Description – SIMRA Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas

Braemar Community Hydro

Starting Year:

Scale:Region:

MRA characteristics*: Intermediate Rural Area; 28.6% mountainous with islands with no bridge or tunnel link; ratio of all roads length to region area, 2.5; 22.7% of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 88% of people with access to the internet.

Location:

Sector:Topic:

Challenges addressed:

Environmental sustainability; Improvement of services / infrastructures; Other

Description:

Braemar Community Hydro Ltd is a Community Benefit Society which has been formed to fundraise, construct and operate a 100kW community hydro scheme. The hydro scheme will generate clean, low-carbon electricity from the Corriemulzie Burn on the outskirts of Braemar. Surplus income from the enterprise will go to a community benefit fund to be used for projects and worthy causes in the local community. The social innovation was designing a crowdfunding scheme for a social enterprise. There is already a community development trust in Braemar which triggered the interest and a subgroup floated off the hydro enterprise with a separate set of trustees. No formal lending institutions were used in raising about £800,000.

Form:Actors involved:

Practices:

Services delivery; Assistance & Advice; Social media; Public participation; Support (Technical, legal, etc.); Fundraising; Project management

Local Energy Scotland, Community Shares Scotland, and Co-operatives UK

Social change:

• Funding of community initiatives: over the lifetime of the project it is envisaged that the scheme will generate £500,000 for this community benefit fund. • Return to community shareholders • Built skills in community

Further information:

Website:http://braemarhydro.org.uk/

References:

* Information at the level of NUTS 3 or local regions.