Seagreen gives Tealing kids the chance to run like the wind on new obstacle course

Pictured are children from Tealing Primary School  with (L-to-R) Neil Hogg, Petrofac, Scott Crowe, Linxon and Steven Reid, Seagreen Wind Energy Limited.

Children at Tealing Primary School have been given the chance to jump, bounce and run like the wind on a new obstacle course, thanks to companies involved in the construction of the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, located 27km off the Angus coast.

As part of the delivery of the offshore wind project, Seagreen Wind Energy Limited and contractors Petrofac and Linxon are building a substation at Tealing which will connect the £3bn wind farm to the national grid.

Keen to support the local community, and to thank them for their patience during construction, Seagreen and contractors Petrofac and Linxon teamed up to pay for a permanent obstacle course at the school worth more than £5,000.

Now, the course on Tealing Primary School’s playing field is a reality and this week, representatives from the three companies visited the school to hand over the obstacle course and to have a go themselves.

Head Teacher of Tealing Primary School, Michael Smith said: “We were so pleased when the project team got in touch to ask if there was any way they could help the school.

“The children had a say in what the obstacle course would comprise of and I am pleased that they wanted something that would be suitable for all age groups and for multiple children to play on at the one time.

“Ever since the course was confirmed, we’ve been very excited about its arrival and it is great that the course is accessible so that the local community can use it out of hours. I am sure there will be the opportunity for a lot of play on the course for many years to come.”

Seagreen Onshore Project Manager Steven Reid said: “We’re very pleased to have been able to give the local community something we are sure that will be made good use of.

“After the year or so that everyone has had, it’s great that the obstacle course will be somewhere where the children can get outside, get together and have some fun.”

Neil Hogg, Project Manager for Petrofac said: “Wherever Petrofac work, we want local communities to benefit from our presence, so it’s been a real pleasure to support Tealing Primary school with their new obstacle course. As well as being able to have fun outside and play safely, this will also help the children to keep fit and stay healthy.”

Scott Crowe, Onshore Project Manager for Linxon said: “It feels great to contribute to the wellbeing of the community and to promote outdoor activities. For Linxon, as well as Seagreen and Petrofac, we hope this interaction sparks the children’s interest in the project so they may consider future careers in engineering and construction.”

The Seagreen project is also supporting an education programme which will give over 3,000 children in Dundee and Angus the opportunity to learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The programme is the first part of a Seagreen-backed £400,000 programme focused on supporting STEM-based skills development in Dundee and Angus.

Additionally, Seagreen is supporting a £1.8m community benefit fund which will be benefit a number of community councils in Angus including Tealing. Already, £30,000 has been released early from the community benefit fund to support specific projects with their immediate response and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

When complete, the 1.1GW Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm – a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Total – will be Scotland’s single largest source of renewable energy, providing a significant contribution to Scotland’s net-zero ambition.

For more information on the Seagreen project visit seagreenwindenergy.com.