{"id":149214,"date":"2025-11-20T00:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T00:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/149214\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T00:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T00:51:10","slug":"wexford-community-groups-share-in-e50000-in-benefit-funding-from-windfarms-were-delighted-to-see-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/149214\/","title":{"rendered":"Wexford community groups share in \u20ac50,000 in benefit funding from windfarms \u2013 \u2018We\u2019re delighted to see this\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s recipients include a day centre for senior citizens, two Tidy Towns groups, a men\u2019s shed and a people\u2019s shed, with the groups sharing \u20ac50,000 to enhance and develop new facilities.<\/p>\n

With a combined capacity of 17MW, Coolroe, Blusheens and Curraghmartin Solar Farms were among Ireland\u2019s first operational solar farms when they were energised in 2023.<\/p>\n

Community Benefit Funds, independently administered by SECAD Partnership CLG, were established for each of the three solar farms to provide funding to local community groups for the next 15 years, and will generate circa \u20ac750,000 over the lifetime of the funds.<\/p>\n

Local community groups were invited to apply for the first round of funding in March of this year, and the applications were reviewed by a panel of local community representatives who decided how this year\u2019s funds would be allocated.<\/p>\n

Over \u20ac20,000 of funding from Blusheens Solar Farm has been awarded to St Mary\u2019s Day Care Centre in Tagoat, Co. Wexford. The centre provides day care services and meals on wheels to the elderly, those with limited mobility and those living alone in Tagoat and the surrounding rural areas. They will use the funding to carry out an upgrade of the centre\u2019s electrical system.<\/p>\n

\"EDF<\/p>\n

EDF power solutions at St Mary\u2019s Day Care Centre CLG, Tagoat, Co. Wexford. Pictured are Therese Jones, Siobhan Murphy Manager, Anna Wright, Ann Marken, Eilish Walsh (SECAD), Gretta O\u2019Leary, Conor Burns (EDF power solutions), Mary Cronan, Ina White, Bridget Browne B.O.M. Day Care Center and Sadie Dunne. Photograph: Patrick Browne<\/p>\n

Siobhan Murphy of St Mary\u2019s Day Care Centre said: \u201cThe funding we received has enabled us to upgrade our electrical system which will in turn significantly improve the safety and reliability of our Day Care Centre,\u201d said Siobhan Murphy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy replacing outdated wiring and panels, we have minimised the risk of electrical fires and power outages and ensuring essential equipment, kitchen appliances, and medical devices function without interruption. Ultimately, it helps everyone who depends on the centre\u2019s services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funding of over \u20ac13,000 from Coolroe Solar Farm has enabled Ballycullane Tidy Towns to landscape the roadside around the Tintern Sports Complex, as well as to create a colourful mural in the heart of the village.<\/p>\n

Martin Reading of Ballycullane Tidy Towns welcomed the support and said \u201cThe grant from the EDF power solutions Coolroe Solar Farm Community Benefit Fund allows the Tidy Towns group to continue our work in Ballycullane village.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new mural has already brightened the appearance of the village centre, and recognises the work done by gardeners, residents’ associations and the community veg growers to keep the village looking good and supporting biodiversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Gallagher, Head of Onshore Technologies at EDF power solutions Ireland, noted the vital role solar farms play in producing low-carbon electricity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to see this funding go towards such good causes, all closely aligned to the UN sustainable development goals, and look forward to making similar awards next year and in the years to come\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s recipients include a day centre for senior citizens, two Tidy Towns groups, a men\u2019s shed and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149215,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[246,61,60,82],"class_list":["post-149214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}