The successful launch of a 3.75m public share offer for Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative in Watchfield, Oxfordshire - which will be the largest community-owned wind farm in the UK was celebrated at a party on Wednesday, November 30.

Westmill supporters gathered at the Said Business School in Oxford to toast the strong response to the share offer, which enables people to buy a stake in the wind farm, and has generated more than 1,500 requests for prospectuses so far. There are also 2,000 people on a waiting list for shares.

At the party, Vivian Woodell President of The Midcounties Co-operative (formerly Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op), presented a cheque for 100,000 to Harvey Tordoff, chairman of Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative. The Midcounties Co-operative made this investment as part of their ongoing support for co-operative and community owned renewable energy projects.

Key speakers at the event included Brenda Boardman, head of the Lower Carbon Futures team at the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, who spoke of the importance of wind energy and the value of the Westmill scheme.

Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative continues to receive hundreds of enquiries from prospective shareholders each day. Enquiries have come from across the UK.

The share offer will remain open for about three months and the co-operative has promised that people living within a 50-mile radius of the site will have priority to buy shares if the scheme is over-subscribed.

The public share offer will finance the purchase and construction of five wind turbines, supplemented by a bank loan. The turbines are expected to become operational by the end of 2006 and will provide enough green electricity to power more than 2,500 homes.

Annual interest will be paid on members shares from trading surpluses from the sale of the electricity. Rates will vary according to financial performance. However, they are expected to be approximately five per cent annually in the first five years rising to an average of 12 per cent over the 25-year life of the project.

Membership will be available to anyone. Each share is worth 1. The minimum investment is 250 and the maximum is 20,000. The original investment will be returned in full when the wind farm is decommissioned at the end of the 25-year duration of the scheme.

Watchfield farmer Adam Twine, who owns the land on which the turbines will be sited and is a director of the co-operative, said: We have been delighted by the response to the launch of our public share offer for Westmill Wind Farm and the very generous support that we have received from local organisations, particularly The Midcounties Co-op.

Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative is a unique enterprise and one that has clearly captured the imagination of many people keen to support clean, green renewable energy projects in the UK.

Anyone wishing to become a member of the co-op by buying shares click here to download or order a share prospectus. Alternatively telephone 0870 234 2002.

Important Notice
The information given is intended as a general introduction to the opportunity detailed in the prospectus, which sets out the basis upon which shares may be acquired in Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative Ltd. The sole purpose of the limited and general information included in this release is to introduce the opportunity detailed in the Prospectus and this introductory information should not be relied upon for investment purposes.