Wiston Lodge in South Lanarkshire has been awarded more than £100,000 to improve its heating system.

The organisation was awarded the grant from the Clyde Wind Farm Community and Development Fund, which is provided by SSE through the lifetime of its 350MW Clyde Wind Farm, Biggar.

Wiston Lodge is an 1870s former hunting lodge and has a number of rooms which can accommodate meetings, conferences and courses, as well as overnight accommodation for up to 45 people. The facility is regularly used but concerns have previously been raised about the inefficient heating system.

The organisation made a bid to the fund for the installation of a woodchip fuelled biomass heating system to replace the existing Kerosene and LPG systems, which has resulted in an award of £100,762.


General Manager of Wiston Lodge, Tony Burley, said: "We would like to thank the Clyde Wind Farm Community and Development Fund, supported by Scottish Hydro, for the grant towards the installation of a woodchip fuelled biomass heating system. We are absolutely thrilled with this positive outcome.

"It has been a long process but thankfully this award will allow us to gain the matched funding to install this system - the total cost of the project is estimated to be around £211,525.

"This funding will result in a building that will be greatly appreciated by all the guests from the surrounding communities and further afield who use our facilities including our great staff and volunteers."

Graeme Keddie, SSE's Head of Community Investment, added: "This award to Wiston Lodge is a great example of how wind farm community funds can support projects that have a significant social impact.

"The work the charity does to support the development of vulnerable people in the area is vital and I'm delighted that we can help sustain the centre's long-term viability. With the assistance of the council, we look forward to supporting many more projects like this throughout the lifetime of the £20million fund."

The SSE Clyde Wind Farm Community and Development Fund was established in 2011 and is expected to deliver more than £20m of support for community projects across South Lanarkshire during the next 25 years.

(JP/MH)