Highlands and Islands Climate Festival reflections
And just like that, we’re into October and the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival is over for another year!
Firstly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all who made the festival happen. The working group, made up of communities with invaluable experience and knowledge to share. The communities who hosted one of the over 100 events and of course the supporters who shared the information on social media, over a tea break or the dinner table. To the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub Team, I know you worked tirelessly to support communities to take part while planning and hosting Hub contributions and continuing with the day job. Your determination never goes unnoticed and I’m proud of how we’ve worked together to deliver the festival.
This year we saw over 100 quality events make up the programme, each taking climate action in their own way. We’re thrilled to have supported communities financially, with over £6500 from the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival Fund distributed to communities from Shetland to Lochaber.
2024 was the third climate festival which means it benefited from the learnings of previous celebrations and we look forward to it continuing to evolve going forward.
As Hub manager, I have many responsibilities. One of which is to focus on the Hub’s strategic deliverables and really concentrate on how we offer tangible evidence of the work we do to decision makers at local and national level.
The festival offers a plethora of evidence of inspirational community led climate action which I report to Scottish Government and decision makers. The connections formed within the festival are incredible and I was thrilled to see the event take national prominence this year with Foundation Scotland and Circular Communities Scotland participating and recognizing the festival as a valuable asset to reach and communicate with communities. The festival allows us to open conversations with new communities too, encouraging them to connect their work with climate action and supporting them to understand the connection between community need and climate action. I’m so looking forward to digging deeper into this topic at an upcoming event with The Poverty Alliance as part of Challenge Poverty Week.
The purpose of the festival is to celebrate and encourage communities taking climate action, but if you asked me on a deeper level (look at me down with the kids using a TikTok trend!) I’d say that the festival;
Represents a collective, grass roots approach to community led climate action.
It showcases ordinary people delivering extraordinary work.
It raises awareness of the climate emergency in a practical, action driven way.
It connects communities from Shetland to Lochaber and even further thanks to the wider Hub network in Scotland.
It allows knowledge, ideas and enthusiasm to pass through emails, Teams calls and in person events.
It invites individuals to get involved and learn more about what happens within their city, town or village.
It opens the door for business participation in community sector.
Amplifies our successes and offers learning opportunities from our challenges.
It allows those facing challenges within organisations and specific projects to come together and feel less alone.
It offers the comfort that only other community workers and volunteers can.
Without community participation, the festival quite simply, would not take place. The Hub have provided the overarching organizational tools and resources however the events make the month long event what it is and we cannot wait to progress the event to bigger and better heights.
