Climate Action Ting
Our team are still on cloud 9 after a lovely event on Saturday 14th March at Mareel, Lerwick.
After months of planning, securing funds from fantastic sources - Shetland Islands Council Coastal Communities Fund, The National Lottery, Communities Fund and Zeonbe via Foundation Scotland, and engaging with communities, it was finally time to get community groups, Shetland residents and Hub colleagues together.
Over the Autumn and Winter months, Community Development Officer for Shetland, Andrea Sanchez Quiroz worked with communities to consider and develop project ideas which would be put forward for public consideration in early 2026. Applications opened in January and 14 projects completed this process. A funding panel carefully considered each application and invited 12 to continue to the next stage.
This meant 12 community groups from Fair Isle to Unst were to prepare pitches to present to Shetland residents to canvas for votes for their projects. Those with the most public support via online and in person votes, won grants of up to £7500.
Climate Action Ting culminated on 14th March 2026 with a day of inspirational, community led climate action. The auditorium of Mareel was transformed into a hive of activity with stands from each community group showcasing their projects to the attending public. Stand holders and attendees enjoyed background live music from local musicians.
Friendly competition took place as communities discussed their projects with one another and the attending public. While not every group could be victorious on the day, we see participatory budgeting projects as a way to boost awareness of community groups, their projects and any opportunities they may wish to promote - a project might not secure funding on the day but be lucky enough to secure a few volunteers who believe in what they’re working to achieve.
In the run up to the physical event, online votes were welcomed from Shetland residents who were unable to attend on the day. Between these and the in person votes, 357 votes were counted and verified by independent members of the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub team, a representative from Voluntary Action Shetland and Shetland Islands Council.
We were pleased to welcome over 60 attendees to the in person event, with some mentioning that they’d come along with an idea of who they would vote for but after hearing more about certain projects, had changed their minds which highlights the importance of in person connection and discussion. Projects always have more to them than can be written in a short online pitch.
After a short break to count up all the votes and align them with the online ones, it was time to reveal to the groups who the lucky winners were, these are as follows:
Environment & Climate Change - Shetland Youth Voice £7440
Unst’s Sky Trail by E-bike - Wild Skies Shetland £2893
Coastal Erosion Project - Sandwick Community Council £6250
Stucca Community Garden - Northmavine Community Development Company £2576
Fair Isle Goes Under Cover - Fair Isle Development Company £7500
Blown Away - Bressay Development Limited £7000
Common Thread - Bigton Collective £6995
BOAG Growing & Outdoor Activity Space - Bressay Outdoor Activity Group £7500
Decarbonising Heath at Scalloway Youth & Community Centre - Scalloway Youth & Community Centre £7500
Sandwick Rewilding & Meaningful Opportunities - Sandwick Social & Economic Development Company £6845
A huge thank you to all the groups who applied, those who voted online and attended on the day. You all created an incredible atmosphere and supported the event by giving us honest feedback. Thanks too goes to Mareel for their support on the day, the Shetland Larder for the delicious catering and the fantastic musicians who entertained us all while the event way running.
Lastly, a significant thanks goes to our founders. This event was made possible thanks to #NationalLottery players, the Coastal Communities Fund from Shetland Islands Council and Zenobe, through Foundation Scotland.
