Offshore wind farm's donation to Peterhead mental health charity
A mental health charity in Peterhead has received an “incredible” donation from an offshore wind farm towards its life-changing work.
Men United is the first beneficiary of an initiative run by Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm designed to encourage the highest possible safety standards in offshore wind.
The charity was nominated to receive £1,000 by Allan Stephen, of Peterhead FieldWeld Services (PFS), who praised the “great work” it is doing in the local area.
Allan was asked to choose a local charity to receive the sum after he won the first round of a safety initiative being run by Muir Mhòr called ‘See it, share it, support it’ for the duration of its marine growth campaign.
The initiative is designed to foster a culture of care in offshore wind, by encouraging people working on the floating offshore wind farm to fill out observation cards every time they spot a hazard or good practice.
After Allan’s card was selected at random, he gave his £1,000 to Men United, praising “the great work that they have been doing in Peterhead supporting local men”.
The charity was established to challenge the stigma that surrounds men’s mental health, and runs support groups, mentoring services and motivational workshops.
Sandy Garvock, chief executive officer at Men United, said: “We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Muir Mhòr for this incredible donation, which will make a meaningful difference to the support we provide to men across our community.
“The donation will help us continue our work promoting mental wellbeing, offering safe spaces for conversation, and delivering vital services that reduce isolation and support those facing challenges.
“We will now be able to reach more men, expand our programmes, and continue breaking the stigma surrounding men’s mental health. Thank you once again for believing in our mission and helping us make a real impact.”
David Hinshelwood, project director for Muir Mhòr Offshore Wind Farm, added: “The work being done by Men United in Peterhead is extremely important, and we are delighted that Allan decided to nominate it as his local charity of choice.
“As we deliver our pioneering project, our aim is to achieve a world class health and safety performance, and this safety initiative is designed to help us do that.
“Every safety observation submitted by a staff member will not only help protect the team working on the project, but could also end up supporting a local charitable cause. We all need to work together to prevent incidents before they happen, and by encouraging people to speak up, we can make the offshore wind industry as safe as possible.”
Future rounds of the Muir Mhòr safety initiative will result in a total of £4,000 going to local charities as the marine growth campaign progresses. The charities and community groups that nominees can select from were provided by Buchan Development Partnership, an independent, community-led charity working with communities across Buchan.
Alex Geddes, development officer at Buchan Development Partnership, said: “It has been a delight to work with the Muir Mhòr team, and I look forward to further developing this connection for the benefit of groups within Buchan.
“It has been clear at our recent meetings that Muir Mhòr are keen to support our communities, and I sense great opportunities are ahead for the area due to this commitment.
“This first award has gone to a great cause, and I am delighted for Sandy and the team around him at Men United.”
Muir Mhòr is one of the world’s first commercial scale floating offshore wind projects, on track to be built off the Aberdeenshire coast, approximately 63km from Peterhead.
Once operational, the wind farm will be able to generate up to 1GW of clean power, enough to provide electricity for the equivalent of up to 1.2 million homes every year.
The project is set to start generating clean and renewable power in the early 2030s.