Fun and fitness for all the family
A desire to reduce social isolation by providing engaging activities for local people has always been the inspiration and motivation for the Kyle of Sutherland Hub.
The Hub receives annual funding from SSE Renewables Achany and RWE Rosehall wind farms community benefit funds representing around 20% of total income. The money directly supports the salaries for two core staff and underpins the Hub’s ability to deliver existing activities and develop new ones.
In the early 2000s, the nearest soft play facilities for young children living in the Kyle of Sutherland were an hour’s drive away, in Inverness, and the closest leisure centre was 45 minutes’ drive away, in Dingwall.
The Kyle of Sutherland Hub was born when a group of determined volunteers got together with the intention of changing this.
The Hub began life in an old double decker bus, but by 2017 had progressed to a bright, modern, colourful new building fully equipped with a range of facilities for the whole family. This includes both indoor and outdoor soft play facilities, a 16-station fitness suite, a café, and a dedicated space for young people to play, socialise and engage in extra-curricular activities.
The Hub started with the intention of providing more for young people to do, but quickly realised there was a wider need, and began offering activities for the whole community with the aim of reducing social isolation and increasing well-being. It now offers a full programme of activities for all age groups including fitness classes, health and wellness activities, dancing, coffee mornings, after school and holiday clubs and much more.
The Hub now has six full time staff and one part time member of staff. In 2023, it provided for 686 different activities and attracted 7,500 visitors of whom around 1,500 were regular users. The total population of the local area is around 2,500, which suggests the activities available at the Hub are valued highly by local people.
Hayley Bangs, Director and Chair of Kyle of Sutherland Hub, said:
“The unrestricted funding that the Hub has received from these funds has provided a level of financial stability that has enabled us to focus less on survival and more on growth - on continuing to meet the needs of our communities through additional projects and services.”
Core funding is key to enabling local collaboration
Lairg and District Community Initiative (LDCI) was established in 2002 and as a small, volunteer-led organisation, with no dedicated professional support, it initially focused on relatively small and simple projects, such as producing a local newsletter. This began to change around 2009 when the group became aware of an acute and growing shortage of supported accommodation for older people in the area.
At the time, no public body had any plans to address this need, so LDCI decided to act and began working up proposals. This project was a lot more complicated than anything the organisation had attempted before, and the Board quickly realised they were going to need professional support. Lacking the administrative capacity to employ someone directly, they approached the Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust (KoSDT) for help.
Being the recipient of regular core funding from SSE Renewables Achany and RWE Rosehall wind farms community benefit funds, the KoSDT already had a small team of permanent staff and the administrative systems in place to support them. This meant that KoSDT had the capacity to support LDCI with their ask for help.
The two organisations agreed that KoSDT would appoint a specialist housing development consultant, to be paid for by the LDCI through a grant from Achany and Rosehall wind farms community benefit funds. This arrangement enabled LCDI to progress the project while avoiding the administrative burden of employing someone directly.
A suitable site was acquired using funding from the Scottish Land Fund and development finance was also secured from the Scottish Government. A partnership was then established with Albyn Housing Association to deliver eight new homes.
The homes were completed in March 2024, making them the first new social housing to be delivered in Lairg since the mid-1990s. The homes are all on one level and with easy access to the bathroom for those will mobility challenges. Four of the homes have sensors that monitor movement over a 24-hour period and alert local health workers where there may be an issue.
“I am very lucky to be in this house actually, because of my doctors who helped me to get it. If not, well I would have had to move out of the village because I wasn’t able to be sat doing what I wanted to do over in the house I was in. I’ve been in Lairg for about 40 and more years. I’m very delighted to be in this house, it is very warm and comfortable, and I have nice people around me.”
Feedback from elderly resident
This was an ambitious, complex multi-agency project that took several years to deliver. It is unlikely it would have happened without the initiative of LDCI, but almost inconceivable it could have been delivered entirely by volunteers. The support provided by partners, particularly KoSDT, was critical and the core funding provided by the Rosehall and Achany wind farms community benefits enabled this support to be provided.
Robert Johnstone, Treasurer, Lairg and District Community Initiative, said:
“Rosehall and Achany wind farms have helped with this project tremendously - being able to pay for the Project Officer to be able to do the groundwork, from feasibility studies to all the surveys that are required. If it wasn’t for the wind farms being there to help pay for the wages of the Officer, then we wouldn’t have bene able to get this work done at all."
LDCI now runs several activity programmes in the local area, including a lunch club for older residents, a local newsletter, a regular winter festival and a programme of health walks. It has also delivered a major refurbishment of a children’s play area at Ferry Croft and is responsible for maintaining the community owned Church Hill Wood.
All the projects LDCI delivers are supported by the Project Officer, who continues to be employed through KoSDT and though regular core funding provided by the two wind farms funds. The funds also make a small contribution to LDCI’s annual £33,000 running costs.
