Dundee has a vast amount of unused green space areas on the doorstep of peoples homes. They are prone to littering, fly tipping, are unloved eyesores in communities, and difficult and costly for the council to maintain. 

Backyard Botanicals in Mid Craigie are neighbours who want to make our neighbourhood a happier, cleaner, healthier place to live. We have been given permission to maintain this unused council greenspace on our doorstep, which can only be accessed through houses which are on its boundary. 

We seek to rejuvenate the area with wildflower, plants, and trees which support our eco systems and improve bio diversity. Our vision with our space is to grow food but also to create a tranquil, colourful haven for insects, animals, birds and bees. We hope to grow local flowers and plants that will support insect pollinators that have been in steep decline due to climate change and habitat loss. In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilise soils, and support other wildlife. 

With investment we would like to use two Polycrub tunnels as they are a community based business dedicated to using recycled materials. "They are designed to withstand extremely strong winds, snow, frost, collisions from air born debris and vandalism". Backyard Botanicals invisage growing long term and any investment on equipment needs to be good quality and built to last.

All of the neighbours involved are determined to create a safe space where not only us but our children and grandchildren can be involved from the beginning, learning about growing food, pollinators and the environment that they helped create on their doorstep. 

Where possible, reusing and upcycling second hand items preventing them going into landfill; using natural materials to create a wildlife corridor; sharing of plants, seeds and cuttings through community engagement. 

We would like the grant money to purchase gardening tools, a lawnmower, 2 polycrubs, fruit trees and wood/materials to build raised beds as some of our neighbours have mobility issues. 

With surplus harvest, we aim to food share with family, neighbours, and local food larders.

We hope to inspire others to rejuvenate their greenspaces in their communities. Looking afresh at neglected sites within their neighbourhood could bring new possibilities for a healthier community and a healthier planet by reducing the carbon footprint on the food we eat and also bringing pride back into the areas where we live.

Feeling Strong’s Sythensis Climate Project will be a year long project which raises awareness on climate change, eco-anxiety and how we can use nature as a tool to improve the mental health of young people in Dundee. Feeling Strong exists to make sure that every young person aged 8-26 in Dundee who has experienced a mental health or wellbeing challenge is supported to reach their full potential. We deliver projects, services and campaigns in the community to tackle stigma, build confidence, develop resources, create networks and most importantly support the positive recovery journey of our young people. This 12-month project has a total project budget of £16,572 spent over the year. We will engage young people by: 

1. Building knowledge of the positive effects being in nature can have on our mental health and how young people can develop creative responses to the climate crisis. We will do this through a series of art-making workshops leading to the development of works will be exhibited publicly in Dundee

2. Raise awareness around the negative impact climate change can have on our mental health by asking young people to create an interactive, playable game about the top 4 endangered animals in Scotland, as well as supporting our young people to produce and film a documentary about local climate activism and eco-anxiety in Dundee

3. We will also host a mini-COP style conference at the Feeling Strong Hub, focussing on climate issues that impact young people, highlighting the voices of young speakers locally and create pathways for young people to be further engaged in climate activism

4. Getting young people out in nature via an outdoor interactive art trail that raises awareness of the importance of conservation and how engaging with nature can have a positive impact on our wellbeing and ensuring young people's creative responses are highlighted across Dundee 

 Workshop Phase 

 In this phase, we will invite young people to attend creative and climate activism workshops based at our Hub. These workshops will be free and accessible to anyone aged 12-26 who is in Dundee. This would include life drawing, poetry, zine making, activism, documentary making and planning for sustainable futures. 

Game Jam

We will host a Game Jam with Dundee University Archives. The prompt will be the impact climate change has on mental health. We will ask the participants to create a game inspired by one of the most endangered species in Scotland. 

Exhibition

We will host an exhibition of participants' creative outputs from the workshops responding to climate change, endangered species and climate activism. This will be open to the public, raising awareness of climate change and young people’s voices.

Nature Trail 

We will install a Nature Trail in Dundee’s greenspace. There would be 12 QR code points on this trail where people can see art made during the project, and it would encourage young people to get out and use Dundee’s greenspaces. If they collect all the QR codes, they can come to Feeling Strong to receive a custom pin badge.

Conference

We will host a mini-COP conference at the Feeling Strong Hub, where young people will have localised discussions with decision-makers about mental health and climate change. The outcome of this event is to create a Manifesto that would feature testimonies of young people. 

