Families from all over Northern Ireland gathered to celebrate Global Wind Week 2012 at Northern Ireland's newest wind farm, Slieve Kirk in County Derry / Londonderry.

Airtricity, the energy supply arm of SSE Ireland, hosted a free Family Fun Day at the Belfray Country Inn on the Glenshane Road near Londonderry, which saw more than 1000 people discover the power of wind when they visited the nearby Slieve Kirk Wind Farm.

Despite weather conditions more suited to a winter's day than mid-June, countless families braved the elements to catch a glimpse of Derry/Londonderry’s newest wind farm, and they weren’t disappointed when they got there. Local school teacher, Rachel Hegarty said: "We stood underneath the turbine and you could really feel the power of the wind, the children had a great time and even managed to leave their mark by hand painting one of the turbines."

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Back at the Belfray Country Inn, families were treated to a number of other fun activities including interactive science shows, magicians, balloon modelers and Airtricity’s very own Doc Energy, who was on hand to tell families all about the power of wind energy as well as energy efficiency in the home. Visitors were also able to find out about Airtricity’s Slieve Kirk Community Fund, which is due to launch in the coming weeks.

(CD/GK)