Promoting rural life and skills to the next generation
Lochview Rural Training Centre received a total of £20,000 from the SSE Renewables Achany and RWE Rosehall wind farms community benefit funds in 2023 to contribute to the Centre Manager’s salary costs over two years.
Established in 2021, Lochview Rural Training Centre is a social enterprise that promotes rural skills, delivers related training for adults and young people, and offers a place for family days out. It also seeks to promote understanding of the value of rural life. The centre is based on a croft just outside of Lairg and provides practical learning for budding crofters alongside adult training. It also supports Highland Council’s employability scheme and provides health and wellbeing opportunities for clients referred by NHS Highland.
In addition, the Centre has several volunteers who help out and gain valuable learning about practical livestock care and other aspects of crofting such as legislation and administration. To-date the Centre has achieved 3 VOSCAR (volunteer Oscars) awards.
The core funding received through the two wind farm funds has enabled the Manager to develop a programme of rural skills training and activities, including courses in tupping and lambing, drystone dyking, needle felting, and wool spinning. The centre offers a 50:50 mix of youth and adult training, with adult training fees subsidising youth programmes.
Since starting up, Lochview Rural Training Centre has run 363 training sessions, including those with seven local schools, employability sessions, and a holiday club for young carers. It has engaged with 441 individuals, including 284 young people (aged 5 to 19).
Some of the young people attending have been referred to Lochview as they have disengaged from formal learning or have additional support needs. Through experiential land-based learning students can work towards SQA and ASDAN qualifications and receive recognition through volunteering awards. 18 have achieved Dynamic Youth awards and 12 Saltire Awards, while 11 have been supported into local employment, work experience or volunteering opportunities.
A recent study by independent consultants estimates that the Achany and Rosehall wind farms community benefit funds have supported Lochview Rural Training to deliver wellbeing benefits worth around £0.1 million.
“My goal in volunteering at Loch View has been to learn as much as possible about livestock care and crofting in general. I have learnt more than I could have imagined; from working with sheep, caring for rare breed pigs and piglets, hay making, and a great deal about the legislation, technicalities and paperwork involved. The staff are so knowledgeable and offer a high level of encouragement and support, which really helps with boosting confidence in challenging tasks. They take the time to assess your confidence levels and gradually build that up at your own pace.”
Feedback from a volunteer at Lochview
“I love coming here and look forward to it all week”
“I like the animals and being out in nature – it makes me feel free”.
“My confidence has improved because I live in a really rural area, so I struggle to meet people when I am not in school’.
“Lochview has helped me in a huge way to come to the decision that I would like to study Agriculture after leaving school”
Feedback from participants at Lochview
Supporting young people to develop their skills and secure local employment
Since 2012, Lairg & District Learning Centre has received funding each year from SSE Renewables Achany Community Fund to coordinate the Kyle of Sutherland Apprenticeship Scheme. The Apprenticeship Scheme seeks to develop young people’s work-related skills and experience.
The Scheme provides financial support to small businesses, social enterprises and charities in Ardgay, Creich and Lairg towards the cost of recruiting and training an apprentice. Young people living in these areas who would like to find an apprenticeship can contact the Scheme Coordinator who then seeks to match them with a local organisation that may consider taking on an apprentice.
Lairg and District Learning Centre is an independent charity that provides local facilities and resources to support learning and skills development throughout Sutherland.
The Apprenticeship Scheme has supported 36 young people from the Kyle of Sutherland to develop their skills and secure employment in the area. Examples of apprenticeships that have been supported include those in joinery, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, equine, heavy plant operation, business, and personal fitness training. In 2024 there were four apprentices supported through the Scheme gaining experience in butchery, construction, bricklaying and administration.
Two local community anchor organisations, Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust and Lairg & District Community Initiatives, have taken on apprentices who have thereafter secured long-term employment with these organisations, supporting their operations and delivering a range of valuable community projects and services.
“My apprenticeship has been an incredibly valuable experience, providing a structured and supportive environment to develop both my technical abilities and professional skills such as time management, communication, and proficiency in office software. I have gained hands-on experience, industry-recognised qualifications, and a deeper understanding of my field. The scheme has offered continuous learning opportunities, mentorship, and the chance to work on real projects, helping me grow in confidence and capability. These skills have prepared me for the next stage of my career, giving me a strong foundation for future success.”
Young apprentice feedback
Achany & Rosehall Funds Impact Report
This report, published in February 2025, shows how the community benefit funds linked to SSE Renewables Achany and RWE Rosehall wind farms have delivered significant value across the three Sutherland communities they serve.
The two funds are administered using a multi-community and multi-developer collaborative model which has played a vital role in enabling positive impact.
The study also marks the first time that the impact of community benefit funds has been assessed using Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years (WELLBYs), a system used to measure improvements in life satisfaction.
It was commissioned by SSE Renewables, Foundation Scotland and RWE.