Celebrating a very special birthday at the Hub!

It’s been a big week at the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub! We’ve been celebrating Scotland’s Climate Week which coincides with the anniversary of the release of our film, Climate Action: Highlands & Islands.

Last summer we embarked on a journey around Highland, Orkney & Shetland, from Lochaber all the way to Shetland - visiting community groups to create a very special film showcasing how deep our community’s connection to place runs & the need to take climate action to protect our region. Not watched it yet? Find it here!

Marking the one year anniversary of the film offers a chance to reflect on the positive contributions the projects featured have had, and continue to have, on their communities. We caught up with some of the film participants to hear how their projects have progressed, and what they’ve learnt. Read on to be inspired!

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Polycrub, Northmavine Community Development Company (NCDC)

When we met Maree (MD of NCDC) she showed us Polycrub’s Shetland strength! Polycrubs are a unique take on polytunnels - designed to use waste pipe from the salmon industry, the pipes are cleaned & then upcycled to create hoops which are part of a kit to build durable Polycrubs for year round growing.

By last summer, Polycrubs were being sent all over Scotland their creation had already saved over 100 miles of pipe from ending up in landfill. But what came next? We chatted to Maree -

The past year has been a busy time - we continue to sell our super strength structures worldwide, and donate our profits back into the Northmavine community, via our parent company, the Northmavine Community Development Company. Our relatively new market in England and Wales continues to grow. Customers in the south now too face issues with the increasingly unpredictable UK weather pattern.  We are delighted to see more individual growers reduce their carbon footprint by producing fruit and vegetables at their front door, rather than relying on supermarket imports.  Schools, crofters, community groups and gardens, as well as carbon zero groups continue to join the wonderful world of Polycrubbing.

We are delighted to hear stories from our Polycrubbers. They highlight, not only their successes (and occasional failures) with fruit and veg growing, but also the positive effects it has on both physical and mental health, as well as the planet.

It’s really special to see polycrub’s ingenuity is being recognised in the high demand for them! We hope to see Polycrubs continue to thrive & provide food security for communities.

Socially Growing, Thurso Community Development Trust

Socially Growing worked hand in hand with Thurso’s Community Greenhouses as a zero waste refill shop filled with community grown food & local produces, offering a welcoming space for those keen to learn about growing & new skills.

However, just like many other organisations, the quieter period after summer last year was tough for Socially Growing & the Community Greenhouses. Difficulty caused by the cost of living crisis and the extension of renovation timelines meant the Community Greenhouses had to pivot structure, and Socially Growing became unviable & took advice to close shop in Spring 2024.

But TCDT is resilient and continues to support their community from a new angle, the difficulties faced offered new learnings & creative solutions carried them forward. We caught up with Helen, Chair of TCDT, to find out what came next for the Trust:

We were having a lot of success with supporting people – especially those with mental health issues, the quiet spaces, the encouraging culture and learning how to grow plants was extremely beneficial. So funding was secured to see the Greenhouses through the winter and into the following summer, employing 1 member of staff.

The space occupied by the shop is still empty – Thurso Community Development Trust is just about to launch a community consultation and we intend to ask our community how best we can use the space for their benefit. In the meantime we have been offering the space as a pop-up shop.

This summer has seen lots of visitors, both individuals and community groups, coming to the Greenhouses, looking for advice, encouragement, and plants. We were delighted, this month, to be awarded £90k from the National Lottery towards 2 years staffing costs for the Greenhouse and Community Garden projects, this will allow us to increase to 2 members of staff, and expand our growing activities even further into the community.

Not every story has a straight line to success, it’s resilience & learning that shapes the path. We look to continuing to support TCDT to provide the Greenhouses as a welcoming space and look to the future.

Lochaber Environmental Group & Highland Community Waste Partnership

In the film, we had an insight to Lochaber Environmental Group’s involvement in the Highland Community Waste Partnership. In Lochaber, their Green Fingers project & Bike Kitchen work to promote a sustainable lifestyle for the Lochaber community. We caught up with Lesley to see how the projects in Lochaber are progressing -

It’s been a busy time at Lochaber Environmental Group with the Highland Community Waste Partnership project– just where does time go? Through the waste partnership there have been a number of workshops delivered including food waste reduction, food preservation, and textile repair sessions. It has been really great getting out to different places across Lochaber to be able to deliver sessions for people within the communities that they live.

It’s great that the HCWP is going from strength to strength! But there’s new projects on the horizon too.

Lesley has been busy distributing more compost bins across Lochaber, and also working with SAC Consulting (as part of the TechHub) to set up an online In-Vessel Composting Common Interest Group for anyone interested in this type of composting across the Highlands. Another real positive has been working in partnership with Mhairi (H&I Climate Hub) to help organise the recent Lochaber Climate Fair held at the Kilmallie Community Centre. This saw a number of organisations being available to discuss their services and how this could help both individuals and have a positive impact on Climate change. The Fort William Repair Café has become a regular event and is supported by a number of local organisations and volunteers. It’s great to see people bring in their loved items and have them put back into working order. It’s a real win – both for the volunteers and the customers.

