Details of the local green projects awarded grants from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund in Aberdeen have been announced today.
The 13 successful non-profit organisations will each receive a share of £333,333 for their Aberdeen based environmentally friendly initiatives following a public vote held during December 2022.
Delivered by ACVO the third sector interface for Aberdeen, in partnership with NESCAN Hub (North East Scotland Climate Action Network), the process aims to empower local people to shape the region’s journey to net zero in a way that reflects their local needs and priorities by allowing members of the public to have their say on where money is spent.
The organisations which received funding under the scheme are as follows;
- Somebody Cares – awarded £36,550 for the purchase of electric vehicles for their work to support families and individuals in need in Aberdeen.
- Cornhill Community Association – awarded £16,625 to support the establishment of a community garden in the Cornhill/Stockethill area.
- Aberdeen Science Centre – awarded £39,500 to purchase and kit-out an electric vehicle as an interactive mobile Climate Change exhibit.
- The Allotment Market Stall – awarded £13,590 to install a self composting toilet at their Grove Nursery facility.
- Alcohol and Drugs Action – awarded £29,000 to obtain an electric vehicle for their ‘Sharp Response’ service which provides a daily mobile crisis outreach service targeted to alcohol/drug users deemed to be at highest risk.
- North East Sensory Services – awarded £33,565 for the purchase of an electric vehicle to transport service users to groups and activities provided by the organisation, particularly children and young people of the Young People’s Sensory Service.
- Garthdee Field Allotments – awarded £20,789 for the ‘Family Food: Fresh and Frugal’ project, where volunteers from Garthdee Field Allotments will work with Kaimhill Primary School pupils to grow and cook their own vegetables.
- Tillydrone Community Council – awarded £50,000 for the purchase of an electric minibus to provide services for people within the community.
- Camphill Wellbeing Trust (COMPASS Project) – awarded £38,053 to support the purchase of an electric vehicle to transport disadvantaged people, including those with mental and physical ill health, to Camphill’s Murtle Estate site.
- Friends of Westfield Park – awarded £10,400 for planned enhancements to the park, including a storage container with “green roof” and gazebos for holding community events.
- 9th Aberdeen Scout Group – awarded £30,000 for environmentally friendly upgrades to their Scout Hut in the Broomhill area including insulation and roof enhancements.
- Greyhope Bay – awarded £11,000 for the implementation of a recycling and waste management system at their Torry Battery facility.
- Bonnymuir Green Community Trust – awarded part funding of £4,260 to support the work of their community green space.
Reflecting on the success of the funding process, Maggie Hepburn, Chief Executive of ACVO TSI said:
“We were impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the general public to be involved in voting for projects and would like to thank them. I hope people can see that their votes have had real benefit for the third sector organisations who were successful.”
Rose Toney, Community Development Officer NESCAN Hub said: “This was such an exciting process to be involved in. We are delighted that the fund has engaged local communities so successfully in developing their own ideas to help tackle the effects of climate change.
“We are really looking forward to following the successful projects on their journey as the next phase develops.”
The Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund forms part of the wider ten year £500 million Just Transition Fund announced by the Scottish Government in May 2022 which aims to support Scotland’s North-East economy in its just transition to net zero.
£20 million has been made available for its first year in 2022/23 to support projects in the North East, with £1 million earmarked to deliver the participatory budgeting exercise across the region with a third (£333,333) of the sum made available for distribution in both Aberdeenshire and Moray as well as in Aberdeen City.
Commenting on the news that Alcohol & Drugs Action are to receive support from the fund, Chief Executive Fraser Hoggan said: “Alcohol & Drugs Action are absolutely delighted and thankful to have received enough votes for us to be able to proceed with our plans to purchase an electric vehicle.
“This will not only significantly reduce our emissions, but also increase our reach for some of the most vulnerable clients across Aberdeen City.
“Both our Sharp Response and Quay Service teams will be able to make use of this essential resource which will increase our response times to crisis as well as increasing the flexibility and availability of services.”
Further details of the successful projects, as well as details of the free funding support offered by ACVO for charities and community groups in Aberdeen, can be found at https://acvo.org.uk/jtpb
