficient pitch lighting at Doon GAA Club and Sean Tracy GAA Club, to an energy  efficient sound system at the centre for Kilcommon Community Council.

Anne Reynolds, SSE Airtricity Community Development Officer, said: “At SSE Airtricity, we believe in making a positive difference to the communities in which we live and work. We’re delighted to be presenting another €14,000 to nine forward-thinking and important community projects this year. It’s also a great way to mark Global Wind Day, which celebrates the power and benefits of wind energy, something we’re really passionate about. And as always, it’s fantastic to see so much of the money going towards improvements in energy efficiency, which we support as a great way to secure long-term benefit for the community.”

SSE Airtricity’s Knockastanna Wind Farm has a total capacity of 6MW and generates enough green energy to power over 2,000 homes in the region.

The successful applicants for this year’s Community Fund are Cappawhite National School, Cullen–Lattin AFC, Donohill Development Council, Doon GAA, Doon Community, Hollyford Tidy Towns, Rearcross Football Club, Sean Tracey’s GAA and Kilcommon Community Council.