End of Year Showcase and Release of Documentary

Alongside our Climate Conference, we will host a final exhibition showcasing all creative outputs made during the project, with a documentary featuring interviews with local figures discussing the impact climate change has on our young people's mental health.

Find out more about the amazing work we do at Feeling Strong: https://www.feelingstrong.co.uk/

A partnership between Hillcrest Homes (who have a multi award winning energy advice team - HEAT) and the Stobswell Forum to deliver tailored energy advice and support to all residents (of any tenure) in Stobswell.

Advice and support to individuals on all aspects of energy saving and efficiency.

The project will purchase a thermal imaging camera and will be out in the community actively looking for properties where there is heat loss to see where improvements can be made for residents.

Liaison advice and support to landlords on energy efficiency measures that will improve the energy efficiency of their properties therefore benefitting the tenant.

Upskilling of local community groups and volunteers to spot and signpost residents for support.

Raising awareness of climate change and energy efficiency with young people through schools and other youth services.

Professor Fionn Stevenson is a recently retired world renown expert on housing performance evaluation who wishes to give back to the city she studied and lives in as a volunteer. She is a member of the Stobswell Forum community and has carried out numerous projects like this in the UK and abroad as an academic researcher while at the Universities of Dundee, Oxford Brookes and Sheffield from 2000-2022. She has particular skills in facilitating community engagement with housing performance evaluation, and has worked in the past with Scottish Homes, various local authorities, housing associations and national private housing developers such as Stewart Milne and Barratt Homes. Fionn will contribute her time on a voluntary basis to support some of the activities detailed in the original bid, there is no requirement for additional funding for this specialist expertise.

Watch our VIDEO to find out more about our project!

We are a local community group who have recently taken over the redundant bowling green in Fairmuir Park, in order to establish a community garden.  Thanks to the support of the Dandelion Project (Unexpected Gardens) we have made an excellent start with the community garden.  However, we have much wider ambitions and want to build on the work already started .

Our aims for the future cover two of the criteria in the Climate Fund - Resilience and Community Engagement.

We want to make the garden more productive by growing larger amounts of fruit and vegetables which could donate to those in need and the local community larder.

We want to encourage more people to grow their own food in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the food we eat.

We wish to support our eco systems and bio diversity through types of plants we grow and the gardening methods we use. this would include recycling of green and brown waste through  composting , the use of natural fertilisers; supporting a natural pond and providing homes for birds and bugs.

We hope to increase the numbers of people in the wider community who use the garden by providing a wide range of workshops and community activities.

Dandelions began community engagement by providing free lunches once a week through the summer and we would like to continue this activity.

To achieve our aims we would like to apply for funding for materials to build more planters for the garden and polytunnel, cold frames, a tea/coffee shack and  a mud kitchen for the children. These are the materials we have asked for the immediate future.  We have put in three quotes which vary between a total of £10-12000.

Thank you for considering our bid.  

Strathmartine Community larder Will use the funding to purchase energy saving household equipment which will be sold on to local residents at a subsidised cost.   This will allow people living on lower incomes to purchase items that they would not normally be able to such as slow cookers, light bulbs, dryer balls, air fryer, halogen ovens, draught excluders etc. we also aim to provide a scheme where items can be paid in instalments prior to receiving goods. Energy-efficient appliances are essential to help residents to save money and energy, protect the environment, and generally enhance their lifestyle. Thus, the more energy efficient home appliances they have access to then the lower their utility bills will be while protecting the environment from harmful gases such as carbon dioxide.

As well as the above SCL will work in partnership with several community growing spaces groups to purchase materials for growing kits to be distributed throughout the area to promote and encourage home growing as a means of reducing food costs to families affected by poverty. The growing spaces volunteers will offer support and instruction as to how to use these kits and how to maintain future home growing.

Resilience local food growing the volunteers from Baldragon Community Garden and Ardler Environmental Group propose to distribute potato growing kits throughout the community of Strathmartine. This community initiative will encourage families, individuals etc to try out growing food and reap the rewards. It’s ideal for those who don’t have a garden. The environmental benefits include less greenhouse emissions, reduced carbon footprint and reduce food waste. Importantly it will foster a connection with nature. Whilst this initiative will play a role in helping with climate change, at the same time, it will show that growing own food can lead to financial savings, and improve mental and health being. It’s hoped that this small initiative will get folk of all ages enjoying the outdoors and learning new skills and knowledge to then pass on to others. 

