Wind Farm Focus groups – Call for participants

Information about the project: Register for a focus group to discuss potential impacts of offshore wind on local communities!

AECOM have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to conduct focus groups with members of the public from five different locations across coastal communities in Scotland. Focus groups in Stonehaven (Aberdeenshire), Dundee City and Buckie (Moray) will be held in person; and focus groups in Lewis (Na h-Eileanan Siar) and Orkney Island will be held online.

We want to hear from members of the public what specific social and economic issues they believe need to be considered for the development of offshore wind farms and decarbonisation to inform policy decisions. You do not need to a be a specialist in offshore wind, we are looking for people from different backgrounds who live in these five areas.

The focus groups are expected to take place between 9^th-31^st October 2023 and last 90-120 minutes. Participants will be compensated with a £40 voucher after attending the discussion. To register your interest, please complete this survey by 24^th September at 5:00pm.

To maintain confidentiality, all personal information submitted in this survey will be stored on AECOM’s secure server in line with GDPR requirements and deleted once the primary research is completed. All focus group contributions will remain anonymous on AECOM record and in publications. For more details on how we collect, handle and process personal data, please see the AECOM privacy notice: https://aecom.com/ca/global-privacy-statement/.

For any enquiries, please contact the AECOM project team via social-impact-OWF@aecom.com.

CnES Early Years Family Support Team have arranged a Family and Child event in Stornoway Town Hall on Wednesday 20^th September.  We hope to reach as many families with children aged 0-5 as possible to showcase the various support available locally.  There will be play activities for the children and also taster sessions of baby massage, PEEP and Bookbug.  Our Family Support Workers will be on hand to share ideas that may help with various parenting/family challenges.  We will also have a selection of clothes, toys, baby items and other freebies available.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided, and ‘The Hebridean Baker’ will be joining us at 2pm to offer advice on cooking family meals on a budget!

We would encourage parents/grandparents/carers of children aged 0-5 to bring them along for some refreshments and some fun interactive activities.

A number of agencies, such as Social Security Scotland, Citizens Advice Bureau and Hebridean Housing Partnership (Plus More) will be available for discussions or to make appointments with.

NYCOS Choir P3 Pupils

Leanne Fund Run 2023