Open Days...
Community Windpower Ltd are delighted to announce their Family Open Day at Dalry & Millour Hill Community Wind Farms, near Dalry in North Ayrshire, will be returning on Saturday 10th September 2016. Full details for the event are still to be confirmed, however everyone at Community Windpower is hoping to emulate and build on the success of previous years for another fabulous and fun-filled family day out. The day will include numerous activities and will host stalls from local businesses, as well as including an opportunity to learn about the wind farms and the work of BeGreen Dalry and Community Windpower. The Open Day will allow visitors to get close to the turbines and all being well, take a look inside. We are all hoping for the good weather and good spirits which we have seen in previous years and look forward to seeing everyone at the Family Open Day. More details will follow in due course, so please save the date and spread the word as we look forward to another fantastic event.
Community Windpower Ltd had a fabulous, fun filled Family Open Day at Dalry and Millour Hill Community Wind Farms, near Dalry, North Ayrshire on Saturday 14th June 2014, where over 1,800 people attended. Throughout the day the wind farm was bustling with visitors exploring the wind farm, participating in different activities including the Outdoor Climbing Wall, bouncy castles, children’s ride and inflatable slide plus guided tours of the wind farm. The face painting was a highly popular attraction with the children, along with the guided tractor rides around the wind farm in the glorious sun, allowing the visitors to get even closer to the turbines. The area surrounding the marquee was full of activity with a variety of stands and stalls from local crafts and local produce, through to ice cream from the Lime Tree Larder and charities including the NA Foodbank, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust and fundraising games for all the family. The Owl Display by Hoots Forever Home was also popular and attracted a lot of attention. Inside the marquee was just as busy as outside, with visitors learning about the two wind farms, BeGreen Dalry and other local projects and as popular as ever with the children was Ranger Pete, who had a brilliant exhibit of local children’s artwork kindly provided by Dalry Out Of School Care. The BBQ and complementary hot and cold drinks queue was never ending throughout the day, and raised over £500 for the North Ayrshire Foodbank, thanks to donations by visitors to the event. Overall the whole day was an enormous success in terms of the weather, the turnout of visitors and the stalls/entertainment available on the day. Community Windpower Ltd would like to thank everyone who attended and made the Family Open Day such a successful and wonderful day.
Community Windpower Ltd held a prestigious event on Friday 7th September to open their Millour Hill Community Wind Farm near Dalry in North Ayrshire. This is the Company’s 3rd operational wind farm in Scotland which utilises the very latest ‘Direct Drive’ technology and the first Siemens 3.0MW turbines to be installed onshore in the UK. We were honoured to have Kenneth Gibson MSP to officially open Millour Hill Community Windfarm. Kenneth Gibson is a member of the Scottish National Party and represents Cunninghame North in West Scotland. The Opening Ceremony was attended by over 100 guests with opening speeches provided by Rod Wood, Managing Director for Community Windpower Ltd, Nick Ward, Head of Onshore Sales for Siemens, Richard Simon‐Lewis, Senior Director of Renewable Energy at Lloyds Bank and Kenneth Gibson MSP. Now that Millour Hill Community Windfarm is in full operation, and as part of our commitment to the local community, Rod Wood was delighted to announce that Community Windpower Ltd have pledged a generous donation of £100,000 towards the refurbishment of the Dalry Scout Hall. Mr Wood presented a large cheque to the leaders of Dalry Scout Group, Steven and Angela Horswell, who were totally overwhelmed and elated at this announcement. Following the speeches, coaches transported guests to one of the Millour Hill turbines where a large red ribbon attached to the turbine was cut by Kenneth Gibson MSP accompanied by Greig Macdonald and Elicia Harkins, pupils of St. Palladius Primary School and Shannon Murray and Louis McTaggart, pupils of Dalry Primary School. Together they officially declared the wind farm ‘open’. This moment was observed by all the guests and a class of pupils from each of the two local primary schools who were thrilled to be part of this special occasion.
