Kinross-shire Climate Cafe is proposing to set up a Repair Cafe, video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvIvvJl09dg.

This initiative would be the first of its kind in Kinross-shire, based on the experience of the Repair Cafes in Crieff, Pitlochry and Aberfeldy.

Our aims:

- encourage local people to reduce waste through repair of their broken items with a positive outcome of waste reduction and mitigation of climate change,

- reduce living costs as it is usually more cost effective to repair a good quality old item than to buy a new one,

- develop community links and exchange of expertise in the practical setting of Repair Café,

- strengthen our community in climate change adaptation with a supportive popup climate café,

- provide a swap shop facility to further reduce living costs and promote sustainable fashion.

Kinross-shire Repair Cafe would be a community-led project run by Kinross-shire Climate Café volunteers. The events would take place on four different weekend days in 2024 from 11 – 3pm in the local town halls. The format of the Café would be informal: a walk-in café where people come and bring their broken items to be repaired. Clients would not pay for the repairs but would pay for parts and materials used. There are two possible locations that we envisage for the location to widen the area of provision: Kinross and Milnathort. But the Repair Café would also be providing repairs and working with a wider Kinross-shire community with the total population in excess of 11,000.

The events would be advertised through the local press, leaflet distribution at Kinross Farmers Markets, social media and Loch Leven Community Library. The project will support the local economy by involving small local businesses with repair expertise, links with the future Repairers have been made. It will create opportunities for people with skills currently out of employment or retired who are experts and craftsmen. The repair Café would involve 10 volunteers for each event, which amounts to 200 volunteer hours.

One of the aims of the project is to reduce the living costs as through repair you lower your spendings in the long term especially if items that are broken are of better quality. This helps to reduce the effect of inflation on your household budget.

Finally, as part of Repair Café we would also hold a swap shop to reduce textile waste and a pop-up climate café to have friendly chats on different aspects of climate change adaptation and how to cope with the climate change crisis.

On the Mend is a learning and skills based upcycling project where the positive impacts of making and mending, on building self-esteem, good mental health, and a connected community are promoted.  The project has no barriers to participation and encourages creativity, trying a new skill, repairing, reusing or repurposing rather than buying new.  On the Mend works in partnership with the CATH Shop on the High Street.  The CATH Shop is Revolve certified (a Zero Waste Scotland quality standard for reuse) and last year customers prevented 48,000 items from going to landfill.  Between our existing shop on the High St and our new premises we want to highlight the journey donated goods take to being upcycled and all the environmental and personal benefits that can bring.  This project will pave the way for a changing city centre and developing a resilient stronger greener economy that is accessible to all.

The On the Mend project has operated from various locations across Perth but our most recent, along the Ladeside had no heating and was damp.  We were lucky, alongside other CATH projects, to be offered a vacant shop on the High St at a greatly reduced rent.  On the Mend moved to our new home at the end of November.  We have with little to no budget created a warm and welcoming upcycling space and true to the spirit of the project have completely furnished the space with reuse furniture.  

Funding from the Community Investment Fund has meant we are able to offer upcycling groups on Wednesday 1-3 and Friday 1-3.  These have been well attended and have generated interest with individuals wanting to volunteer to share skills in upholstery, sewing skills, upcycled clothing, knitting and crochet.  We have also been approached as a venue for repair cafes and other community groups booking workshops to support wellbeing.

The On the Mend project proposal for the Green living fund would support us to

1. Continue to rent a property on Perth High Street with a focus on reuse, waste reduction and recycling, putting reuse and engagement with recycling at the centre of the community.  Help to breathe some new life into a depleted city centre environment and make reuse the norm on the High Street.

2. Engage the community in recycling by offering open to all and free/low cost upcycling/crafting and making and mending opportunities.  Many shoppers in Perth see the benefit of buying donated items during the cost of living crisis and this project would promote creative uses for items that would go to landfill.

