News / Bristol Community Climate Action Project
Community organisations across Bristol begin radical climate action programme
Community organisations in Bristol have begun work on a rigorous community-based climate action course as part of a major project to help fight climate and inequality.
After the success of last year’s cohort, the Bristol Community Climate Action Project has selected six more organisations to take part in this year’s programme.
The organisations chosen are Bricks Bristol, Hillfields Community Garden, Knowle West Media Centre, Southmead Development Trust, The Vassall Centre, and Windmill Hill City Farm.
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Each organisation will be provided with a £3,000 bursary, a series of free workshops, peer mentoring and resources to co-develop their own community climate action plans.
The new organisations will follow in the footsteps of the six original community organisations that pioneered the first phase of the project. It is hoped the original groups will inspire change and pass their knowledge onto the next.
The Vassall Centre hopes the programme will help them to engage the local community with climate issues – photo: Vassall Centre
Organisers hope the move will allow the project to reach previously unconnected areas across the city, and increase the diversity of people taking part in climate and nature action in Bristol.
Each organisation will be embedded within a specific community in Bristol, and their projects will be defined by the priorities they identify in collaboration with the communities they work with.
Bristol Charities are hoping to establish The Vassall Centre as a community hub for residents of Oldbury Court and the surrounding areas.
“Oldbury Court is in the top 5 per cent deprivation with high numbers of social housing, but there are no facilities for people in the community, and few social groups to join,” said Zoe Williams, centre & development manager at The Vassall Centre.
“With our local community and neighbouring organisations, we hope the programme will kick start the conversation of green action in the area and help us to develop manageable, attainable actions that the community can feel proud to work towards together.”
The inspiring project is coordinated by Bristol Green Capital Partnership, and funded by the National lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund.
Councillor Ellie King, said: “The Community Climate Action Project is an inspiring community led response to the climate and nature emergencies, putting local organisations and the neighbourhoods they serve at the heart of the city’s approach.
“It will be exciting to see their plans develop as they are mentored and supported to identify what meaningful action on climate and nature looks like to their communities, and to co-produce a climate action plan specific to their area.”
Main photo: Southmead Development Trust
Read next:
- Bristol’s first community climate action plans launched
- St Paul’s community transforms local air quality data into music video
- Council’s climate emergency action plan criticised
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