We have discussed the above proposal with the trustees, volunteers and current SCL users and they are all in agreement that the energy efficient appliances would be of benefit to local people who are struggling with the increased energy costs and increased cost of living.  It was the SCL trustees that put forward the idea of not simply handing out the appliances free of charge but to create a system where the items can be purchased at a lower cost therefore providing some future stability for the appliance project with an aim to continue the service long term. The Ardler Environmental Group and the Baldragon Community Garden volunteers where consulted regarding the growing kits and see this as an excellent opportunity to link in with the community of Strathmartine and to get folk involved in existing and new community garden that are available in Strathmartine area with a view to long term involvement. Both of the above projects can be linked into the long term work of the SCL who will offer courses and groups such as cooking on a budget, one pot cooking, batch cooking etc teaching people how to best use their new equipment and indeed the food they will grow.

The project will focus on the Strathmartine area of Dundee which includes St Marys, Kirkton, Ardler and environs.  We will work with various food projects and green space / community garden projects for example Strathmartine Community Larder, Ardler Village Trust Community Fridge, Chalmers Ardler Church Larder, 3 community centre LMGs, St Marys growing space, Friends of Clatto, Ardler Community Garden, School family development workers.

Transition Dundee is a community-led social enterprise aiming to make Dundee a more sustainable, happier and healthier place to live through various climate-focussed initiatives. We would like to increase the amount of food saved from going to waste in and around Dundee, through our project 'Dundee West End Community Fridge' and our partnership with the Dundee Community Food Network (DCFN). The Community Fridge has been running since July 2019 and has so far saved over a whopping 220 tonnes of food, approximately 500,00 meals, and the same carbon reduction as planting and growing 11,500 trees! While our project is primarily about reducing food waste, it also offers dignified access to food for those in need because of the environmental focus and the fact that EVERYONE is encouraged to use it. We work closely with the DCFN and would like to share the extra food saved with the 25+ exisitng food projects, ensuring the food is spread across the whole city and many more people are able to benefit from it. We know there is much more food out there to be saved (and many more people in need of food given the cost of living crisis), so with this project we aim to double the amount of food we currently redistribute and there are three ways in which we would like to tackle this:

A Gleaning Group

The Gleaning Network is a network of community groups, organisations and farmers all over the UK who are working to reduce farm-level food waste. The Network exists to bring together and empower communities, enabling them to salvage surplus food left on farms; food which can then be redistributed through the DCFN, primarily benefitting those on a low income. There is not yet a formal Gleaning Group in Scotland, so Dundee would be the first – and we are in a prime position geographically between the produce-rich areas of Perthshire, Angus and Fife.

There are many reasons why farms have surplus – systematic overproduction, cosmetic standards, order cancellations, worker shortages and unpredictable weather. And it’s not always just farms – the Community Fridge team has often been asked to go and pick fruit trees from private gardens in Dundee when the owners are unable which we are not usually able to do. Tthe extra capacity would allow us to help reduce this waste too. The Gleaning Network provides a tried-and-tested toolkit for making sure our supervised visits to local farms are safe, fun and a worthwhile opportunity for local people to learn about where their food comes from, why waste reduction is important for the climate emergency and feed their community.

Electric Van

A second-hand electric van would allow the Community Fridge team to be more flexible and able to collect larger donations from supermarkets and other businesses when the offers are made, as well as to reduce our carbon footprint (by eliminating petrol/diesel car journeys currently made by our collection team). The van would also be used to collect and distribute the large volumes expected from gleaning days – meaning we would be able to take food to other projects in a sustainable way.

Inreased Community Engagement

There is increasing concern from our community about the impact of food waste and we would like to hold more workshops/events to show how small changes can make a big impact to the planet, our health and our bank balance. We would work in partnership with community groups and other organisations across the city to deliver this to reach as many people as possible!

Globally, young people rate climate change as the most important societal issue (Ojala, 2018), and 77% think the future is frightening, 66% are very or extremely worried, and 45% reporting that their feelings about climate change affects their daily life (Marks et al., 2021). A concept that attempts to capture the psychological impact of climate change is ‘eco-anxiety’, which has diffused into public discourse (see BBC, 2019). Eco-anxiety contains common features of anxiety, such as uncertainty and lack of control (Pihkala, 2020; Stanley et al., 2021) and is conceptualized as a manifestation of the impact of climate change on wellbeing. In a study of adult students, Schwartz et al., (2022) found that engagement in collective action decreased the symptoms of depression related to climate change anxiety. However, Schwartz and colleagues (2022) did not address what it is about collective action that functions as a buffer for climate change anxiety.

