Community groups from across Fife were thrilled to receive an early Christmas present this year as over £25,000 was distributed across the region for climate action projects and events.

Community Climate Grants are a collaboration of two funds being offered by Fife Climate Hub and Climate Action Fife. A total of £27,500 was made available. £7,500 from the Small Grants Fund and £20,000 from the Seed and Development Grants. A total of 31 projects can now be delivered by 25 community groups as a result of the funding which launched in September.

“We were thrilled to receive applications from so many and such a variety of community groups from across Fife. It means a lot to us that people can feel empowered to take action on the climate crisis in ways that meets the needs of their communities and is within their reach.”

“It’s also great that we are now able to see the Fife Climate Festival coming together with the number of groups that applied to hold events during the festivals debut from February 25 to March 3 2024,” said Fife Climate Hub Manager Craig Leitch.

Two distinct grants were available. The Small Grants Fund of up to £500 for climate-related events in the community and the Seed and Development Grant offered up to £1,000 for climate-related activities and projects. Together they made up the Community Climate Grants, which went on offer in October 2023.

The resulting funds which were put into the community groups bank accounts this month means groups such as the Bats Wood Project in Levenmouth can forge ahead with plans to create living willow sculptures of wolves and an associated video called “Becoming Wolves in Bat’s Wood”. The sculptures will be a habitat for wildlife and will allow the Levenmouth Academy project to manage deer without the use of plastic.

Pauline Latto and Donald Grieve from Fife Curnie Clubs, a Fife Alcohol and Support Service (FASS) project are over the moon that they will be able to support people who are socially isolated. They plan to bring people together in their community growing veg and plants at the garden at Bennochy Community Hub in Kirkcaldy. 

Upon receiving their grant Mr Grieve said: “You have made an old man very happy. My staff have been talking about saving the planet a little at a time. Thank you for this.”

“Pauline Latto is the member of staff who will be working on this for us, she is presently doing cartwheels down Leven High Street! Pauline is our biggest eco warrior. She has been responsible for our shift to sustainable futures for us all. It also fits with our core activities and will enhance them. This is a small grant but that can go a long way, we are all really interested in the outcomes from this and of course having a hand in making it work.” he added.

Gail Miller at Friends of Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline said: “Thanks for the good news, it was a good start to my day. I’m looking forward to acting on the project.” The Friends have two projects which will benefit from the funds: A book box, or free library box, in the park for everyone to use and recycle books keeping them out landfill. They hope this will promote discussion on re-using existing books and the climate. And the activity is raising plants in their greenhouse to distribute to the local foodbank to promote wellbeing and clean air.

Burntisland Community Development Trust received money to pilot upcycling and upskilling workshops. The series of six workshops led by local people sharing their skills in sewing and repairing clothes, making jewellery, reusing fabric to make things like rag rugs and bags, propagating plants and even electrical repairs and PAT testing.

Applicants for the Small Grants funding were encouraged to hold events during next year’s Fife Climate Festival which will run in communities across the Fife from 24th February to 3rd March 2024. Forgan Arts Centre, a member of Fife Climate Hub’s network, FCCAN, will use their funding to hold Climate Action Workshops and Climate Conversations during the festival.

Funded groups

Here is a list of all the groups that received a Community Climate Grant:

All of the projects will be delivered by 3rd March 2024. Find out more about Community Climate Grants.

Join us online for this workshop demonstrating the new Fife Community Tree Planting Guide.

This online workshop launches the Fife Community Tree Planting Guide, which was created by the Climate Action Fife. It gives information on how communities can go about creating new woodland on their doorstep.

Led by Stewart Christie (Rural Skills Scotland) and Alistair Macleod (Fife Communities Climate Action Network) the workshop will present a vision for local tree planting. We will also share good reasons to plant trees, explain methods to identify land, design spaces and consult your community.

After attending you will have a good understanding of how you can engage your community in finding suitable land and have ideas on how to fund, design and undertake a tree planting project under 2 hectares.

You can view the guide here: https://climateactionfife.org.uk/trees/

Booking Information

The event is free to attend, but please book a place so we know you’re coming along.

The event will take place online on Zoom. We will send out a joining link the day before the event.

If you have any problems booking a place, or would like further details, please email facilitator.fccan@gmail.com.

Climate Action Fife is a project bringing together individuals, communities, local government and businesses to tackle the climate emergency and make Fife a greener and fairer place to live.

Join us for a fun, free and informative workshop that will help you understand climate change.

You will work as a team to find relationships between 42 climate cards. Each card represents a cause or effect of climate change. Together you will link the cards to build a collage that explains climate change. Collective intelligence and collaboration will get you to a solution!

This step-by-step, cooperative activity will help you work through the complexity of climate change. You will also get to be creating by decorating and naming your finished collage.

Climate Fresk is perfect for those who know that climate change is important but feel that they would like to understand it more. There is no need for any previous climate knowledge; the workshop is a learning experience.

Climate Fresk is a French-based NGO with the aim to make climate science more accessible. More than 350,000 people have played worldwide.

We are looking to hear from community groups who want to get the conversation about the climate emergency going, but who need a bit of support to do so.

This online workshop is designed for community groups and community leaders who are NOT already engaging their communities on climate action, but who would like to start. We will discuss the impacts of climate change on Fifers, the action your communities could take and the benefits of doing so, and will share examples of what is already happening around Fife.

But most importantly we want to hear from you:

  • What does your community care about and what are its concerns?
  • What is your vision for the future for your community?
  • What resources do you need to help you get there?
  • What are the barriers for your communities in engaging or taking action on climate change?
  • What climate action workshops, training or activities would work for you communities?

We will identify what is important to you locally, and look for ways in which taking action on climate can address issues that your community care about.

The Climate Action Fife team will use the information to create support materials and (co)design-workshops and activities to help you engage your peers.

People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com

And if you are reading this and thinking “climate change – that’s not for me”, or “that’s not something we talk about” then perhaps you are exactly the person we want to speak to! Climate change impacts us all, so why not come and find out what your community could be doing to take action.

You do not have to know anything about climate change to take part. These workshops are not about knowing the answers, but rather about getting a conversation going, discovering answers together and working together to make Fife a greener and fairer place to live.

Booking Information

The event is free but booking is required as places are limited. We’ll send out a joining Zoom link to attendees the day before the event.

If you have any problems booking, or any questions, please phone 01592 858458 or email craig@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk.

Join us online on Thursday 13th May at 6pm

 

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