WHEN Adam Twine came up with the idea of creating a wind farm on his land, many people may have thought he was tilting at windmills.

But 15 years on, the 43-year-old is celebrating after his dream became a reality.

Five giant turbines now make up Westmill Wind Farm at the former RAF Watchfield airfield.

And 500 members of the wind farm's co-operative raised a glass to celebrate the official unveiling on Saturday.

Some 2,500 homes are set to be powered by the electricity generated by the wind turbines.

Adam said it was a great day for the people who had worked so hard to make the farm a reality.

He said: "It really is fantastic that the turbines are up.

"It's a great example of people believing it was possible and making change happen in a co-operative way.

"We all need to change our carbon-rich lifestyles. It is damaging the planet and this is one small step in the right direction."

The £6m project is the first farm in the UK to be entirely community owned and built. It will run along co-operative lines with all shareholders, whether they invested £500 or £20,000, having have a say in its future.

John Stott, a 59-year-old engineer from Stratton St Margaret, who is a shareholder in the project, said the turbines impressed him.

He said: "They are not noisy and I do not find anything objectionable about them.

"My wife and I are active members of the co-op. This was suggested to us and once we looked at it, we saw a great opportunity to invest in something renewable.

"We are very much in favour of looking at alternative forms of energy."

Vogt Sjoerd, a consultant from Faringdon, thinks the turbines are a shining example of people power.

He said: "We could do a lot more to promote wind energy projects but this is a step in the right direction.

"I think they (the turbines) are not only beautiful but absolutely vital to the survival of our species and the planet."

The turbines, which are 80m high, have been churning out energy for the national grid for the last six weeks and are expected to run for the next 25 years.

Anyone interested in getting involved in a similar project is asked to visit the energy website.