People, Power, Pioneers!

Inspired by MP Shanks’ recent trip to Westmill, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have created a video about Westmill: from its radical beginnings and community ownership to the £1m of benefit funding that Westmill has now donated to the local area.

The DESNZ video explains how the wind farm came into existence, through the determination and vision of a group of pioneering individuals, and how the solar farm was subsequently set up alongside. The film beautifully captures the sense of excitement and anticipation when the co-operatives were set up, and, crucially, how invested the community feel about their ownership of the site.

As well as giving local people an opportunity to do something positive to address climate change, the site has also provided a direct and tangible benefit to the community, by offering grant funding through schemes like the Westmill Solar Community Funding Grant. The co-operatives also provide funding to Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust (WeSET), which offer tours of the site and educational outreach programmes through local schools and community events, to help to educate the wider community about renewables, community energy and sustainability.

Part of an organic farm, the land is also a haven for wildlife, with many varieties on insects found on site – we even have a flock of sheep grazing at Westmill!

If you want to visit the site to see the magic of Westmill in action for yourself, sign up for one of our public tours.