COP26: £400,000 awarded to UK community climate action projects thanks to National Lottery players

Today [Tuesday 2 November] - as the UK hosts the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow - 45 community groups across the UK have been awarded a share of almost £400,000 (£382,800) in National Lottery funding, to help them take action on climate change.

The grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, are helping to build on interest and excitement around COP26 by supporting a legacy of ongoing climate action projects in communities across the UK.

This funding announcement comes as new research* from The National Lottery Community Fund shows that over half of people (54%) in the UK are worried about the impact of climate on their local community. The survey of over 8,000 people shows that while almost nine in ten (88%) say the UK Government is responsible for tackling climate change, there is very high recognition for the role of individuals and communities too. Over eight in ten (82%) say individuals have a responsibility, while 79% say the same of local communities.

More importantly, the findings suggest that people want to take personal responsibility for mitigating the impact on their community - more than half (55%) say they are either currently taking part in community-led climate action or they plan to or will consider doing so in the future.

London based group, Civil Society Consulting, will use the £9,550 Together for Our Planet grant to set up a Community Leaders Network. They will focus on climate action learning, hosting webinars for community leaders, as well as providing training and mentoring to civil society and faith leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to encourage local community initiatives inspired by climate action.

Mark Ereira-Guyer, Founder Director at Civil Society Consulting CIC said: “The time is now to see what we can all do as climate action organisers and leaders in the communities in which we live - to generate an emboldened eco-centric heart to our faith and community activities, services and projects. Thanks to the National Lottery, we will be able to inspire and educate our network to be part of the change.”

Money was awarded to groups across the UK, for a wide range of activities like PolyRhythm in Cornwall, who will use £9,800 for their Triumph from Trash project, teaching people from their community to make instruments out of waste materials.

John Lakey, Managing Director at PolyRhythm said: “We are delighted to have received this money from The National Lottery Community Fund. It will allow us to continue to make a lot of noise about climate action, opening community workshops and teaching people how to make instruments out of waste materials, to be used at events and festivals over the coming year and beyond!”

Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “As COP26 begins and global climate change negotiations are under the world’s spotlight, it is encouraging to see that communities are also taking action locally. Our research clearly shows that communities are not only concerned about the climate emergency, but that they want to play their part in tackling it. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to support local climate action, funding innovative projects that are part of the drive towards net zero and that enable people and communities across the UK to prosper and thrive.”

Together for Our Planet is open for applications until 5pm on 18 November 2021. Groups can apply for National Lottery funding for projects reflecting what matters to their community, such as food waste, transport, energy, and the effects of climate change on the natural environment and can be small in scale. The programme is particularly interested to hear from groups starting to think about taking action on climate change in their communities.

Since 2016, The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded £397 million through more than 6,000 grants which involve environmental action, including action on waste and consumption, energy, transport, food and the natural environment. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK**.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk

Date published: 2 November, 2021
Region: UK-wide

Notes to Editors

*Source: The National Lottery Community Fund commissioned Savanta ComRes to interview 8,059 UK adults as part of a UK-wide survey between 7 and 22 September 2021. Data were weighted to be representative of UK adults by gender, age, social grade, ethnicity, and region.

**Based on 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.

About The National Lottery Community Fund:

We are the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.

We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

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Together for Our Planet

We’re offering funding from £1,000 to £10,000 to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change. The UK Government is using Together for Our Planet to engage people with COP26 and inspire positive climate action.