Wales goes green thanks to £300,000 National Lottery boost

Today The National Lottery Community Fund announced nearly £300,000 has been awarded to communities in Wales to tackle climate change, thanks to National Lottery players.

29 groups across Wales have been awarded grants totalling £295,952 from The National Lottery Community Fund to make small improvements in their communities to tackle the climate emergency.

The grants are part of a pilot in Wales to support existing National Lottery projects to take action in their communities to tackle the climate emergency. The work that will be undertaken by communities through the pilot will influence how The Fund works more broadly across the UK in the future.

Last year The National Lottery Community Fund announced that it is committing £100 million over 10 years to support communities across the UK to tackle climate change.

The grants have been made possible thanks to National Lottery players’ ticket purchases. For a full list of grants awarded, please click here.

Community groups received support from Renew Wales and Sustainable Communities Wales to identify what climate change action they should take and what positive impact this could have. Renew Wales is a programme which helps communities in Wales reduce their carbon footprint, adapt to the impacts of climate change and live more sustainably. Sustainable Communities Wales helps communities across the country tackle climate change by working with community organisations to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.

John Rose, Wales Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “People understand the impact that climate change is having on our communities. The Climate Change Top-Up pilot is part of our commitment to support people and communities to make the small changes where they live to take action against climate change.

“As the largest funder of community activity in the UK we know that local action does not only help to protect the environment, but also offers plenty of other benefits for people and communities. That’s why it’s fantastic to see them thrive thanks to money raised by National Lottery players.”

Siop Griffiths Cyf in Gwynedd is one project in receipt of a grant. They will be using £10,000 to towards installation of solar photovoltaic panels and an energy monitor with public display to improve the energy efficiency of their building.

Welcoming the grant, Ben Gregory, of Siop Griffiths, said:“We believe we are one of the first community organisations in North Wales to have photovoltaic (PV) systems and batteries installed as a package. Not only will the grant help reduce our electricity consumption by up to 90 per cent in our Digital Center, but it will be an opportunity for other organisations to see the benefits of using batteries with PVs as a way of reducing their environmental impact, and acting on the climate crisis. "

Menter Iaith Fflint a Wrecsam will use £10,000 towards working with Lixwm Community Action Group to develop a community orchard with the aim of using it to hold activities which will encourage more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyles.

Anna Prysor Jones of Menter Iaith Fflint a Wrecsam, said: “We are delighted to have received this addition which will enable us to include another element in the Symud Gyda Tedi project. This new element will focus on working with the local community to support them to live more sustainably and environmentally friendly, and to protect and increase biodiversity.

"It's great that the National Lottery is investing in the Welsh language by funding projects from organisations such as the Mentrau Iaith, that support and promote the Welsh language in our communities and is grateful to National Lottery players who enable such projects to be developed.”

Communities can find out more about our environmental strategy, as well as resources for how they can make changes in their community by clicking here.

Date published: 30 January, 2020
Region: Wales

Notes to Editors

The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.

We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

Renew Wales is a programme which helps communities in Wales reduce their carbon footprint, adapt to the impacts of climate change and live more sustainably. It takes a unique approach by working through a network of local coordinators, hosted in local third sector organisations, and supports community groups with peer mentoring. This comes from experienced people who have travelled the same road who can offer advice, inspiration and knowledge which enables others to take their first steps towards action on climate change.

Sustainable Communities Waleshelps communities across the country tackle climate change in a concrete way: by starting with their bricks and mortar! By working with community organisations to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings, they reduce their emissions and act as an example for the whole community. National Lottery top-up grants have enabled many of these organisations to make improvements to their buildings without putting their economic stability at risk — making real change possible.