Supporting The Highland and Islands Climate Festival 2023.
12 July 2023
After the success of the Highland Climate Festival in 2022, the communities who took part expressed an interest in taking more ownership and decision making powers of the event which was great!
A working group was set up and the Highland Community Waste Partnership is proud to be part of that group, helping launch the Highlands and Islands Climate Festival 2023.
A strong partnership has been formed with everyone working together, representing their own communities while contributing to the decisions being made around festival planning and logistics.
The working group is made up of the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub and 11 organisations and communities, meaning that the festival can be more inclusive from the outset and be sure to factor in the things most important and relevant at a local level.
The Highlands and 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 theme of the festival is ‘Think Local, Be Local’. Groups are encouraged to host events which highlight the community climate action work they’re carrying out and engage with their wider community to promote that climate action which can take many forms. The Highland Community Waste Partnership intends to host a series of events including: climate cafes, film nights, repair and sharing events, composting workshops and much more.
To support the festival and community participation, the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub have worked to produce an independent digital presence for the festival. This includes a dedicated website and social media platforms.
Hub Manager, Joan Lawrie said:
“The formation of the working group has been brilliant to make sure there’s been community representation from the offset. We’re thrilled to be launching the website and social media channels and can’t wait to see events and funding applications flood in!"
"The beauty of the festival is that the decision making powers lie with the communities who take part. Our working group has representatives from Shetland to Skye who have worked together to produce an inclusive and exciting festival offering.”
Hub & Membership Co-Ordinator, Marion Reid said:
"In addition to producing the digital presence, the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub offer financial support to communities to host festival events. There are two small grant funds available and open for applications via the new website now. The Event Fund and the Big Local Picnic Fund.
The Event Fund offers up to £250 for communities to host their events, this could cover professional fees, film screening costs, travel expenses, venue hire and much more. The Big Local Picnic Fund offers up to £200 so that communities can host an indoor or outdoor picnic which brings the community together to celebrate local food and drink.
Within the website, users will also find helpful resources to make sure their events run as straightforward as possible. These resources include a branding pack complete with poster templates and social media cards, template Health and Safety documents as well as guides on hosting a sustainable event and so much more."
"Once communities have decided on the event they’d like to host, they’re encouraged to register it via the website so we can promote it via the digital platforms and via the festivals interactive map which will showcase the vibrancy of the communities taking part and really reflect the huge number of projects taking place from Shetland to Skye."
To get involved in The Highlands and Islands Climate Festival 2023, please visit the website. To see what other events the Highland Community Waste Partnership are hosting throughout the year, visit the HCWP events page.
