A Wellingborough charity and community activists have successfully accessed funds to help local residents, community groups and local business work together to begin to tackle the many challenges we face as a result of climate change.
Glamis Hall for All have been awarded just over £20,000 by North Northants Council (NNC) from its Recovery and Innovation Grant. This will be used to deliver a range of community events, practical actions and training sessions to support people, community groups and local business to better understand climate and environmental challenges and to create local solutions to help cut carbon emissions and support people and communities transition to more sustainable ways of living and working.
Inspired by the presentations and speeches at COP26 last Nov 2021, Glamis Hall’s Chair of Trustees Heather Saunders, said ‘We are deeply concerned about the lack of action regarding climate change locally and want to work with others across Wellingborough to kick start local action and learning, helping us work out how we can respond in positive ways to the enormous challenges we face’.
Glamis Hall for All, a Wellingborough based charity, is no stranger to taking on big challenges, having been born out of community action to save the day centre from closure in 2014. Since then, the community run centre has gone from strength to strength, supporting many families and older residents as well as playing a prominent role in helping many thousands of struggling local residents during the most difficult COVID days.
‘We pride ourselves in working alongside many community groups to make a difference in all parts of people’s lives, says Heather. ‘One such partnership has been with Wellingborough Eco Group and Wellie Wombles, where we regularly support their weekly litter picks, host the Wellingborough Repair Cafe and Swap Shop and help struggling families access excess food that would otherwise end up in landfill.’
As an organisation already transforming the way they operate, Glamis Hall for All is determined to help local people and business learn how to do the same. ‘When we started, we wanted to be as ‘green’ as possible’, says Heather. ‘We now have solar power generated from panels on our roof which, as well as reducing our energy bills, also powers our 6 electric/hybrid cars (funded by a National Lottery Power to Change grant) that bring centre users to and from our day centre. We are delighted with the results and want to do more for our charity and to help others locally. Glamis Hall and its partners, Wellingborough Eco Group, jumped at the chance to apply for funds to offer a range of learning and activities to help us begin this important work, and with new gas heating boilers due to be ‘phased out’ by 2030 and petrol/diesel cars soon becoming a thing of the past, the need to tackle these challenges could not be more urgent’, says Heather.
The range of activities planned through the project include; holding a number of climate conversations and workshops about issues such as how to heat our homes, how to travel in a low carbon way, better understanding of climate issues by attending Carbon Literacy training, and learning how to ‘map’ our own carbon footprint. Residents and businesses will be able to hear from specialists on topics such as local renewable energy generation, how to feed ourselves more sustainably, and how to change our homes and businesses to ‘adapt’ to the many of the ‘baked in’ consequences of existing climate impacts, such as increased flooding events. Many people locally have already suffered as a result of this..
There will be lots of opportunities for practical action and this can be done individually, by organisation, or even by street or block. We also plan to explore how those from BAME communities and residents living on the lowest incomes can upgrade their homes with new energy options, and save money, making sure we can all transition to more affordable to rewarding lives.
‘This project is an exciting opportunity and just a start for the town, says Heather, ‘and we hope to work with the local Council and many partners and people to move it forward successfully. Any residents, community groups, organisations and businesses interested in this work are invited to get in touch’.
People wishing to take part should contact the Project Manager, Marion Turner-Hawes, on marion@glamishall.org.uk or call 07584 350 308