We propose a project that would examine ways to engage communities and especially young people around climate change. We believe that this type of engagement will not only raise awareness but also improve resilience and well-being as it relates to the effects of climate change. One important aspect of engaging communities to mitigate climate change is that acting together – and seeing others act – can really affect wellbeing, thus encouraging continued action. Acting together can reduce climate anxiety and create a sense of empowerment, a feeling that in working together, people really can create change. 

We will use a qualitative approach to understand what factors harm or improve people’s psychological wellbeing in the context of climate change, focusing on the roles of identity, intersectionality, collective action, and direct and vicarious (dis)empowerment. Speaking with students and activists, we propose to conduct focus groups with non-activists to explore how their understandings of climate change relate to their wellbeing and empowerment. We will also conduct individual interviews with climate activists to ask people what it is that gets them motivated to make changes in their own lives and also in trying to get others motivated as well. Speaking with both non-activists and activists will provide contrasting perspectives on shared community, identity, and wellbeing. We will partner with local organisations to share this information and find ways to encourage young people in local communities to take part in climate action.

Outputs for this work will come in two forms: community-focused output and academic output. In terms of community-focused output, the project’s primary aim is to provide local stakeholders and local young people the opportunity to discuss their experience of participating (or not) in collective action for climate change. This work will ideally find out ways to better connect these groups, first through a workshop for local organisations, and then through an event that would allow young people in Dundee to connect with those organisations. It could also be beneficial to bring this information to the local council and other local government bodies, and we would do this by preparing a lay report that can be shared publicly. The academic output would involve carrying what we learn in the interviews and focus groups to conferences and academic publications so that further research can be carried out in the future.  

£1612 - total salary for a project assistant to help organise and coordinate interviews, focus groups, and workshops with local stakeholders. Cost calculated for 7.5 hours per month for 12 months, starting 1 June 2023.

£980 - travel and accommodation for project consultation from Dr Sara Vestergren. Dr Vestergren will participate in workshops with local stakeholders.

£1032 - Transcription (group interviews - 5x120min)

£1800 - Transcription (individual interviews - 20x60min)

£600 - Participant incentives (40x15)

Total: £6024

The Climate Heroes Project is centred on community action against climate change. Providing learning spaces and opportunities to protect the environment with the development of a School allotment and Eco classroom at St. Fergus Primary School, Ardler, Dundee.

It will focus on key themes such as energy efficiency, reducing waste and improving biodiversity by increasing awareness and engaging communities and young people in climate change. Our application is based on dialogues with parents, teachers, and pupils of the school. Whilst the main thrust of the proposal aims to address climate change, it also seeks to advance child learning and development. It will also involve the Development Worker of Ardler Village Trust as a link to other local environmental projects and connects well with other community learning initiatives aimed at saving energy and costs amidst a cost of living crisis.

The Eco Classroom - An Outbuilding situated in the school ground that will create an immersive experience for learning and engaging with the environment, whilst promoting wellbeing. Having an outdoor practical space for education makes subjects more vivid and interesting for children to enhance their understanding and aid creativity. We intend to reuse natural resources by harvesting rainwater on the roof and using solar power. We propose to have a mini weather station. By encouraging pupils to use it, we can create a hands-on approach to learning about the ways or climate changes over time.

The School Allotment - A vegetable garden that will provide wellbeing benefits as well as educational benefits to the pupils about sustainability, producing our own food and how to reduce the carbon footprint. the school kitchen, Early Evening Cafe at Ardler Complex and Community Fridge can make use of the produce, making sure nothing goes to waste. Having a link with Ardler Village Trust and access to other projects within the community will enable us to share skills, tools, and experience from community volunteers.

We propose rewilding areas of the playground for nature to regenerate and grow, which will support dwindling populations of native pollinators including bees and butterflies. We intend to enhance the biodiversity in the area by creating more green space, boosting the presence of insects and wildlife. Getting pupils involved in making bird boxes and maintaining the minibeast hotel provides opportunities to learn about how we care for wildlife.

By inspiring school children within the community to be aware and take care of nature and wildlife on our doorstep, we can promote the importance of looking after our environment. The increased green spaces will benefit the environment and our health by improving air quality, connection to nature and mindfulness. They will also function as a sustainable urban drainage system, which will in turn prove to be beneficial with the current climate change challenges. We believe there is a need for community action against climate change now, more than ever. we need to educate people today for a better planet tomorrow. The aim of the Climate Heroes Project is to help achieve this.

