Scotland’s Climate Week 23rd – 29th September 2024
Since it’s formation in 2016, every year communities and organisations across Scotland come together to celebrate Scotland’s Climate Week, a chance to recognise and celebrate community-led climate action. As the D&G Climate Hub nears the end of it’s first year of operation, we’d like to share just some of the projects and events that have been supported across Dumfries & Galloway through seed funding and wider community support.
Seed Funding Success
D&G Climate Hub had a hugely successful inaugural round of seed funding in 2023/24, supporting 26 community climate action projects, including the repair of an outdoor classroom at Gatehouse Primary and a repair café in Kirkcudbright which continues to go from strength to strength with hundreds of items repaired and blethers had (pictured, left). This year, the seed fund has expanded it’s reach to support 50 projects across the region, including the formation of an LGBT+ Climate Gardening Collective, production of a Climate Conversation podcast, the creation of a community tool library, and edible & medicinal plant walks & climate conversations with asylum seekers and refugees, to name just a few.
Lobster Pot Luck
Did you know that along the Solway coastline, plenty of creel parts are washed up that our local small boat fishermen can reuse? ‘Lobster Pot Luck’ is a D&G Climate Hub initiative that brings together beach cleaners and fishermen to help reuse some of the ‘waste’ being washed up on our shorelines. By encouraging beach cleaners to collect creel parts to be returned to local fishers, perfectly usable gear that has been lost sea can be put back to use, whilst helping keep our shorelines clean. The project, which was launched at a lobster feast and ocean plastic exploration day, has helped create a glossary of reusable creel plastics to help beach-goers identify the parts, which can be viewed online and has also be distributed to beach-cleaning groups across the region.
Supporting Community Climate Action at Scotland’s Highest Village
Senga Greenwood, Climate Hub Officer for Nithsdale, recently visited the community of Wanlockhead. The day started with a meeting at the Wanlockhead Community Centre SCIO for a community lunch and to deliver a presentation on ‘Climate and Conversation’. The Climate Hub team also helped distribute Draughtbuster kits to Lower Lowther Men’s Shed members to help better insulate properties (pictured, left), followed up with a visit to the community garden and sharing shed that was led by Councillor Carole Kilshaw and Lynda Finlay. This growing space offers the produce and community donated food and produce for anyone in the community to come and help themselves.
Climate: ACTION!
Climate: ACTION! is a short film produced for the Climate Hub by visual artist John Wallace alongside trainee film-makers Annie Gamble and Imogen Cowan. The film spotlights some of the community-led climate action initiatives taking place in Dumfries & Galloway, which were some of the first to be supported by the D&G Climate Hub Seed Fund following its launch in November 2023. Launched with a screening at the Old School in Thornhill, the filmmakers were in attendance for a Q&A on the production experience, alongside Climate Hub staff to explain more about some of the projects featured. The film is available to watch on the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere YouTube channel.
The D&G Climate Hub is hosted by the GSA Biosphere Partnership thanks to Scottish Government funding from Net Zero Scotland and part of a wider network of Community Climate Action Hubs across Scotland. If you’re in Dumfries & Galloway and have a community group that could use support, get in touch with your regional D&G Climate Hub officer. You can find their contact details on the Climate Hub webpage and follow the Climate Hub on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with events, projects and future funding opportunities.