A UK community is to benefit from a £250,000 fund every year.

Vattenfall said it will invest the cash following the installation of a 54.4MW wind farm in Northumbria.

Construction of the 16-turbine Ray project, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 30,000 homes, will begin next month.

It is scheduled to start generating electricity in early 2017.

Joanne Hutchinson, Vattenfall’s Senior Communications Adviser, said: “We want to start talking to people about the community fund in August. From 2017, Vattenfall will pay £250,000 per year into the fund.

“This is a large amount of money and to ensure it’s put to the best possible local use we need to start preparations for that now.”