More than £590,000 awarded to Argyll community projects through SSEN Transmission fund

6 November 2026

  • Nine local organisations receive funding in first awards from £3.2m Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Local Fund

Argyll 1.jpgImage: Snowdrop Argyll has been awarded £220,000 to reduce isolation and improve wellbeing through community-led activities, outreach, peer support and welcoming spaces. 

Community groups across Argyll have been awarded a share of more than £590,000 in the first awards from SSEN Transmission’s Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Local Fund.

A total of £592,770.85 has been awarded to nine local organisations, supporting projects focused on community facilities, health and wellbeing, young people, skills and employment, environmental improvements and community resilience.

Among the organisations receiving funding are:

  • £220,000 to Snowdrop Argyll Ltd to support community-led activities, outreach and peer support aimed at reducing isolation, improving wellbeing and strengthening community resilience.
  • £125,000 to Mid Argyll Youth Development Services (MAYDS) to complete the final phase of its WheelPark development.
  • £100,000 to Clachan Village Hall (Kintyre) SCIO to support its development as a community hub and emergency centre, providing recreational and educational facilities alongside a safe haven during emergencies.
  • £60,000 to The GRAB Trust to deliver marine clean-ups, repair cafés and practical skills workshops for schools, young people and residents across ten communities in Argyll and Kintyre.

The awards are the first to be made through SSEN Transmission’s £3.2m Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Local Fund, which was announced in August 2025 and established for communities hosting infrastructure associated with the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Reinforcement Project.

The project represents a major investment in Argyll’s electricity infrastructure, upgrading the transmission network to strengthen security of supply, improve network resilience and provide the capacity needed to connect and transport more renewable electricity from the region, supporting the country’s energy security and clean power ambitions.

Argyll 2.jpgImage: Clachan Village Hall (Kintyre) SCIO received £100,000 to support its development as a community hub. 

SSEN Transmission’s first Local Investment Forum is an independent decision-making forum made up of six representatives from communities and one from SSEN Transmission bringing their local knowledge to the process. The appointment of the Argyll Local Investment Forum followed a series of public consultation events, where local people were invited to help shape the fund by sharing their views on the priorities that mattered most to their communities.

The fund was the first local community benefit fund announced by SSEN Transmission following the publication of new UK Government guidance for electricity transmission infrastructure community funds.

Linsay Chalmers, Community Investment Manager for SSEN Transmission’s Community Benefit Funds in Argyll, said:

“We’re delighted to announce the first awards from our Argyll and Kintyre Community 275kV Local Fund, with more than £590,000 going to nine organisations delivering projects across the area.

“The range of projects being supported shows the difference this funding can make, from investing in community facilities and creating opportunities for young people to supporting wellbeing, skills, employment and environmental initiatives.

“Through public feedback and the appointment of members to our Argyll Local Investment Forum, local people have played an important role in shaping the fund and identifying the priorities that matter most to communities across Argyll. Alongside delivering clean energy infrastructure and supporting network resilience, we want to make sure our investment reflects those priorities and leaves a lasting, positive legacy for the communities hosting it.

“Our congratulations go to all the successful organisations, and we look forward to seeing the benefits these projects will deliver.”

Argyll 3.jpgImage: Tarbert (Loch Fyne) Harbour Authority received £47,000 to develop an all-tides floating water sports kayak pontoon.

Nine local organisations receive funding

The successful award recipients are:

Tarbert (Loch Fyne) Harbour Authority, £47,000
To develop an all-tides floating watersports kayak pontoon adjacent to the slipway at Tarbert Harbour, supporting the development of a Community Water Sports Activity Hub.

Mid Argyll Youth Development Services (MAYDS), £125,000
To complete the final phase of its inclusive WheelPark development, the development of which will also create training placements for young people.

Mid Argyll Community Enterprises Limited, £20,700.85
Funding towards installing a back-up low-carbon heating system, helping the swimming pool remain open when its primary biomass heating system is unavailable for planned or unplanned maintenance.

Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency, £12,528
To deliver MAKSTEM Fest 2, bringing together local employers, young jobseekers and employability partners at a community careers event showcasing employment opportunities available locally.

Dunadd Community Enterprise, £1,385
To purchase new grounds maintenance equipment for Kilmartin Green Volunteers, supporting the upkeep of community-managed land and facilities while improving maintenance standards and volunteer safety.

Snowdrop Argyll Ltd, £220,000
To reduce isolation and improve wellbeing through community-led activities, outreach, peer support and welcoming spaces, helping to strengthen community resilience and create a greater sense of belonging and purpose.

Clachan Village Hall (Kintyre) SCIO, £100,000
To support the provision of a community hub and emergency centre, offering recreational and educational facilities that promote physical and mental wellbeing, as well as a safe haven during emergencies.

Ford Village Hall, £6,157
To refurbish the hall kitchen to catering standards, including new storage, worktops and sinks, an industrial dishwasher, pie oven and new gas oven.

The GRAB Trust (Group for Recycling in Argyll and Bute Trust Limited), £60,000
To deliver environmental initiatives including marine clean-ups, repair cafés and practical skills workshops for schools, young people and residents across ten communities in Argyll and Kintyre.

Funding recipients welcome awards

Malcolm Ward, Trustee and administrator for Clachan Village Hall (Kintyre) SCIO said:

“We are extremely grateful to SSEN Transmission and the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV Large Projects Fund for this generous £100,000 award. Since the closure of the old village hall in 2019, Clachan has been without these much-needed community facilities. The funding will help provide catering and accessible toilet facilities, allowing Clachan Village Hall to become a fully functional community hub for local people. This support takes us a major step closer to achieving our vision for the hall.”

Steve Walker, Secretary of Ford Village Hall Committee said:

"The modernisation of Ford Village Hall is a generational project. This grant to upgrade the kitchen facilities to catering standard will provide the community with a kitchen that can supply hot food to local people in times of crisis, adding to our resilience abilities, at social events broadening what we can provide and makes the hall more attractive as a venue for hire. We are very grateful to SSEN Transmission for this funding."

Fiona Kalache, Manager at Mid Argyll Youth Development Services (MAYDS), said:

“Mid Argyll Youth Development Service (MAYDS) are delighted to receive an award of £125,000 from the Kintyre 275kV Local Fund.  This Grant will allow us to complete the final phase of our long-awaited Wheel Park Development.  It has taken several years, via a phased approach to the development to get to this stage, and we are very grateful for the support to get the final build completed. 

“This Wheel Park will be a great asset for the local community, and in particular children and young people.  We thank all those who have supported and dedicated time to this development over the last several years including funders, local contractors, and the wider community.  We hope to welcome you all to the opening in mid-2027.”

 Karen McCurry, Centre Manager for Snowdrop Argyll, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to receive this multi-year investment from SSEN Transmission over the next three years.  For Snowdrop Argyll, this funding means so much more than financial support. It gives us the stability and opportunity to strengthen the relationships and community connections that have been at the heart of our work for 30 years.

“Our Growing Stronger Communities project will create more opportunities for people across Mid Argyll and Kintyre to connect, belong, contribute and thrive. Through outreach, welcoming community spaces, peer support, movement, creative wellbeing and community-led activities, we will continue reaching people where they are, listening to what matters to them and helping them recognise their own strengths and what they have to offer others.

“Over the years, we’ve learned that stronger communities aren’t created simply by providing activities or services. They grow when people have places where they feel welcome, relationships they can rely on and opportunities to make a difference. The activities are the stepping stones, but belonging is the destination.

“What makes this investment particularly meaningful is that SSEN Transmission has recognised the value of an established, community-led approach shaped by local people over many years. It allows us to build on what already works, strengthen community connections and create a lasting legacy of confidence, friendships, peer support and community resilience. People need people. Everyone has something to offer, and everyone deserves somewhere they feel they belong.”

Learn more about the Argyll and Kintyre 275kV local fund.