abcannewsletterjuly24
Argyll and Bute Council · 5 November 2024
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Community Planning Group — 5 November 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Welcome to the first quarterly newsletter from the Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network (ABCAN). The following information is a brief look at the wide variety of work undertaken since April 2024. The aim of the ABCAN Hub is to support every Argyll and Bute resident and community facing the challenge of climate change. ABCAN is here to identify, facilitate, and give a voice to localised community led climate action, to raise awareness of our carbon impact, and address key climate themes to work towards a Net Zero, climate resilient Argyll & Bute. With Scottish Government funding and overseen by a collaboration between the Argyll & the Isles Coast & Countryside Trust (ACT), Argyll & Bute Third Sector Interface and Time for Change Argyll & Bute, the ABCAN Hub is establishing resources to coordinate and build on current climate activities. We deliver climate change education, facilitate climate conversations, provide seed funding for climate mitigation, engage with hard-to-reach groups and identify opportunities for partnership working across the region to ensure that Argyll & Bute has a cohesive approach to tackling climate change in our communities. Introducing the ABCAN Team Our team is committed to fulfilling the objectives of the Climate Action Network in Argyll & Bute. We support each locality with expertise that extends across the region focusing on the themes of energy, food, and housing – read on for more details! Lindsey Young, Helensburgh & Lomond lindsey@act-now.org.uk Kate Shaw, Oban, Lorn, and the Isles Kate@act-now.org.uk Rowan Aitchison, Mid Argyll, Kintyre & Islay Rowan@act-now.org.uk Mark, Nicola, & Marylou, Rural Bute & Cowal ABCANButeandCowal@act-now.org.uk Dunoon Community Development Trust ann@dunooncdt.org
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2 Seed Funding The next round of the ABCAN Climate Action is live! Follow the QR code to be directed to the TSI funding platform. ABCAN can assist you in identifying potential funding sources and provide seed funding to kickstart your projects in Argyll & Bute. We’re open to applications from community councils, trusts, organisations and groups, as well as charities and Community Interest Companies in the Argyll and Bute area. Closing Date: 18 Aug 2024 Climate change education and engagement in Helensburgh and Lomond A significant achievement for a Scottish School: embedding the climate emergency in education. The full staff Teaching Team at Cardross Primary School were awarded their Carbon Literacy Project Certificates at the school end of term assembly, making them the first teaching cohort in Scotland (possibly the UK) to achieve this standard collectively. Climate change education and engagement is at the heart of the Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network, and we are delighted to have worked with Cardross Primary School over several months to see this opportunity realised. Huge thanks to Headteacher, Ms Kelly Girling, and the teaching staff who committed to this training to fully embed climate literacy in the whole school. ABCAN Officer Lindsey Young has been the driving force behind the training, coordinating the process to meet the Carbon Literacy standard. ABCAN offer this free Carbon Literacy Training (online or face to face) to all residents in Argyll and Bute to support understanding and the co-benefits of action on climate change. Please get in touch if you would like to join the Cardross teachers and the many others in Argyll & Bute who are working to address the climate emergency. Cardross Primary Teaching Team Headteacher Kelly Girling, ABCAN Officer Lindsey Young, and P7 Teacher Nick Henry.
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3 Lindsey has also assisted the Living Well community with their event at the Helensburgh leisure centre. attending the Cove & Kilcreggan Peninsulas 'Our Community' Development Trusts open day, and participated in two Community Council meetings, and one Area Community Planning Meeting, highlighting the support available from ABCAN to communities across the region. Collaborating with Cove Park to bring Invasive species information into the public domain, Lindsey attended a week of daily webinars on British invasive species during Invasive Species Week (20-26 May 2024). ABCAN has an online network which has channels dedicated to climate themes specifically for Argyll and Bute Communities. If you want to connect on matters of invasive species, or any other area of climate interest, check out our ways to connect section on page 8. MAKI and Energy Argyll Renewable Energy Shared Ownership Rowan has been focusing on how the ABCAN hub can support communities to benefit from the Argyll renewable energy transition. This includes increasing community ownership of renewable generators and finding ways to reduce the cost of electricity for those local to renewable energy generators. We held our first shared ownership meeting with key organisations to begin mapping the opportunity of community shared ownership in Argyll. Islay Rowan also attended the Islay High School COP, discussing the opportunities and impacts of climate change on our lives in Argyll and Bute. Some of the first shared ownership meeting attendees. Left to right- Gordon Gilfillan, Community Energy Scotland. Mike Geraghty observer on behalf of Dunoon Community Development Trust. Ailsa Raeburn, Community Land Scotland. Isla McCulloch, Co-operatives UK. Morven Lyon, Development Trust Association Scotland. Rowan Aitchison, ABCAN. Mark Brennan, Local Energy Scotland. Lynda Mitchell, ALIenergy. Lorne MacLeod.
