OREANDA-NEWS. SSE Airtricity, Northern Ireland's leading green energy generator and provider, has been announced as the main sponsor of a 125km cycle event at this year's Red River Festival, run by Castlederg St. Eugene's GAC, Co. Tyrone.

Castlederg St. Eugene's is a GAA club based in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The club will host the annual Red River Festival at their home ground, Marius McHugh Park, from 6th to 8th June, celebrating the local community through music, art, culture and sport.

Around 150 people are expected to take part in the 125km cycle, which will take place between Friday 6th and Saturday 7th June. The event will start and finish in Castlederg, taking in Kesh, Belleeck, Ballyshannon, Donegal Town and Barnes Gap along the way.

Donal Gormley, SSE Airtricity, said: “We're delighted to be sponsoring the 125km cycle. The Red River Festival brings the whole community together in Castlederg, and it's great that we can be a part of it this year.

“SSE Airtricity and SSE Renewables have a great record of supporting local communities, both through these kinds of events and our Community Fund, which raises vital funding for local initiatives across Northern Ireland.

“We have recently been very active in supporting sporting events in the region, and this cycle fits the message of positive energy that we are spreading across the island.”

SSE has been involved in a number of other local sponsorships in the North West over the last 12 months. In November, the company was unveiled as the new sponsor of St. Matthew's GAC in Drumsurn, Co. Derry~Londonderry, and in December SSE Renewables sponsored the Eskra 10km Rudolph Run in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. SSE Renewables has also announced that it will again be sponsoring the Walled City Marathon in Co. Derry~Londonderry, which will take place on Sunday 1st June.

SSE is Northern Ireland's leading green energy generator and provider. The company has delivered five wind farms to date, including the 73MW Slieve Kirk Wind Park, Northern Ireland's largest wind farm outside Derry~Londonderry, which powers around 60,000 homes.

SSE Renewables is currently planning Bessy Bell Three in Co. Tyrone, which is the repowering of the existing 14MW wind farm at Bessy Bell, as well as an extension to existing turbines at Bessy Bell Two.