Simon Howie’s new wind turbine parts have arrived, to a rousing reception, in the Perthshire butcher’s home village.
Crowds poured on to the pavements of Dunning to watch the lorries carrying the components navigate the tight bends and narrow streets.
The longest loads, carrying the 35m blades, didn’t arrive until around midnight on Wednesday.
But the village square was packed with locals enjoying the spectacle, as the trucks reversed up the hill to Simon Howie’s Findony Farm HQ.
Residents compared the throng to Hogmanay.
Sally Wood, who was there, said: “The atmosphere was great, especially the anticipation prior to the arrival.
“It felt a bit like new year with the locals all gathering and chatting together.”
Locals praised the skills of the drivers on Facebook, saying they had never seen loads like that in Dunning before.
One suggested they should be presented with gold medals.
Another said the village had witnessed “history in the making”.
And Mr Howie thanked neighbours, saying the street scenes were something he would never forget.
He also pledged a £10,000 donation to children’s hospice charity CHAS, on behalf of the village, and said he hoped it would make up for the upheaval in recent months.
Locals invited to watch turbine construction
The parts for the turbine began arriving earlier this week.
However, the largest elements – the crane, the bottom section of the turbine tower and the three blades, each measuring 35m – were delivered on Wednesday.
The blades were delayed for several hours, due to a hold-up with the escort.
They were driven to Dunning along the A9 from the south, turning off at the top of Cairnie Brae and traversing the bridge over the river Earn and the Forteviot rail crossing on the way to their final destination.
Villagers were thanked for heeding requests to park their cars away from the lorries’ route.
And Mr Howie has invited locals to view the turbine being assembled.
It may be Saturday before the blades are attached to the tower.
But in a post on Facebook, he said: “We would like to invite anyone who is interested to come up to Findony to view the amazing people from Holland erect the turbine.”
The post gives directions from “the cat walk”, beyond the farm, to a cattle shelter where observers will be able to get within 100m yards of the action.
“If there is a shower of rain you can use the shelter,” the post adds.
“It has been steam-cleaned and is ideal as a viewing point.”
Turbine welcome follows mixed response
Simon Howie’s wind turbine has provoked mixed feelings in Dunning.
Supporters have applauded the Dunning businessman for investing in green energy at his family farm, which employs around 100 people.
But Perth and Kinross Council received 79 objections to the planning application, including from Dunning Community Council.
The plans were approved in March this year.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Mr Howie said: “Last night felt like a celebration of engineering.
“Watching the best in the business reverse up to our site with the three 35m long turbine blades, while the community of Dunning lined the streets in the middle of the night like it was Hogmanay, is something I will never forget.”
“I want to say a huge thank you, on behalf of myself, the company directors, everyone who worked on the project, and my family, for bearing with us this week and of course over the past six months, during which the whole matter had caused some division within the community,” he added.
“As a gesture of our thanks, we will be donating £10,000 to CHAS Children’s Hospices Across Scotland in the name of ‘The People and Community of Dunning’.”
The firm has also sponsored one of the cow sculptures on the Perth and Kinross-wide Hairy Highland Coo Trail in aid of CHAS.
Simon Howie opened his first butcher’s shop in Dunning in 1986, and has grown the business into a global empire at the family farm at Findony.
It posted a profit of £5.5 million in 2023.
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