1ST - 30TH SEPTEMBER
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APPLY FOR FUNDING
We’re delighted following the success of both the Highland and Orkney Climate Festivals in 2022 to be bringing our full Highlands & Islands Climate Hub Region together to celebrate the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival 2023 with communities celebrating and staging events from Shetland to Skye from 1st - 30th September 2023.
To bring the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival together for 2023 we’ve worked with representatives from community organisations involved in last year’s festival to create the themes and promotion of the 2023 festival. You can read more about the collaboration from the working group below. We have also created a community brief for the festival from the work of the working group, a dedicated Highlands & Islands Climate Festival Website will launch at the end of June to co-incide with the excellent Climate Fringe Festival organised by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.
2023 Festival
The Highland & Islands Climate Festival is a celebration of localism and community engagement with a focus on climate action to be held from 1st – 30th September 2023. The festival will feature a diverse range of fun and informative events, including active travel, repair cafes, growing open days, film screenings, talks, and competitions. The festival aims to bring people together across the region, both in person and online, to inspire action on climate change. Through collaboration with community organisations, the festival fosters a sense of local ownership and empowers individuals to make a positive difference in their communities.
Celebrate and raise awareness of climate-friendly action, initiatives, and organizations across the region
Encourage participation in local community climate action and promote low-carbon sustainable living
Raise the profile of the Highlands, Orkney, and Shetland as leaders in community-led climate action and advocates for sustainable, local living, working, and visiting
Promote biodiversity, environmental protection, and appreciation for nature in the region
Empower individuals and organisations to take action on climate change and contribute to a more sustainable future for the Highlands & Islands.
Festival Theme
The theme of the Highland & Islands Climate Festival 2023 is Think Local, Be Local.
The culture of Highland & Islands is tightly woven around a strong sense of localism and pride in our communities. From Shetland to Skye cultures, language, food and drink and our history is rooted in local. Celebrating local means celebrating sustainability, low carbon choices in food and drink and the very fabric of our vibrant local communities who are carrying out community led climate action.
Promotion of the festival, suggested themes for events will revolve around this key message of Think Local, Be Local; Eat Local, Travel Local, Grow Local, Share Local, Protect Local.
Communities from Shetland to Skye are encouraged to hold events celebrating their local communities culminating in a region wide local picnic celebration on Saturday 30th September.
Events & Funding
The Highland & Islands Climate Hub will co-ordinate a regional programme of online events and activities.The Hub are also currently working with a Filmmaker to create a short film of community led climate action across the region which will be launched during the festival with local and online film screenings.
Communities are encouraged to hold events during the period of 1st – 30th September celebrating the work that they are carrying out in their communities to combat the climate emergency and/or celebrating the themes of the festival.
In addition to this communities from Shetland to Skye are encouraged to hold a celebratory picnic (indoors or outdoors) on the final day of the festival - Saturday 30th September in what we hope will be a mass regional picnic and celebration event. The Hub will be working on how this can be digitally collaborative to promote the vibrancy of our communities to the wider world.
Funding Open to Applications Now
Funding will be offered to community organisations through the Highland & Islands Climate Hub. Applications for funding support will open on 15th May 2023 and funding can be allocated as follows below. You can make applications for both funding streams of Big Picnic and events to be held throughout the duration of the festival. If you are looking to run a collaborative or partnership event there may be additional funding available via our Development Officers discretionary fund and you should get in touch either to enquiries@hiclimatehub.co.uk or via the contact us form below to discuss further.
Funding is open to Members of the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub in the first instance, membership of the Hub is free of charge and connects you to networking opportunities, support and training from the Hub and our partners. You can find the membership information here or if you are not currently a member please select to join on your application and we will process membership for you from there.
Event Funding
Event funding of up to £250 will be available to Members of the Highland & Islands Climate Hub to stage events throughout the region
We would anticipate the funding to be used to pay professional fees, film screening fees, additional resources required or travel expenses. Funding should not be used for disposables.
If you have a fantastic idea for an event but require greater than £250 funding our Development Officers have some discretionary seed funding which could be used for amazing ideas, please get in touch with your Area Development Officer to discuss.
Big Local Picnic
Funding of up to £200 to assist a community to stage an indoor or outdoor picnic celebrating their community on Saturday 30th September only
The picnic should celebrate local food and drink
The picnic should contain an element of climate engagement. Examples could include having try sessions of bikes, crafts from recycled materials, celebrating local food and drink, hosting a climate conversation, climate education themed games (templates and suggestions will be available from the Highland & Islands Climate Festival resources section of website)
The picnic should not have any disposables and should only use resuables
Funding is allocated per locality therefore in places where there are multiple community organisations operating they should work together to stage a picnic, if additional funding than £200 is required for a collaboration event please get in touch with us to discuss further.
Contact us.
If you would like to contact us about the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival regarding funding, event sponsorship, collaborative events or to talk to us about an event listing please get in touch using the form below or alternatively get in touch via email to enquiries@hiclimatehub.co.uk