18th annual Community Fund awards presented to groups near Corneen Wind Farm

SSE Airtricity, Ireland’s largest provider of 100% green energy, has awarded over €7,000 to six community groups close to its Corneen Wind Farm in Co. Cavan in its latest round of community funding. The company has been awarding funding to groups in the community since 2002, and this latest presentation takes its total contribution in the area to €110,021.

Through its Community Fund programme, SSE Airtricity makes annual contributions to community groups near its wind farms on behalf of owner and operator SSE Renewables.

The 2020 funding has been awarded to six Covid 19 community projects in the Bawnboy area. Bawnboy Workhouse Ltd will be putting their funding towards a Covid garden in the grounds of the workhouse, while the local Men’s Shed will upgrade facilities to install Covid sanitization units for the shed. St. Aidan’s National School, St. Patrick’s National School and St. Mogue’s college received funding for Covid measures to enable the schools to reopen and the Bawnboy Tidy Towns Committee will be installing sanitization stations in the village.

Anne Maguire, Principal of St. Aidan’s National school said: “We’re delighted with the contributions from SSE Airtricity, which has enabled us to purchase sanitising stations, sanitisers and PPE so that we that we could confidently welcome children back to school in safety last September.”

Anne Reynolds, SSE Airtricity Community Development Officer, commented: “We’re very proud to be making a difference in the local area particularly this difficult time for communities, this year’s fund has been repurposed to assist in the relief measures around Covid-19.  It is hoped this fund can provide some support with the ongoing pressures in the community created by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

SSE Renewables has a total of four wind farms in counties Cavan and Monaghan. The community fund, which has awarded over €1.7 million to communities close to the wind farms since 2002, is operated by SSE Airtricity on its behalf.

The 2021 Corneen Community Fund is now open and applications will be accepted until May 21.