BHA Enterprise, part of Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA), held a special Naming Ceremony to officially name the woods which are located at Woodlands, near Oldhamstocks.

The woods have been planted in memory of the late John Elliot, a former Trustee of BHA and chair of BHA Enterprises who sadly passed away on in April 2015.

Over 40 guests were present at the ceremony including family, friends, representatives from BHA, members of the Duns Walkers Group along with representatives from other local organisations.

John Elliot joined the BHA Board in September 2007 as a tenant Board member and at that time he was a district councillor and the chairman of the Berwickshire & North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site Management Group. Having lived in the community since 1966 he was very much involved in the setting up of BHA and had an overwhelming passion for the community he lived within and was instrumental in the planning of the Hoprigshiels Windfarm.

Helen Forsyth, chief executive of BHA, said: “BHA felt this was a very appropriate memorial and fitting legacy in gratitude of his long years of voluntary service to the community and of his championing of sustainability. The Hoprigshiels Community Windfarm would not have come to fruition without his determination.”

The Hoprigshiels Windfarm is being developed through a partnership with Community Energy Scotland creating a joint venture company, Berwickshire Community Renewables. BHA is one of the first housing associations in the UK to develop its own community windfarm. The project, located in Berwickshire will comprise of three 2.5MW wind turbines, which is expected to export 25 million units of electricity every year, enough to power just under 6,000 average homes.

Supplying electricity to the National Grid over a 25 year period and the revenues from the sale of power will assist in building around 20 homes a year for the next 25 years.

The windfarm is currently on track and is to be connected to the grid and generating clean energy in early 2017.