3. Allow us to open this resource for longer hours to engage with more people.

4. Share skills across the community with increased volunteer involvement.

Pitlochry Community Action Trust (PCAT) in conjunction with the Aberfeldy Development Trust seek funding to stage two Eco Fairs, one in each town, next April (2024). The purpose of an Eco Fair is to provide opportunities for local people to engage with organisations and individuals who can help them use energy more efficiently, reduce their energy bills and their environmental footprint and help promote a more sustainable lifestyle to the whole community. The use of sustainable transport, including public transport, active travel, e-bikes and electric vehicles will be a theme of our next Eco Fair. Sustainable food, reduction of food waste and sustainable gardening along with reducing packaging waste and recycling are also part of our agenda. 

Overall objectives are: to reduce the environmental impact of individuals and therefore the community. Specifically: •    To encourage household energy saving through local energy advisors such as The HEAT Project, Warm Connections, Home Energy Scotland and Warm Homes Scotland. •    To promote a more sustainable lifestyle to local people through local food initiatives such as Pitlochry Garden Share, •    To promote active transport through businesses such as Escape Route (e-bikes) and government grants available to support the purchase of e-bikes, •    To promote more sustainable travel, through public transport, Community Car Shares and electric vehicles.

We want to stage the Eco Fairs in our Town Halls partnered by The HEAT Project and Warm Connections. We need to hire these facilities and promote the event throughout our communities and outlying areas. Eco Fairs are family friendly events, and we want to put on activities for children and provide refreshments from sustainable sources to encourage families to attend the Fairs. We will market the Fairs in local magazines, in our schools, on our websites (www.pitlochryaction.org.uk/ and www.aberfeldydt.org/), as well as on those of our contributors, and through the distribution of flyers. 

Participating organisations: The following organisations participated in a Pitlochry Energy Fair in November 2023. All reported that information was shared with enough individuals for it to be a worthwhile investment of their time and expressed interest in future events. The HEAT Project, Home Energy Scotland, Eolas Architects,  Studio East Architects, RW Bell Green Energy, IS Plumbing and Heating Fife (Vaillant), Pitlochry Garden Share, and Escape Route. 

In total around 50 people attended the event, with the Heat Project signing up 13 new clients. Activities for children enabled parents to engage with contributors in a relaxed way and free refreshments encouraged them to stay longer and discuss the potential of their new knowledge with one another and contributors.

Eco Fairs: If we receive funding we can expand on what we achieved on both our stalls in Pitlochry Coop and November’s event where we engaged with our community about what local support they needed in regard to both the ongoing Energy Crisis which an element of the Cost of Living Crisis and include an event in Aberfeldy and invite other organisations to participate including: 

MG electric vehicles, who have already expressed their interest, Other electric vehicle dealers, Enterprise Car Share and CoMoUK Car Share, The Atholl Centre Food Bank and Community Larder, Breadalbane Community Larder, Handam Refill Shop, Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters and Wasted Degrees, Birdie’s Clothes Shop and Roobedoo Sustainable clothes, homeware and gifts, Aberfeldy & Pitlochry Repair Cafes, Healthiest Town, Aberfeldy and Citizens’ Advice, Dun Coillich Community Land Trust, Aberfeldy & Pitlochry Climate Cafes, and PKC Climate Action Team.

Outcomes: We will monitor the total number of people attending and seek feedback from participating organisations as to the number of clients arising from the Eco Fairs. We will produce a short report on each Fair for both Trusts and for Green Living should you fund us.

Glenfarg Freewheelers need to upgrade our two foldable e-bikes to top condition and pay for hall hire to run an e bike maintenance course  .  Freewheelers is a group of community members who are keen to promote active travel and promote and support the use of e-bikes in our community of Glenfarg. We have formed a committee and are now a constituted group. We ran a successful trial using 3 borrowed e-bikes. As a result of our linking with other local community organisations, 2 fold-up e-bikes were donated to the project. These now require new batteries and upgrading to a good standard. While we have applied for some new hybrid, non-folding e-bikes through another fund, we are keen to make full use of the donated bikes which have a limited range at present.  E bikes will be loaned out to members of the community for several days or weeks at a very low cost.  These fold up bikes specifically allow people to commute easily and to travel further in combination with public transport at reduced expense which will help with the current cost of living crisis. The maintenance course will be run by Sustrans and enable group members to to continue to keep these bikes at a high and safe standard for the users. The village hall will cost £15 per session.

