Community Climate Action Plan empowers community to tackle climate change

With support from environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, Arbroath FC Community Trust has developed a bespoke Community Climate Action Plan, setting out how the local community can improve their environment and tackle the challenges we all face. The collaborative plan sets out specific actions people can take in their area, to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, boost the local economy and make Arbroath a cleaner, greener and more sustainable place to live. It is designed to be updated regularly, can be contributed to by anybody in the community – and everybody can play a part in tackling climate change through the activities it sets out.

Shelley Hague, Arbroath FC Community Trust Chairperson, said: “Working with Keep Scotland Beautiful, local groups and key statutory organisations on our Community Climate Action Plan was timely after the COP 26 event in Glasgow to start the conversation locally on how we can tackle climate change in Arbroath. This work was identified as a priority through our youth forum and now that a draft plan has been developed we can do some wider engagement work across the area and Angus as a whole.  Taking part in Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Community Climate Action Plan programme helped show us all that there are things that we are already doing, and that we can start taking action on, to make a difference. The best thing is that it’s achievable for everyone.”

Funding from The Scottish Government, as part of Scotland’s COP26 community engagement programme, has allowed Keep Scotland Beautiful to work on Community Climate Action Plans with seven communities across Scotland (Islay and Jura; Arbroath; Newcastleton; Knoydart; Pollokshields; Ferguslie Park; and Shotts). Each community received support from a community climate facilitator, to help their community to develop its unique plan. Keep Scotland Beautiful has also highlighted inspiring ideas from across Scotland and beyond, and provided guidance about further potential funding.

Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Communities Manager Katie O’Donnell said, “It has been inspiring to work with communities to provide support as they put plans in place to take real, meaningful climate action – the appetite for this is hopefully linked to increased awareness of the climate crisis following COP26.  I’m delighted that the successful groups are working with us to help Scotland meet the ambition of becoming a Net Zero Nation and look forward to seeing each of them take their next steps to put their Community Climate Action Plan in place. I am also delighted to announce that, thanks to further funding from The Scottish Government, Keep Scotland Beautiful will be able to continue to support the communities for another year – until March 2023 – as they progress through their plans.”      

To keep up to date with local activity follow @ArbroathFCTrust.