Collaborations are strong in Lochaber and look forward to continuing to celebrate their successes in the community!

Ullapool Sea Savers

By empowering young people to take climate action and saving the coastline of Ullapool, the Ullapool Sea Savers are setting a new precedent for the role of young people in tackling the climate crisis. Last summer they mounted a ‘Drain Campaign’ to highlight the connection between on shore & marine litter. We caught up with Janis to find out what came next -

It has been a busy year for the Ullapool Sea Savers, with our existing campaigns, activities and projects going from strength to strength and new ideas being developing and launched all the time! 

The longer the group runs, the more we notice a real increase in confidence amongst the young people, a sense that people are listening and that their village cares about the work they are doing and the reasons for it. That sense of support from their community is incredibly empowering for young people and the fact that they can build on the previous successes of the group gives real, tangible credibility to their belief that they can and will make a difference: that everyone can be a part of the vital work of saving our seas.

To see young people motivated to take climate action is inspirational, but seeing young people succeed in creating change in their community is another. Their growing confidence and sense of positivity for the future is vital for every element of the just transition.

Lairg and District Learning Centre

Last summer, Lairg and District Learning Centre immersed their community into climate action by exhibiting Letters to the Earth in Rogart Mart. By bringing climate action to a prominent community venue it brought it to the front of everyone’s minds. But what came next in the community? We caught up with Sarah, Manager of the Learning Centre.

We’ve continued our active role within the Highland Community Waste Partnership over the past year.  We’ve gained invaluable insights, as have our students, into the climate emergency and how we can all play a part in helping the planet.  Our workshops, focusing on waste reduction through sewing, growing, cooking, woodworking, and foraging trips led by expert tutors, have been transformative for the community.  These hands-on experiences not only teach practical skills but also foster a deeper understanding of sustainability, with conversations around climate change naturally woven into each session.

While the project faces challenges of winding down in March 2025, which brings a sense of loss, it’s been incredibly rewarding to witness the impact it’s had. Important conversations have emerged, and the community has embraced lasting changes in reducing waste and lowering their carbon footprints . We will truly miss our partners and the support of Keep Scotland Beautiful, but the legacy of the project will continue through our ongoing activities and commitment to doing our bit to help the environment.

It’s great to see the project continue to suceed, and Lairg’s experience really sums up the overall legacy of the HCWP - a project that opened the eyes of many people to over consumption & proved that sustainable solutions can easily be integrated to both personal lives & commercial capacities. We look forward to seeing what comes next!

Golspie Flood Action Group

In the last year, the work of campaigners in Golspie to raise awareness of the flooding risk has brought it to the centre of the community’s attention. Progress has been made and plans put in place. We caught up with Henrietta, a member of Golspie Flood Action Group to find out how they’ve gotten here.

The Golspie Flood Action group has been very busy! Two public meetings were held in March 2024 after the extremely damaging winter storms, and the Golspie Flood Action Group was launched. The group now has a website https://golspiefloodaction.co.uk/. With support, we hosted a community engagement session, and a workshop with Adaptation Scotland.

A stakeholder meeting was initiated in April to discuss and agree a strategic, village wide flood risk management plan. A second meeting has since been held and a 3rd one planned for January. Highland Council, Transport Scotland and Scottish Water are now collaborating to repair and improve the water outfall valves to the sea as a first step in this plan. Peatland restoration by Sutherland Estates has been approved for the hill. Land drains are being mapped and water management schemes proposed as part of the local place plan. We are in the final planning stages of a project to install water butts in residents’ properties to help with the management of surface water run-off during periods of high rainfall and hope to complete this by the end of the year. Excitingly, we have been offered bulk supplies of sand, rock filled units and concrete mattresses free of charge which could form part of the structure for new groynes, or as erosion protection for the golf course or kart track.

Following the very successful visit of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh to Golspie to see the effects of climate change on coastal communities, STV have filmed a programme on coastal erosion which will be broadcast on Thursday 26th September at 8.30pm.

It’s been a very progressive year for Golspie Flood Action Group, even with a Royal Visit! The Hub continues to work to support their Team to form connections with relevant agencies to gain knowledge & resources to formulate a plan. Henrietta & the Group continue to keep the issue at the forefront of community development plans.

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Climate Action: Highlands & Islands would not be the film it is today without the expertise & willingness of our filmmaker, Cameron Mackay! Cameron travelled almost entirely by public transport during the filming process - a testament to his commitment to make the film sustainable at its core. a huge thank you to Cameron for creating this piece that continues to inspire climate action across the region!

Of course, there wouldn’t have been anything to film without our members, who work tirelessly to keep climate action at the heart of their community groups & ensure they have a positive impact on communities. It’s a privilege for the Hub to be able to assist in the delivery of climate action here in the Highlands & Islands.