Glenfarg Freewheelers are confident that the community will make good use of these two e-bikes which are easily transported on buses and trains. During the trial, they were very popular with less confident cyclists but have also been used by commuters and leisure cyclists.  The e-bikes need to be able to cover distances of up to 60 miles and have adequate power to get up the hills surrounding our village. Confidence in the bike batteries has been a major factor in people's willingness to try them out and use on a regular basis.

During the trial, bikes were used for active travel to get work, for leisure and for shopping.  Some families have chosen to only have one car and have made good use of the e-bikes. During the summer months we expect the same uptake and realise we have further work to do to encourage new and regular cyclists and continue the expansion of active travel in Glenfarg.  

This project will encourage well-being and support young families to cycle together and to access local towns and countryside. With long loan periods, general fitness will improve and in the trials some people increased from 3 miles per outing to 15 miles.   By supporting group outings and family outings, we will increase the social aspect of cycling together and family members appreciate being able to cycle together allowing for different levels of strength and fitness.   Because the village is in a hilly area, many people do not use their pedal bikes and promotion of e-bikes increases confidence in cycling from home. Where borrowers indicate that they will struggle to pay the borrowing charge, the committee will consider reducing or wavering it to ensure access for those on lower incomes.  Finally, we are very fortunate to benefit from the community buses and having reliable and effective foldable e-bikes will allow community members to take the loaned e-bike on the buses and travel onward to their place of work/other destinations allowing them affordable and active travel opportunities. 

Rattray Community Garden has 23 raised beds for planting and growing fruit and veg locally to help with the circular economy and cost of living by making more food available locally. 

Collecting water from main building and greenhouse:

3 x water butts £134.97

3 x Rainwater Diverter Kits £29.97

To support cultivation: wheelbarrows, watering cans:  £43.99 and £20.97

Progress/Activity chalkboard: £88

Signage: 3 signs @ £95 each - total £285

Installation costs £250

50% Running costs for 2024 - £960 water, £400 electricity 

Total request is £2,576

Impact

Implementing water collection and supporting running costs and equipment will bring the use of the garden to fruition alowing us to put it to full use which will include:

• planting fruit and vegetables in our 23 riased compost beds, involving locals and demonstrating how to plant, nurture and grow our own food
• working with schools and local groups/organisations on growing food locally - the garden volunteers, Blair in Bloom, Biodiversity Blair, SCYD etc
• offering the fruit and veg to volunteers, locals and selling some to help with on-going costs
• hosting events, food fesitvals, food demonstrations etc 
• demonstrating ways of collecting and using rain water which can be replicated at home thus potentially reducing water bills

All of the above is taken from the original business plan created back in 2019/20 and is aimed at providing food and knowledge to locals to reduce their food purchase costs by growing their own, allowing those without garden space to grow items and sharing the cost of growing locally. This will have a direct imapct on the local Cost of Living with the fruit and veg being made available and will have the longer term benefit of sharing the knowledge and ideas of growing your own food with the community and can be a stepping stone to create a wider, larger community farm where locals can grow and access home grown food thus reducing their food bills.

In November 2023 Wisecraft sadly lost access to a neighbouring green space; an area which had been utilised by our clients and volunteers since 2013 (see former green space photos document). Plans will soon commence to develop this area into an outdoor eatery and bar by a local landowner, having a detrimental impact on Wisecraft’s surrounding environment and the clients who worked tremendously hard to maintain this beautiful space, entitled ‘Wellbeing Blooms’. To maintain our green approach and establish new client led opportunities, we aim to reduce the size of our car park and create a green space for growing fruit, vegetables and wildflowers (see existing car park photos document). To help insects thrive we will establish seasonal flowering plants and plant wildlife-friendly shrubs, and take a fully organic approach. We will reuse and upcycle materials within our joinery department to build new planters. These planters will hold fruit and vegetable crops for clients’ use during our Community Cookit sessions, or for them to enjoy at home with supporting Community Cookit recipe cards. Our Healthy Lifestyle Engagement Worker will deliver workshops on ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’; supporting sustainable living skills which can be transferred into clients’ day to day lives. We will provide/support waste education and awareness as a driving change towards waste and litter. Other sustainable practices will include collecting rainwater. Lack of space and gardening expertise is consistently shared as one of the biggest barriers for clients engaging in horticulture activity. Creating this supportive space will help remove this barrier and hopefully motivate client towards considering their green approaches at home; demonstrating how much can be achieved in a restricted area. To account for condensing the car parking area we will encourage employee car-sharing, and with help from Cycling Scotland, we will embrace our new cycling initiative ‘The Pedal Revolution’.  

