Board
The Great Glen Energy co-op has a Board of Directors elected at the AGM. There are currently seven directors.
Graham Strachan (Chairman)
Graham went to school in Inverness and after graduating he managed several projects in the central belt before returning to the Highlands to work on community and economic development projects. He was the Highland Council's Economic Development and Area Development Manager for Inverness and the Loch Ness Area. He assisted many community development projects in the Inverness/Fort Augustus area and has been involved with several communities negotiating with wind farm developers. Graham is a member and Director of the Kilbraur Wind Energy Co-op and Trustee of Inverness Harbour.
Lorna Lumsden (Admin Secretary)
My childhood was divided between Edinburgh, Ghana and Iraq. I then trained in nursing and midwifery in Edinburgh, Plymouth and York. I was a nursing sister throughout early to mid 70's in the Royal Northern Infirmary, Inverness. "Gap" break travelling across Europe followed by a return to Inverness to work in land and property management. I worked as the Trust Administrator for The Applecross Trust (1988 to 2006). For the Trust I also developed various joint community projects including the largest joint crofter/landlord amenity woodland scheme ever undertaken (The North Applecross Woodlands Project) as well as run of river renewable energy schemes and other small partnerships. Aged 60, I retired from the Applecross Trust in 2006, remained as a consultant and am now a Trustee/Director of the Trust. I was awarded an MBE in 2008. I am also a Trustee/Director of the Abriachan Forest Trust.
Felix Paterson
Felix is a native of Fort Augustus. He moved away in the early 1970s to pursue a career in the RAF. He served for 30 years in the telecommunications field, seeing service throughout the world. After being posted to RAF Kinloss in 1995, he and his family moved back to Fort Augustus in 1997. Felix always had a passion for local and Scottish history and has been the Treasurer of the Fort Augustus Heritage and Youth Groups. Since leaving the RAF in 2004, Felix has been employed in the construction industry and currently is the procurement manager for Stanton Contracting Ltd at the development of The Abbey, Fort Augustus.
Denise Paterson
Denise has lived in Fort Augustus since 1997, when she and her husband decided to settle in the area prior to his retirement from the RAF. She is a Care Assistant for Highland Council and Crossroads. Involvement in the local community is an important part of Denise's life. Having 2 children, Denise became involved with youth work, running the local youth group for 7 years. She was president of the local tennis club for 4 years up to 2004. Litter and a clean environment is a concern to Denise and she has been involved in Spring Clean-up's both here and elsewhere. Already serious about re-using and recycling, she recognises the importance of green and renewable energy sources and is a keen supporter of giving local people the opportunity to own a stake in the Great Glen Energy Co-op.
Kenneth Knott
Kenneth has lived in Fort Augustus (Glenmoriston) since 2000 with Susan and children. He has worked in the Forest Industry since leaving school covering a large range of disciplines and locations. Since taking up post in Fort Augustus Kenneth has been the District Forester for Planning and Environment covering the area from the Great Glen to and including Skye. A range of projects particularly relating to renewable energy has been on his agenda for the last 3 years with various community trusts and groups, particularly in getting sites/projects to fruition from the planning and consultation stages. Kenneth's interest in renewable energy and energy saving includes micro generation at the domestic scale along with technology to reduce energy requirements. He has been actively involved with the Community Council as secretary and is currently the Chair for the last 6 years, during the initial planning, consultation and negotiation for them millennium wind farm.
Ian Whyte
I was born and brought up on the Black Isle where I still live. I have a son and daughter and twin grandsons. I was educated at Dingwall Academy and Inverness College, and trained as a telephone engineer with Post Office Telephones as it was then. I worked for a short time in Saudi Arabia, training Saudi Air Force Technicians. On my return from Saudi Arabia I set up, and ran successfully a small vending business for twenty years. I now work as a supervisor for the Community Service.
I consider myself to be a practical environmentalist. I am passionate about wildlife conservation, particularly about conservation of habitat , both as a haven for wildlife and as a source of peace and relaxation for ourselves, but at the same time recognise the importance of the development of green energy resources, and I firmly believe the two can, with care, happily co-exist.
Garry Page
I am a member of the co-op and live with my family close to Fort Augustus and the Wind Farm. I have considerable experience of the construction industry and am currently working in the Highlands. I am very interested in renewable energy and particularly keen on wind farms. I believe wind farms have an important role to play in reaching our renewable targets.
The co-op is supported by Energy4All.
