The Scottish Government announced that 43 groups across Scotland have been awarded over £6.9 million for the next three years under the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).

The CCF helps communities reduce their carbon footprints and contribute to Scotland reaching its ambitious climate change target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. The current round of applications, assessed by an Independent Grants Panel, also introduces the first successful intake of applications for the Junior Climate Challenge Fund which aims to allocate funds to projects that are run by young people.

Successful applications in the latest round of the CCF include:

•Ross-shire Waste Action Network (RoWAN), Highlands, will receive £179,447 for their ‘R U up 4 it!’ project. A three year project that aims to reduce carbon emissions of schools and communities centred around Dingwall and Charleston Academies. This scheme will result in significant carbon reductions in participating households and schools

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• Sustaining Dunbar, East Lothian, will receive £450,000 over three years to enable behaviour change with a combination of projects supporting food growing, reducing food waste and composting, home energy saving, and travel behaviour change. The group aim to engage more people in practical projects and increase local employment opportunities

• Moffat Carbon Approaching Neutral (CAN), Dumfries and Galloway, will receive £89,378 to lower the carbon footprint of young people, including school pupils, Guides, and Scouts. It will utilise a low carbon building conversion that incorporates a recycling depot and reuse centre, Scotland’s first ‘aquaponics’ greenhouse growing fruit, veg and fish in water, as well as a community garden and allotment

Environment and Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson said: "Scotland’s ambitious and world-leading climate change targets can only succeed with the active involvement and participation of communities across the country. Therefore the initiatives we back under the Climate Challenge Fund are a great way of supporting behaviour change that helps drives down carbon emissions.

"We are tackling climate change from the grass-roots up and this latest funding round will support 43 projects with a total of £6.9 million support, demonstrating that communities in Scotland are serious about addressing their carbon footprint.

"The Scottish Government is already receiving applications for the next round and I look forward to hearing about the many exciting new projects from all corners of the country."

(GK)