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4 Energy Local Training In July we hosted Energy Local, delivering Energy Local Club Advisor training. These clubs set up a pathway for electricity to be sold locally below the market price. We hope to see the first Energy Local Club set up in Argyll & Bute following this training, which could serve as a case study for other communities interested in the model. To find out more about this contact rowan@act-now.org.uk Oban, Lorn, and the Isles and Sustainable Food Partnerships Engagement, support, and local food We have continued to support the development of The Rockfield Centre Garden project, bringing a previously productive area of land in the centre of Oban back into community use for food growing. Kate has been collaborating with the Rockfield Trust (TRC) and Adventure Oban to promote the formation of a group of interested people. We conducted a community consultation, created a display board about the project, and posted an online survey to gauge community interest Having received positive feedback and interest, we planned a volunteer action evening on 4th June to start clearing the space. The event was well attended, and regular action days are now held on Tuesday evenings with an enthusiastic group working towards making the land productive again. Some Energy Local Training attendees. Darragh Keenaghan, Community Energy Scotland. Rowan & Jamie, ABCAN. Beth Holloway, Energy Local Trainer. Looking from the potential community garden space towards the Rockfield Centre ABCAN Officer Kate Shaw on site
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5 Visit to Luing and learning from local communities. ABCAN exists to facilitate networking and support the excellent work of communities throughout Argyll and Bute. Kate visited the Isle of Luing to find out about their ongoing efforts and to discuss how ABCAN could support them through seed funding or training. The Isle of Luing Community Trust recently completed an excellent local place plan and are taking forward several projects to address climate change impacts and deliver benefits for the island community. Sustainable Food Partnership A series of meetings hosted by Third Sector Interface (TSI), ABCAN and the Argyll and Bute Council Food Policy and Delivery Officer, have explored food systems in Argyll and Bute, including the potential for a Sustainable Food Partnership (SFP). Sustainable food is affordable food that is produced, processed, traded, and disposed of in ways that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable: ways that meet our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Following these meetings, a survey was conducted to gauge community support for developing a sustainable food partnership. The positive responses suggests preference to the formation of a steering group to take this initiative forward. Bute & Cowal: place and wellbeing Lochgoil Community Visit ABCAN’s Bute and Cowal team visited Lochgoil, a proactive community taking positive actions for their future. The rural Bute & Cowal Team had a walk around with Community Councillor Brown and saw the devastation caused by a recent flood and the restoration work including extensive repair work to a main thoroughfare bridge (see photo of Newly repaired bridge damaged my floods) and volunteers planting up young trees to protect the riverbanks where a path had been washed away. The team met with residents, members of the Community Council and Development Trust to hear their views on climate mitigation and Resilience. Supporting Community Councils and Trusts in Argyll and Bute to ensure that climate change is central in their planning and development is a key objective for ABCAN. We will use ‘The Place Standard with a Climate Lens’ toolkit to help communities design their future place with climate in mind. ABCAN Officer Mark Bamford in Lochgoil Colin Buchanan, Chair of Isle of Luing Community Trust
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6 Kyles Coastal Community Event The Kyles Coastal Community is a group of local people working to improve the Marine and Coastal environment in the Kyles of Bute. We were pleased to be invited to the Kyles Coastal Community Launch Event in Kames Village Hall, where we introduced the Cowal and Bute ABCAN. We engaged with the attendees about our roles of working with local communities to be climate adaptive and resilient and gathered thoughtful contributions for our ‘rays of sunshine’ map of gratitude. Dunoon Community Development Trust Dunoon Community Development Trust has been working across three main project areas to broker conversations and share information about climate change and climate resilience on a local level to support the ABCAN network. Food and growing