The village of Waunlwyd is shining bright after a small community group asked for our support to allow it to deck the village out with Christmas lights. Only too happy to help, Pennant Walters provided £2,000 from a fund linked to its planned Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn windfarm which, if consent is given, will lie to the west of Abertillery.

With the Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee working hard all year round to provide activities for those people in the community who often feel isolated or vulnerable, Christmas this year was one event the committee knew would put a smile on everyone’s face. However, with funds running short, the committee turned to Pennant Walters for its assistance.

Kath, chairperson of the Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee, explains:

“We were thrilled when Pennant Walters stepped in to support our plans and thanks to the funding, we’ve not only been able to deck the village out with lights, but we’ve been able to purchase a Christmas tree, whilst putting on an event for local children.”

Last weekend a Christmas party was held, where more than 40 local children gathered to enjoy a disco, receive a special visit from Santa before heading outside for the big Christmas light switch on.

Kath continued:

“On behalf of the committee and the local community I’d like to say a huge thanks to Pennant Walters for its valued support which allowed us to put on a spectacular festive event.”

Pennant Walters provided the funding from its planned Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn windfarm in the Blaenau Gwent region. The site, which has not yet received planning consent, can accommodate eight wind turbines, which could generate up to 34MW of electricity. Subject to planning consent being granted, the construction of Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn Wind Farm would take around two years, so it would be operational and generating electricity by Winter 2025.

Pennant Walters Managing Director, Dale Hart, said:

“The communities in which our wind farms operate are important to us and our wind energy community funds exist to make a difference to them. To date our fund has distributed around £4 million to qualifying projects and we are always delighted to see the impact such projects make.

“We were only too happy to support the volunteer efforts of the committee in Waunlwyd and are thrilled to hear how much everyone enjoyed kicking of the festive season in style.”

Picture captions: The Waunlwyd and Victoria events committee celebrate funding which has helped them deck out the village