Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund is recruiting for new board members.

The Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm has been operating above the upper Neath, Rhondda, Afan and Cynon Valleys since 2016 and its Community Fund, created in 2017, is the biggest of its kind in the UK, guaranteed until 2043, and distributing at least £1.8m per annum.

We’re looking for people who live or work in the area of benefit to join our passionate, committed board and be a part of making transformational change a reality in our community.

We’d love to hear from local people of all ages and background who want to bring their local knowledge and understanding to the board. While experience is welcome, it’s not essential as we offer training and skills development to all our board members.

Key information to be aware of:

• The fund is an independent Community Interest Company responsible for all fund management.
• Experience isn’t necessary. We value passion and local knowledge.
• We offer training and development opportunities to our board members.
• We pay a daily fee of £300 plus reasonable travel expenses to our board members
• There are approximately 9 day-long board meetings each year, plus some ad hoc meetings and events as required. These are held at community venues.
• The fund distributed £2.4million to the local community in 2024. The fund is index linked, with at least £1.8million available annually.

Interested?

• Date: 18^thMarch 2025 / Time: 4pm-8pm / Location: Pen y Cymoedd Office, Office 14 Parc Busnes Treorci, Abergorki Industrial Estate, CF42 6DL
• Date: 9^th April 2025 / Time: 5pm-7pm / Location: Resolven RFC, Neath Road Resolven, Neath SA11 4HH
• Date: 10^th April 2025 / Time: 5pm-7pm / Location: Cymer Afan Library, Station Road, Cymer, SA13 3HR
• Contact for more information: Kate Breeze Executive Director on 07458300123 / kate@penycymoeddcic.cymru
• Head to our website to read about the experiences of our current board members

Meet Thomas, a PyC Board member for last 3 years

“I joined the Pen y Cymoedd Community Board because I wanted to contribute to making a real difference in the local area. Having lived in Treherbert and Treorchy all my life, I care about helping the community grow and bringing its vision of a dynamic, exciting, and vibrant place to live and work to life.

I’m particularly proud of our efforts to fund projects that have had a lasting impact on local groups and initiatives. Seeing how the fund directly improve people’s lives and help create a more resilient community has been incredibly rewarding.

Being a board member is both challenging and rewarding. It requires collaboration, critical thinking, and a deep sense of responsibility to the community. I feel proud to be part of a team that works hard to ensure the community and business projects supported by the fund benefit as many people as possible and are sustainable long term.”

What is the one piece of advice you would give someone considering joining the Pen y Cymoedd Community Fund Board?

“Understanding the unique and varied needs of our community is essential, and a genuine passion for making a difference will empower you to contribute in a meaningful way. If you’re thinking about applying—go for it! We’re excited to welcome applications from a diverse range of people who bring valuable lived experience from the area of benefit.

HOW THE APPLICATION WORKS

1. We encourage you to attend one of the drop in events or make contact with the fund for a chat.
2. Applications** needs to be submitted by 12pm on Monday 28^th April
3. We will contact people we would like to meet on Wednesday 30^th April and the interviews will be at our office in Ynyswen on Monday 12^th

The successful applicant(s) will be welcome to attend a PyC Board meeting on 22^nd May as an observer and then the first Board meeting as a Director would be 22^nd July.

Before that we will meet and undertake an induction with you and make sure you are comfortable and ready for first Board meeting.

**We have an application form that we will send you but if not able to complete application in this way we can talk about other ways to present your application.

The application form is not large and asks you to tell us why:

• Your experience and knowledge
• Your skills and abilities
• Your personal qualities

help make you a suitable addition to Board and meet the Person Specification below. The application also asks about your availability and time commitment and offers opportunity for you to share anything else about yourself. A CV is useful but not essential.

Person Specification

• A demonstrable understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by communities in the Community Fund’s area of benefit.
• Experience of taking a lead to make something positive happen in your community – this could be in a community or business context
• Knowledge and understanding of the context of community and economic regeneration
• Experience of successful team working, negotiating and building consensus
• Able to think and plan strategically
• Able to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and represent and promote an organisation at a senior level
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Wholehearted commitment to the aims and vision of the Community Fund
• Excellent communication skills – an ability to listen actively with openness and empathy
• Able to challenge and question in a positive and constructive way
• Ability to take on board and respect different views and opinions
• A demonstrable commitment to Equal Opportunities.