The power of partnerships to tackle climate change

Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action at the National Lottery Community Fund, reflects on the Fund’s commitment to climate action and a recent visit to a project that’s harnessing the power of partnerships to make a big difference in their local community.

When people come together with a shared vision, great things can happen. I was reminded of this at a recent project visit to Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, which has become the home of North East Young Dads and Lads (NEYDL), a parenting charity that works with an often-overlooked group of young people and supports them to play an active and meaningful role in the lives of their children, within families and wider society. The former flour mill is a symbol of regeneration, bringing hope and joy to both residents and visitors through inspiring art.

Partnership Power

At Baltic, I met with members of NEYDL and their founder, Kevin Stoodley, who explained how they help young dads to build skills and confidence, at the same time as supporting their local community’s connection with nature in an urban setting. For the Birds, Bees, Bikes and Trees project, NEYDL has formed a bold and ambitious partnership with Baltic and Newcastle University, to become what you might call unlikely climate activists, managing bee hives and fixing up old bikes.

The Power of Community 

On top of this iconic building, 138 feet above the River Tyne, we saw the beehives being installed on the rooftop terrace at Baltic. This was an eye-catching reminder of how the lads were learning to connect with nature; one young man had already started a new enterprise selling honey from these and other hives dotted around Gateshead.  To provide sufficient raw materials for the honey to be made, Community Beekeeper Tom Jamieson explained to me how they needed to re-wild parts of the urban landscape, creating areas of natural forage for the bees. 

With bees in the UK on the decline (we’ve already lost 13 bee species, and a further 35 at risk), this project is living testament to the power of community and partnership. On one level the bees are busy working collectively to pollinate our flowers and make honey, whilst on another level the project brings together a group of young men, with a shared identity as fathers to the next generation, who are working together to bring nature back into the heart of the city. 

And through repairing bikes, the young dads have chosen to link their day-to-day passion for cycling with a new-found interest in repair and re-use.

Tackling Climate Change

We know that, throughout the UK, climate change matters to communities, so it matters to us. With 80% of UK adults now concerned about climate change, it is increasingly recognised as the overarching issue of our time. The majority of those surveyed are also worried about the impact of climate change on their local community. 

We’ve now made environmental sustainability one of our four key missions in our It starts with community strategy. With the launch of our new Corporate Plan (2024-27) we are committing at least 15% of our funding to projects that focus on environmental sustainability.  We have also committed to being an environmentally regenerative funder; our Environment Plan provides more detail on how we will build on our position as the UK’s largest community funder to deliver positive environmental outcomes. 

Climate Action Fund 

Our flagship climate programme, the Climate Action Fund, is a 10-year £100m commitment to support community-led climate action projects like Birds, Bees, Bikes and Trees. More than £86 million has already been awarded to 118 projects to enable people across the UK to take climate action in their local communities. And with our new strategic commitments, we will now see climate and nature-focused projects increasingly funded through all of our programmes, supporting community-led climate action and responding to local need.

For the latest round of the Climate Action Fund - Our Shared Future - applicants don’t have to be a climate or environment focused organisation to apply. We’re looking to support partnerships with bold, exciting ideas inspired by people’s everyday lives and interests. We want to reach people who might be new to climate action, and we're particularly interested in projects that involve people, places and communities experiencing poverty, discrimination and disadvantage. 

Climate Action Fund projects across the UK 

Among other recent successes is The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, which is working in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council, The Conservation Volunteers, and the Acorn Food Network. The partnership has leveraged a further £6.2 million of capital investment to build Acorn Farm, a food growing and climate action hub with a geodesic dome centrepiece. 

The project received £1.7m from the Climate Action Fund to upskill local people, invest in new food growing technologies, conduct academic research and cement its longer-term vision of a self-sustainable future. The partnership has established Derry as a ‘Sustainable Food Place’ linking into a wider network of over 60 cities across the UK.   

In Wales, the five Wildlife Trusts are working together to mobilise young people aged 9 to 24 to tackle the climate and ecological crises head-on. With a grant of £2.4 million from The Climate Action Fund, the partnership is empowering and inspiring young people to take action for nature and the climate in their local communities to reduce their collective environmental impact. 

Cumbria Action for Sustainability is an ambitious five-year programme co-designed by 11 partners and the local community to make a zero-carbon Cumbria by 2037. It has received £2.5m from the Climate Action Fund to work with community groups, local authorities, the NHS, police, national parks, businesses and the farming community, to find solutions to transport, waste, buildings and land use and reduce emissions in everyday life across Cumbria. 

In Scotland, a partnership between three organisations in Edinburgh, Communities Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, aims to build capacity in ethnic minority communities to contribute to the local target of net zero transition by 2030 and Scottish Government target by 2045. Thanks to £700,000 from the Climate Action Fund, it will support the Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), Networking Key Services, and Strengthening Communities for Race Equality Scotland (Score Scotland) to challenge unsustainable waste and consumption habits across the city.