£100,000 now available for community climate projects in Vale
What do sculpture making sessions in Abingdon, a car sharing club in Harwell and a community garden in Stanford in the Vale all have in common? The answer is they have all benefited from the Vale of White Horse’s Climate Action Fund which provides grants of up to £5,000 for climate-related community projects in the district.
The good news is the Climate Action Fund has opened again this week for applications from town and parish councils and local groups who have proposals which aim to tackle climate change.
This time there is £100,000 up for grabs – double the amount previously available for those applying for grants. The fund will be open for applications until 14 July.
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader and Cabinet member for Climate Action and the Environment, for Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We have been delighted with the variety of projects and enthusiasm of local groups that are applying for funding.
“There have been many successful projects, but we want to encourage even more groups to come forward with innovative ideas on how they can help the fight against climate change.
“We decided that this time we would double the amount of money available so that twice as many community groups and organisations can apply for help getting their climate-friendly ideas off the ground.”
As well as more common projects such as tree planting and solar panel installation, the fund has supported projects such as a sustainable eating course, funded professional ecological advice to create a community woodland and a boardwalk at a nature site to allow visitors access without damaging important habitats.
Full details of the Climate Action Fund and how to apply are available on our Climate Action Fund page on our website.
- Diary date – An hour-long webinar for those wishing to apply has been arranged for Wednesday 7 June at 5.30pm – please contact the climateaction@southandvale.gov.uk or grants@southandvale.gov.uk for more details including the webinar link.
Previous successful applicants have included:
| Location | Organisation | Description of project |
| Abingdon, Gozzards Ford and Marcham | The Bullpen Outreach Engagement | Sculpture making sessions with children and families, on the theme of Climate and the Earth |
| Abingdon | One Planet Abingdon | To implement ‘FreshWater Watch’, a global citizen science project focussing on water quality monitoring, |
| Cumnor | Cumnor Conservation Group | Delivery of a habitat survey and resulting management plan, to support and understand the site, as well as increase local knowledge concerning the site, ecological methods in general and forming the basis of a public education drive |
| Great Coxwell | Greener Great Coxwell | A community energy project with funding for an infra-red camera, outreach materials, events support and training to help community understanding of how and why to save energy |
| Harwell | Sustainable Harwell | Building a business case and conducting research to provide foundation for implementation of a community car sharing club |
| Marcham | Marcham with Garford Parochial Church Council | Developing the churchyard area, subject to an Environmental Management Plan, as a demonstration and teaching resource, modelling both care of creation and sustainability |
| North Hinksey | Hinksey Trail Regeneration CIC | Boardwalk regeneration at a nature site to allow visitors access without damaging habitats |
| Shrivenham | Sustainable Shrivenham | Establishing a volunteer repair shop and a plastic free community campaign |
| Stanford in the Vale | Stanford in the Vale Parish Council | Rejuvenation of a community garden, transforming it into an area that promotes ecological restoration, allowing people to spend time in nature and appreciate the benefits of the natural world |
| Wantage | Wantage Draught busters | Offering simple adaptations or repairs to people’s homes to reduce heat loss, without any charge to them. Aiming to target individuals and families who are in, or at risk of, fuel poverty |
