ANNUAL REPORT 2015

During 2015 Kelburn Windfarm Community Fund Initiative continued its commitment to openness and transparency. Accordingly the Board is pleased to present details of the funds awarded during 2015.

In 2014 the company received £47,519 to distribute in support of Community Projects in Largs, Fairlie and Cumbrae. A total of 19 applications were received and the Board awarded funds to 16 different societies, associations and groups covering a range of different projects to the total of  £41,012. There are outstanding projects, which are considered as work in progress.

Below are the names of the groups and the amount each received.

LARGS

Viking Festival

The aim of the Viking Festival was to increase attendance and audience participation. The funds were invested in attracting international visitors and upgrading the Viking Village and enactors.

Largs Tennis Club

The grant allowed the club to upgrade its equipment and facilities together with providing the ability to develop and extend its training and coaching capabilities. The Club is one of the major tennis centres in North Ayrshire at both junior and senior level. In addition to the junior and senior teams, LTC supports Ayrshire leagues, the club is able to host tennis events for the local community. Ayrshire tournaments, Adult/junior events are great ways to encourage participation and offer the opportunity for socialising and a fun way to keep fit.

The Board considered the improvement of the facilities to be a benefit to the whole community and the opportunities for individual health and well-being met many of the Fund’s criteria.

Rotary

The application from Largs Rotary was to support its work with Largs Academy to fund pupils participating in the international Euro-Scholar programme.  The programme  allows and encourages pupils to experience educational exchanges, through living and attending schools in other European countries.

Royal Observatory Corp

The Royal Observatory Corp has been a volunteer organisation in Largs since 1927. Today it is a small, educational facility and historic museum that is an active reminder of the role of the Royal Observatory Corp and some of the many challenges which the country and the Largs area faced since 1927.

The group applied for funds to upgrade one of its main exhibits, the visual nuclear attack fall-out presentation.

Largs Golf Club

The restaurant at Largs Golf Club enjoys fabulous panoramic views out over the Firth of Clyde, Isle of Cumbrae and Arran beyond, an aspect the Club is working hard to promote to ensure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy whilst dining in the restaurant.

The Club identified that as the restaurant is on the upper level, accessed by a flight of stairs, people with limited mobility had problems reaching the dining facilities.  In April of this year Largs Golf Club approached Kelburn Wind Farm Community Fund for a grant to assist it with the purchase and installation of a stair lift to ensure that the restaurant facilities at the Club could be open to everyone, even those with limited mobility. This has now been installed.

Largs Thistle Community Group

The group is part of Largs Thistle Football Club, the grant is support funding to allow the club to introduce energy saving floodlighting which will allow all year round training for all community football teams.

Largs Carers Group

The Group is a support group for Carers to alleviate their isolation by hosting meetings, outings and therapies for Carers to share their challenges and difficulties, providing a sense of community and offering answers and help to allow Carers to improve their lives. The funds will enable Largs Carers Group to arrange outings and host meetings for carers during the coming year

Halkshill Bowling Club

Halkshill sought the Fund’s support to replace the clubhouse roof which hadn’t been updated since the clubhouse was built. The roof will be replaced with modern day insulation and weather protection materials.

Largs Out of School group

The Group functions primarily in the school holiday periods providing educational support and a much needed family /community child care for working parents. The funds were used to create a new activity programme which included visits to the Glasgow Science Centre and Blairdrummond Safari Park.

FAIRLIE

Firth of Clyde Rowing Club

Associated with the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association the club participates in international rowing regattas. Based at Largs Yacht haven the club needed to buy a robust trailer to transport the skiffs to competitions.

Fairlie Bowling Club

The application was based on a project to encourage youth, disabled and general community involvement in the playing of lawn bowling through the provision of a two rink artificial surface, which will be available throughout the year.  The creation of the artificial surface will have further benefit in allowing Club Members and Visitors to extend their playing season and help to generate additional income towards the running of the new clubhouse.

CUMBRAE

Cumbrae Garden Club

Established in 1951 the club attends and arranges annual garden festivals on Cumbrae and across North Ayrshire. Its plant / flower containers and display units required replacing, which until this year they borrowed containers from other festival organisers. The award allowed the club to buy new containers and display units.

Garrison Model Railway Club

The club started in 2007 and continues to expand and develop using the club’s own funds. Recognised as an important tourist attraction on Cumbrae, it attracts hundreds of paying visitors each year. However the need for continuous maintenance and upgrades is beyond its current finances and this year has sought support to allow the club to continue. To this end the funds were used to improve the existing rolling stock and introduce new models

Millport Country & Western Festival

Established in 2009, the Festival’s focus is to encourage community pride by creating and organising festivals, which includes the Millport Country & Western weekend. As Cumbrae / Millport does not have an established camping site, the funds were required to improve the basic camping and portable toilet facilities.

Cumbrae Resilience Group

Many of the emergency support services on Cumbrae are manned by volunteers and require High-Viz jackets to identify them within the community as part of the local emergency services. The application was to contribute, in part, to the acquisitions of High-Viz clothing.

Cumbrae Community Development Company

During the reconstruction of Garrison House on Cumbrae, part of the adjoining land became contaminated as a result of builders dumping waste and rubble.

The Community Development Company, which is the central point for many organisations and residents on the island, applied for support funds to recover and rehabilitate the land for public use. This included the removal of debris, metal works, old tar left by the builders, the project is both conservation and environmental.

Yours faithfully

Drew Cochrane
Chairman