TURBINE RACE DELIVERS WINDFALL FOR CAITHNESS GROUPS
News Release
Baillie Wind Farm Ltd
• Charities to benefit from The Turbine 10 success
• Local groups will also receive donations
• Harriers to receive equipment store and race clock as a thank you
The first and only 10-kilometre course at a Highland wind farm is providing a funding boost for a number of local organisations.
About 100 runners took part in The Turbine 10 event, held over the undulating service tracks around the Baillie Wind Farm, near Thurso in Caithness, on 15 September. Over 80 also took part in an accompanying four-kilometre fun run/walk around Baillie’s perimeter track.
Proceeds from the event, organised by the wind farm’s operator Baillie Wind Farm Ltd and the North Highland Harriers running club, have been divided among the Moray Firth Radio Cash for Kids’ appeal, the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and the North Highland Cancer Information and Support Centre, based in Thurso. With donations also from Baillie Wind Farm Ltd, each organisation has received £1,000.
The wind farm company has also donated a shipping container for storing equipment and a new race clock to the North Highland Harriers in recognition of their help in organising the event, including planning The Turbine 10 course, timing the race and proving marshalling for the event.
In addition, Baillie Wind Farm Ltd donated a total of £1,400 to local groups which provided volunteers to help on race day. The groups benefiting from donations are: The 1st Thurso Boys Brigade and Thurso Rugby Club, for assistance with course marshalling, Thurso Amateur Swimming Club which provided marshals, catering and assistance with overall recruitment of volunteers, Thurso Diabetic Group, which ran an awareness stall and facepainting for children, Caithness Guides, who manned water stations during the race and Thurso Rotary Club, which helped organise car parking.
The cheques were handed over by Tom Pottinger, Baillie wind Farm Ltd director, at a ceremony in Thurso.
Tom Pottinger said: “We are delighted to be able to support the extremely worthwhile work being done by our official race charities in Caithness and elsewhere. We are also pleased to support local groups that assisted in the organisation and running of the event. It was a fantastic community effort.”
Sergio Castedo, Director of Statkraft UK and Baillie Wind Farm, said: “The inaugural event was really well supported by both the athletes and the local community which helped make it such a success. We very much enjoyed working with the various organisations on the day and we greatly appreciate the help they provided.”
Sandy Christie, of the North Highland Harriers, added: “The donation of new storage facilities and race clock will greatly help our club and will be a lasting legacy of a very successful event.”
Baillie Wind Farm’s 21 turbines will produce enough clean energy annually to power some 35,000 homes. The project includes the Baillie Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund yielding an expected £100,000 annually for local initiatives, plus a further £25,000 per annum for the new Caithness Business Fund. Both funds will be managed by the Caithness Chamber of Commerce.
Those who have a project in mind which they would like to be considered for the Community Benefit Fund should contact Trudy Morris at Caithness Chamber of Commerce at trudy@caithnesschamber.com
END
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