Despite the foggy conditions on site at Millour Hill Community Windfarm, Community Windpower Ltd were thrilled by the crowds that flocked to visit the wind farm to enjoy the various activities organised for the Family Open Day held on Saturday 8 September. This year there were free tractor and trailer rides, bouncy castles, face painting, a merry‐go‐round, archery, owl display and guided tours in Prius hybrid cars kindly provided by Toyota along with a barbeque and refreshments. The marquee onsite enabled local craft stalls and fundraising tables to attend as well as providing a children’s corner and a visual display and DVD on the construction of Millour Hill Community Windfarm. During the Family Open Day, fundraising was encouraged with all donations being provided to local charity CHAP (Community Housing Advocacy Project). In total, £300 was donated to this local charity of which Community Windpower Ltd matched the donation and a cheque for £600 has been presented to CHAP. Following the announcement at the Official Opening of Community Windpower’s donation of £100,000 to the refurbishment of Dalry Scout Hall, Angela Horswell leader of the Scout Group stated “We are still in total shock and are absolutely delighted by this wonderful news. Everyone involved with Dalry Scout Group are thrilled at this extremely generous donation and cannot wait to get the project underway with Community Windpower”.
Over 500 people from the local community attended the family event organised by Community Windpower Ltd and BeGreen Dalry; their fourth Open Day since the wind farm started generating in 2006. Weather conditions at the wind farm were superb providing magnificent view across Ayrshire and over to the Isle of Arran with good winds blowing to operate the turbines which worked away like silent work horses. A special guest to the Open Day was Depute Provost Ian Clarkson who marvelled at the turbines and was pleasantly surprised by the quietness of them. Depute Provost Clarkson also took the opportunity to stand inside one of the turbines with Community Windpower Ltd Director Rod Wood, Father Donnelly from St. Palladius Church and a Vestas engineer who looks after the turbines. Inside the marquee was an exhibition about the history and construction of Dalry Community Windfarm and details of Millour Hill Community Windfarm; a six turbine extension to the existing turbines which was approved in December 2009.
A small Open Day was held on Saturday 14th June to tie in with the Scottish Renewables Festival and Global Wind Day. Local people were invited to this free event to discover and explore their local wind farm which provides local towns and villages with clean, green electricity. There was free entertainment, guided tours, food and refreshments with fundraising tables and local stalls offering locally produced gifts and groceries. Inside the marquee was an exhibition about the history and construction of Dalry Community Wind Farm and Educational Ranger Pete Boustead was hand to show visitors around the wind farm.
The 3rd Dalry Community Wind Farm Family Open Day took place on Sunday 15th June. As always the sun was shining and the highlight of the day seemed to be the chance to 'see inside a turbine', accompanied by a Vestas engineer to answer technical questions on the turbines. The day was also part of the national 'Wind Weekend' events and European Wind Day. Children were entertained by the free bouncy castle and face painting and collected free windmills, pens, badges, t-shirts and other goodies donated by Community Windpower Limited. ‘We were delighted by the local response to our family open day and wind farm especially given the recent wet weather. We must be doing something right to be blessed with this warm sunshine.’ said Community Windpower’s director Mr. Rod Wood.
Glorious sunshine greeted the crowds on Sunday when Dalry Community Wind Farm celebrated its first Birthday. Similar to the previous year’s event, the day included free children’s entertainment and displays and information about the wind farm and the Dalry Carbon Neutral Project. Many people walked around the wind farm and marvelled at the tall elegant structures which have been providing green electricity to the local area for over a year. One intrepid couple even cycled from West Kilbride to the top of the wind farm and were delighted to receive free hot food and beverages. Over £80 was collected during the day for the local charity Quarriers and this amount was doubled by a further donation by the wind farm company. This was the second annual family open day organised by Community Windpower at the wind farm, and will now become a regular event during June.
Saturday the 24th June saw the first ever family open day held at Dalry Community Wind Farm, to celebrate the official opening and start of operation of the six turbines found in Dalry. The weather held up and over 1,500 local people came to explore the new development. There was fun and games to be had for all ages. Younger children enjoyed a bounce on the bouncy castle while older children and adults enjoyed the opportunity to walk around the magnificent turbines bases. A marquee provided educational resources for visitors to learn more about the newly operational wind farm while staff were on hand to answer any burning questions. Free tea, coffee and refreshments were available to energize people after a fun filled day. The event was a big success and thoroughly enjoyed by all attended. |
2016 Family Open Day at Dalry & Millour Hill Wind Farms
2014 Family Open Day - A Great Success!
September 2012 - Official Opening of Millour Hill Community Wind Farm
September 2012
June 2010
June 2009
June 2008
June 2007
June 2006