You may have already heard – GwyrddNi has received funding for the next four and a half years from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund to start implementing the Community Climate Action Plans that were created over the last two years!
A reminder: Back in 2021, money from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund was given to GwyrddNi to hold climate assemblies in five areas: Dyffryn Nantlle, Dyffryn Peris, Pen Llŷn, Bro Ffestiniog, and Dyffryn Ogwen. The aim was to learn, share and discuss, working together to answer the question: How can we in [name of the area] respond locally to Climate Change?
The six organisations behind GwyrddNi are Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG), Partneriaeth Ogwen in Dyffryn Ogwen, Cyd Ynni in Dyffryn Peris, Siop Griffiths in Dyffryn Nantlle, Cwmni Bro in Bro Ffestiniog, and Ynni Llŷn in Pen Llŷn.
Throughout 2022-2023, GwyrddNi facilitated four Community Assemblies on the Climate in each of the five areas, with a representative sample of 50 citizens from each area gathering to discuss their ideas and to work together on creating Community Climate Action Plans. Our education program worked with schools in each of the areas, with local school children adding their contributions to the Action Plans. Each Community Climate Action Plan demonstrates the ideas that each community chose to prioritise. You can read them here: https://www.gwyrddni.cymru/en/cynlluniau-gweithredu/
But what next? What is happening with these Action Plans?
Several ‘action groups’, each focusing on different themes (such as food, energy, transport etc) formed through the Communuty Assemblies on the Climate. Many of these groups have been operating and working ever since, with GwyrddNi facilitators doing their best to support them. We are already seeing exciting things happening: developing community growing projects in Bro Ffestiniog, Repair Cafés in Llanrug, Llanberis and Bethel, and the Climate Festival in Bethesda with over 100 attendees last year and plans already afoot for the next one – and much more on the way!
Some groups have been successful in getting funding from various sources to work on their ideas – for example, Marchnad Lleu in Dyffryn Nantlle: a monthly market with local food and crafts for sale, interesting workshops such as “Climate Science for Beginners” and an opportunity to have a cup of tea and get to know the community. Their aim is to be self-sufficient, but they succeeded in getting some funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to help them with a website and marketing. Then there’s the Retrofit for All project by YnNi Llŷn: six members of the Pen Llŷn Community Assembly on the Climate joined the board of YnNi Llŷn as directors during the assemblies – they have now succeeded in obtaining funding from Gwynedd Council to work on improving the energy efficiency of homes in the area, creating in the process three new jobs for local Welsh speakers.
We wanted to make sure that our groups had as many resources as possible to continue their work, which is why we have been working hard behind the scenes! We are now happy to announce that GwyrddNi has received four and a half years of further funding from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund to continue. £500,000 of funding will be available to the communities, divided equally over the five areas, in order to continue to bring the ideas in the Action Plans to life.
In the first year, £40,000 will be available for each area to act on the ideas that were prioritised in the Action Plans. The intention of this funding is to act as “seed funding” for ideas, not to fund entire projects – however, GwyrddNi’s facilitators are happy to support you in finding further or “match” funding.
If you want to get involved, read about how you can connect with one (or more) of the action groups that have come out of the Community Assemblies here: https://www.gwyrddni.cymru/en/taking-part/. You can also contact your local facilitator for more information about the funding; if you were part of the original Community Assemblies on the Climate, your facilitator should be sending over the guidelines to you soon.
GwyrddNi’s education work will also continue, with a range of activities and a chance for collaboration available to schools and colleges in the five areas, and plans to develop learning opportunities for adults are underway.
The new funding also allows GwyrddNi facilitators to continue to do their work promoting and supporting the activities of their communities, and also makes it possible to have a programme co-ordinator, a communications officer, two education officers, plus one exciting new job has been created: a language mentor to support and promote the use of the Welsh language.
Another new difference is that our facilitators will now be employed directly by the partner organisation in their area, rather than working for a central place (DEG) in Caernarfon as was the case in the first phase. We were busy recruiting throughout October and November 2023, and we finally have five new people on the GwyrddNi team ready to go! The picture below was taken at the Ynni Ogwen community hydro scheme as part of the new staff’s onboarding; all GwyrddNi staff have been visiting community projects in the five areas and learning more about what our partners are up to.
In order to celebrate everything that our communities have already achieved, we are planning a celebration on the 17th of March in Penrhyndeudraeth Village Hall. This will be a chance for members of each assembly to be able to come together and hear about the projects that are already in the pipeline, to connect with participants from the other areas and to find out more about how they can get involved. You’ll receive more information about this from your facilitator soon. If you were not part of the Community Climate Assemblies but are still keen to come along, get in touch with your nearest facilitator for more information.
If you want to be part of co-creating greener, more sustainable and resilient communities – get in touch – or click the button below to let us know how you’d like to be involved. We will get back to you and connect to you to most appropriate person/people!