First awards made from Dunnet and Canisbay education and training fund

The Greencoat Stroupster Community Fund has made its first round of awards from the Dunnet and Canisbay Area Education and Training Fund.

Six awards were made. Four of the awards have gone to young people studying at university over a range of subjects including food, nutrition and textiles, history, medicine and architecture.

One award will help a young person attend college as part of his fabrication and welding apprenticeship and allow him to undertake training courses. The other one will contribute to the cost of a sheepdog handler training course for six local people.

Eilidh Coll, Foundation Scotland’s Caithness-based representative, said: “Feedback suggests that the scheme has been well received, and the applications received show a broad range of ambitions and training needs. We look forward to another successful round of applications later in the year.”

The Greencoat Stroupster Community Fund Panel also administers the community benefit fund which made eight awards at the same funding round totalling just over £32,500. The awards included the St Clare Hall Committee for a Halloween event, Caithness Broch Project to fund archaeologically inspired talks at Lyth, Castletown Youth Club to contribute towards a new heating system, Castletown Parent Council for a timber trail in the school playground and two awards to Lyth Arts Centre – one for a Creative Lab and one to assist with a festival.

The next deadline for both the Greencoat Stroupster Community Fund and the Dunnet and Canisbay Area Education and Training Fund is November 15 and application forms can be found on Foundation Scotland's website.

Foundation Scotland administers the fund on behalf of the wind farm operator Greencoat UK Wind. The Stroupster Community Fund is expected to distribute £149,500 a year for the operating lifetime of the wind farm.

Application forms and more information on the fund can be found here.

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