DCDT has developed a new shared food growing site at Struan Lodge, led by Grow Food Grow Dunoon volunteers engaging over 15 people in training and practical action on organic food production and sustainable growing techniques. Additionally, we hosted our first Dunoon & Cowal food growing and garden group meeting in June, resulting in a shared approach to organic compost purchase. Active Travel Through the Dunoon Bothy project, delivered in partnership with Cycling UK, weekly walks and led bike rides have been facilitated and four bike repair and maintenance classes have been delivered, involving over 40 people. DCDT also conducted community engagement activities in Dunoon for an Active Travel Behaviour Change Plan, leading to a list of priority projects, and the delivery of Doctor Bike sessions in four local primary schools reaching more than 60 families. Climate resilience and biodiversity As part of the development of a Local Place Plan for Dunoon, a site-specific exhibition called West Bay Wonder has been installed sharing information about issues such as beach biodiversity, cultural heritage, flood risk and water quality. Community members were involved in producing installations from sustainably sourced timber, and learning activities around the exhibition included: The Science of a Shingle Beach; Sea Bird and Mammal spotting; and climate and biodiversity workshops.
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7 Coming up in September - DCDT will lead a project to improve community knowledge of reuse and the circular economy, with Oxfam, TSI and other local charities we will be facilitating workshops and talks on the theme of Second-Hand September, culminating in a Fashion Show. Community Climate Action Hubs at the national level ABCAN are part of a wider network of Scottish Hubs operating in almost every Local Authority. To provide a strategic regional approach to climate change action; the Scottish Government are supporting these regional community climate action hubs with up to £5.5 million in 2024-2025. The hubs work to: • build awareness of the climate emergency and actions local groups can take • support groups to develop climate action projects embed climate solutions into local plans • help groups take up funding opportunities • facilitate networking • ensure a joined-up approach to tackling climate change at a regional level The first two hubs launched in September 2021, and the network has now expanded to consist of 20 hubs. A new ABCAN Steering group is being established and we would be delighted to hear from you if you wish to contribute to this Climate Action Hub. For more details, please contact abcan@act-now.org.uk Becoming Climate Resilient- free online workshop The ABCAN Officer team completed ‘Becoming Climate Resilient’ training with Sniffer in June. This training equips ABCAN to provide comprehensive support for Argyll and Bute communities. Climate resilience refers to the ability of a system, in this case an Argyll and Bute community, and its component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration, or improvement of its essential basic structures and functions. Our first online climate resilience workshop will take place during climate week in September, covering key components to support Argyll and Bute residents in becoming climate resilient. Climate Resilience for Argyll & Bute 25th September 2024, 1100 - 1230. Online. To reserve a space, follow the QR code or contact abcan@act-now.org.uk We bumped into Joan Lawrie, Highlands & Islands Climate Hub Manager at the Royal Highland Show. A great event to highlight the Climate Hubs and reach a wider audience.
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8 ‘Relevant climate change learning for everyone’. ABCAN continues to offer free ‘Carbon Literacy for Argyll & Bute’ training, suitable for all residents. This training covers the following topics with a specific focus on the needs of Argyll and Bute- • The science behind climate change. • Social equity & climate change. • What you can do to act on climate change. • Strategies and skills for communicating action on climate change. Successful completion of the training, followed by a short assessment, awards a Carbon Literacy Certificate This training can take place online, or face to face, and will take around 7 hours to complete, with an additional hour for assessment. Contact abcan@act-now.org.uk or scan the QR code. Engage with ABCAN! You can email any of the staff team or reach out at abcan@act-now.org.uk Alternatively, you can call Jamie on 07943 020 241 Join the free ABCAN online network by clicking here. Formal membership is free to individuals and organisations (some of those listed below). The benefits of membership are available by clicking here.