FIVE young winners of a National Wind Power art competition have helped to energise one of the most powerful wind turbines yet to be used on a UK onshore wind farm, writes Beth Broomby.

At the official launch of Lambrigg Windfarm near Sedbergh, the children, who are all pupils of Grayrigg and Old Hutton Primary Schools, came face to face with the five 43-metre turbines which had each been named after one of them.

After pressing the red button together prize winners Emma Knowles, nine, Leanne Waddington, ten, Henry Knowles, eight, of Grayrigg Primary School and Charlotte Robinson, seven, and Emily Wheeler, eight, of Old Hutton School, watched the final turbine slowly crank up to speed.

More than 100 representatives of the local community and National Wind Power were also invited to walk among the turbines to get a closer look.

Now the project is complete, Lambrigg Wind Farm is expected to generate enough electricity for 4,000 homes and is the largest farm to be built in England since 1993.

Alan Moore, managing director of National Wind Power, said: "Every renewable energy project built is a significant step towards the government's target to reduce the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent this decade."

He added that National Wind Power had worked hard to consult the local community about the project and hoped that time would help change the opinion of those who initially objected to the presence of the turbines.

He said: "The more people we can get to come and walk among the turbines, to get close enough to see what they are like and realise that they do not make a dreadful noise, the better.

I would be disappointed if in six months time the overwhelming majority were not supportive of the wind farm.

In every one of our other windfarms in Britain that has been the case."

Among the onlookers at the official launch was Margaret Sanders of Friends of the Earth.

She said: "Being near to them is terrific.

The lack of noise is amazing really and when you think what they mean for the environment they are very impressive.

I hope they are the first of as many as we need."