Growing Chrysalis, run by Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) in Dawson Park, are transforming a disused bowling green into a multipurpose community space, directed by local need.

This project will bring people together, encouraging people to form new and stronger connections building community capacity and resilience. The space will create opportunities for the whole community to develop and share skills, to volunteer and to influence and improve this amazing greenspace. In addition SAMH will also deliver targeted sessions with schools, nurseries, colleges, families, intergenerational and disability groups. 

We have already started transforming this unused, chemically treated, barren grass space into a wildlife and human friendly haven. We have set up several no-dig beds, mulched borders with woodchip and created a native wildlife corner, wildflower border and fruit beds, however there is a significant area of lawn that needs further investment.

Our climate change priorities include: -

• Improving biodiversity by taking wildlife friendly approaches e.g., animal habitats, welcoming insects, rewilding, no chemicals.
• Using climate resilient growing approaches e.g., perennial vegetables, drought tolerant plants, saving seeds, rainwater collection/irrigation, organic methods.
• Encouraging recycling, reusing, repurposing and using natural materials wherever possible e.g., seed and plant swaps, plant pot swap, upcycling, buying second hand, sourcing local materials.
• Supporting visitors and volunteers who face increased climate anxiety, with our experience of delivering mental health support.

We need funding that can push our project forwards and enable investment into the space as a shared community resource for years to come:

• Polytunnel/food forest/raised beds/tools - So that local residents of Douglas, West Ferry and the wider Dundee community, whatever their income, have access to affordable organic food on their doorstep. This will reduce their climate impact while providing opportunities to learn skills in climate friendly food growing.

• Composting area - Composting prevents food waste going to landfill while feeding our soil and teaching others how to do this at home.
• Rainwater catchment/water irrigation system – We want to collect our autumn and winter rainwater and store it for the drier Spring and Summer months, reducing reliance on tap water. This includes a self-watering polytunnel using irrigation from rainwater tanks.
• Outdoor kitchen/shelter – having opportunities to gather and share food will encourage people to socialise and discuss individual or collective ways to prevent climate change. With a welcoming atmosphere, sharing a table, preparing food together and eating with fresh ingredients we can demonstrate healthy climate-friendly habits that are accessible.

   

Who We Are

We're Shaper/Caper - an independently led, multi-award-winning dance company and a registered charity based in Dundee, Scotland. We were set up in 2015 and we are all about communities!

Creating excellent art that connects with real people drives us. We want to ensure that as many people as possible, despite their socio-economic backgrounds, race, and/or gender, can access high-quality arts for free. We really believe that the arts are an intrinsic part of achieving a cohesive society that can spark civic action for social change.

We won the Inspirational Work in Education and Community Outreach Award from One Dance UK in November 2020. In 2022 we were finalists for the Charity/Group Initiative Award from Proud Scotland and the Digital Citizen Award from the Scottish Charity Awards.

Our Idea

We want to help save the planet before it's too late. We want to make sure that the world is a better place for our children and grandchildren. Above all, we want to encourage and embolden children and young people to fight for their right to a safe and healthy future! We're developing a new touring schools show for young people aged 8 to 12 years old. The World is My... explores the climate crisis through human impact and inspires positive action. Through the loveable characters of Nico and Grandad, The World is My... encourages children and young people to ask questions, tackle challenges and think independently. 

We are working with The James Hutton Institute: a leader in environmental research who make major contributions to the understanding of key global issues. Having a scientific input to this project is crucial. We want to make sure that the stories we tell are accurate and informative, and that our young audiences leave knowing exactly what they can do (and encourage the grownups in their lives to do) to make a difference. 

We have worked with over 45,000 children and young people over the last 7 years, and we deliver creative learning projects in 116 primary schools across Dundee, Perth & Kinross and Angus each year. Through this, we've developed a very successful model for interacting with children in a highly creative way that maximises inspiration and empowerment.

This vast experience continues to inform how we shape The World is My... for young audiences, with our core values - kindness, respect, collaboration and humour - at the heart.

The funds from this application will allow us to pilot the show in 10 Dundee Primary Schools. There is no cost for the school to access the production. 

Here's a short excerpt of the show as a work in progress: https://youtu.be/AYr_XnmSaQY