Pupils from St Mary’s Primary School in Brookeborough, Co. Fermanagh, celebrated Global Wind Day by designing their own poster for a visit to Teiges Wind Farm, which is owned by Energia Group, a leading infrastructure investor and operator of renewable energy developments across the island of Ireland.  

Global Wind Day takes place every year on 15 June to promote public awareness of the power of wind and its potential to drive the energy transition. P5, P6 and P7 pupils from St Mary’s PS each drew their own wind turbine and posed with their drawings and poster beside a real turbine, which many said they were used to seeing from a distance but never close up.

Energia Renewables Site Manager, Nially Kelly, said: “It’s great to see the interest these children show in wind energy and the work we do on site to maintain the wind farm and protect the environment.  

“Global Wind Day is an ideal opportunity to promote the benefits of wind energy and highlight the many opportunities and different roles involved in developing, constructing and operating a wind farm. Who knows, some of the children here today may opt for a career in renewable energy.” 

The wind farm team showed the group inside the control building, demonstrated how drones are used to monitor the turbine blades, helped pupils try on the heavy safety harnesses used to climb turbines and took everyone up the steps to see inside one of the turbine towers.  

Teacher, Fionnuala McDonnell, said: “This has been an important outdoor learning experience for the children and ties in with our classroom focus on the natural local environment and our wind energy project, looking at the invention of windmills and development of wind turbines.  The children were delighted to draw their own turbines and Global Wind Day poster for Energia. They have got so much out of this visit and we even got to see a couple of hares running past, which we didn’t expect to see.” 

P5 pupil, Sylvie, said it was the first time she had visited a wind farm: “I can see wind turbines from my house but it’s very different when you’re standing beside one and looking inside.  I tried on the safety harness and think I’d like to climb all the way to the top.” 

Energia now owns and operates 16 wind farms across the island of Ireland and its wind farm community investment to date comes to nearly £4.5 million.  The Teiges Wind Farm annual community benefit fund totals £85,000 and is administered on behalf of Energia by the Fermanagh Trust.  Local community groups can apply for project funding every autumn. To find out more, visit www.energiagroup.com/renewables/community-benefit-fund.