Granville Harbour Wind Farm has announced applications are open for its annual Community Grants Program. Now in its second year, the grants program is set to continue for the operational life of the wind farm – at least 20 years – over which time the wind farm will provide around $400,000 to West Coast based projects that will benefit the local community.
Project Director Lyndon Frearson said he was extremely grateful for the support of the West Coast community, particularly during what has been a very challenging year, and the grants program provided an opportunity to give something back.
“Throughout the wind farm’s construction, our team has received incredible support from the local community and we feel very much a part of the West Coast. The annual grants program is one of the ways we can demonstrate our appreciation and make a valuable contribution to this extraordinary region.”
“2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, with Covid-19 causing huge disruption and hardship. We understand that many people in the community are doing it tough right now and hope that through the grants program we can assist local groups to build their capacity to support the community through the recovery period.”
“Through last year’s program we were able to support ten worthwhile local projects and it’s been really exciting to see many of these projects come to life over the past year,” said Mr Frearson.
Some projects, including the Zeehan Men’s Shed ‘new shed’ development and Zeehan Netball Club youth training program, faced unavoidable delays due to Covid-19 restrictions and have only recently been able to get underway.
Zeehan Netball Association received funding for their project to provide free training to local primary school children. Netball coach Aleisha Maskell said the program aimed to have a positive influence and encourage local kids to stay active and healthy.
“The program gives the kids in our small community the opportunity to try a new sport, keep active, learn new skills and work as a team. This year has been difficult for many local kids, with the coronavirus limiting their recreational activities. I’m so glad that we’ve been able to go ahead with the season during Term 3 and it’s been fantastic to see around 40 local kids taking part each week,” Ms Maskell said.
With construction of the wind farm now nearing completion, Mr Frearson said the team was focused on preparing for the transition to operations, and that the owners of the wind farm were committed to ongoing support of the local community.
“We look forward to maintaining a strong relationship with the local community as the wind farm moves into the operational phase.”
“We have now recruited a team of six permanent operational employees – many of whom will be based in the West Coast and are keen to become involved in the local community.”
Mr Frearson said he was eager to see this year’s grant applications and hoped to be able to support a diverse range of projects from across the West Coast with $20,000 funding available.
Applications for this year’s grants program will close at 5pm, Friday 4 September.
Visit the Community page for full details on how to apply.