Climate hub for Highlands and Islands gets share of £5.5m funding package

Highlands and Islands Climate Hub is to receive a share of up to £5.5 million in Scottish Government funding to help reduce emissions and improve resilience in the face of climate change.

The funding package for 2024/25 will support Scotland’s network of 20 community climate action hubs which encourage and support climate action.

Highlands and Islands Climate Hub works to bridge the gap between policymakers and communities by supporting grassroots activism. As one of the original two hubs that piloted the concept in 2021, the organisation now has 291 members.

It delivered the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival and produced a film called Climate Action: Highlands and Islands.

Funding details issued by the Scottish Government show a budget of £437,839.60 for Highlands and Islands Climate Hub.

Scotland’s cabinet secretary for net-zero and energy, Màiri McAllan, said: “Climate action should be locally appropriate and locally driven. Our communities are uniquely placed to shape and drive forward the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient living and we want to empower people to take the action in their own communities that’s right for them.

“That is why we are proud to continue to support our hugely successful framework of regional climate hubs, including Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, which will provide a vehicle for communities to come together and engage in collective grassroots action.”

With funding now confirmed for 2024/25, the hub and its network of members have been busy planning activities. Following the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival in 2023, there will be another celebration of community-led climate action from September 1-30 this year.

In September 2023 there were 120 festival events ranging from talks and seminars to repair cafés, growing open days and fashion swishing.

The 2024 festival will again coincide with Scottish Climate Week and will aim for fair and equal representation across the Highlands and Islands.

The hub will administer a small grant fund that will help communities to take part in the festival. Community groups are invited to apply for grants of £150 to contribute towards events already planned in September, or for bespoke festival celebrations.

Community groups that have a larger proposal are welcome to submit their plans and the hub will seek local sponsorship. These funding opportunities are open for applications now, and close on June 14 for larger event proposals and June 28 for the £150 contribution.

The hub supports community projects year round with its community climate action fund. In February 2024, it funded 34 community projects and the next round of community funding opens on June 1.

More information about the hub can be found at https://www.hiclimatehub.co.uk

The hub has organised an online networking session with Climate Outreach on June 4, from 10am to 11.30am. New organisations, businesses and individuals would be welcome to join as members.

Hub manager Joan Lawrie said: “With the continued support from the Scottish Government into the climate action network, I am thrilled that Highlands and Islands Climate Hub can continue its work celebrating community climate action through initiatives such as the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival and the Highlands and Islands Community Climate Action Fund.

“We are pleased to be growing our team in Shetland, Ross-shire and Inverness, and look forward to another busy year.”

There are two development officer vacancies within the hub – one post based in Shetland, and the other in Inverness.

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