‘Wisecraft Blooms: Renewal & Wellbeing’ fits three criteria within the Green Living Fund; that being Waste, Resilience and Engagement. By helping our client and volunteer community to grow produce on site, engage in accessible cooking groups and enhance skills to grow/cook at home, we are also supporting with the cost of living crisis.

This pilot project was inspired by Blairgowrie & Rattray's new town twinning with Brebieres in France, which has a Biodiversity Park where trees are planted each year for the babies born in the town that year.  The Blairgowrie & Rattray Community Council delegation that visited Brebieres was impressed by this initiative, and sees it supporting BRCC resilience, climate action and twinning endeavours. BRCC has shared it with other groups and residents in our community, who also see its multiple benefits. These include Biodiversity Blair, the Climate Cafe, Soroptimists International Perth and others.  BRCC itself lacks the resources and capacity to take this idea forward. This pilot project would help to address this issue, with a view to establishing longer-term financial viability.

This project is focused on resilience and engagement, with the long-term benefits of biodiversity and food growing, bringing about cost savings as well as climate and social benefits.  By planting a range of site-appropriate food-bearing trees, this project aims to help the climate by increasing local biodiversity, improving air quality, benefiting local wildlife.  Trees planted for each newborn in the community will create a sense of ownership of the project with the families of our newest residents.  The planting of food-bearing trees will result in free food for the community!  Sites could also be chosen which will help prevent flooding, thus reducing the financial and mental impacts of these events.

This project requires research, preparation, implementation and follow-up.

During the research phase suitable sites large and small will be identified and who owns them established. Suitable food-bearing trees for the site will be identified. The number of babies born in the town (approx 130 each year) and the best method of contacting the families to confirm how many of them would like to take part in this pilot project will also be established. Any existing local projects that might include tree planting and food growing willl be identified so as to work together and not duplicate effort. A policy for future-proofing and evaluating this project would need drawing up. This would include record-keeping (what planted, where and for whom) and maintenance plans.

The preparation phase will see an appropriate location for the first trees selected, and permissions sought as required. Advice on appropriate food-bearing trees will be sought, and trees sourced. Soroptimists International Perth, a local group, is happy to provide funding for purchasing trees. A source of slate which could be repurposed to create commemorative name plaques, as well as a volunteer to do so, have already been identified

The implementation phase is a planting event, to which the whole community will be invited.  This may involve one or more family members per tree, and other support volunteers, as well as interested members of the community. Certificates for presentation to the families.

Follow-up would include record-keeping, maintenance and evaluation as above. If the pilot project is deemed successful, plans for future funding would need to be explored.

Crieff In Leaf has operated as a successful environmental group which will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2024.  The group is comprised purely of volunteers who  enhance the environment of this historic tourist centre.  Their operating base is at Alichmore Road, where there is  presently a limited resource for composting.  The group are required to purchase  compost which is costly in terms of monetary value and environmental impact.  Given their environmental credentials and conscience, they use peat free compost which commands a higher price/cost.  Whilst they endeavour to compost some of the downtakings, it has been necessary to make up to 4 trips per week to the Crieff Recycling Centre on Broich Road, using  their Great Wall Stead vehicle which has a relatively high  emission rating of 200 g /km.  The distance from Crieff to the recycling centre is approximately 3km.  The distance fron Crieff to the Alichmore Road site is significatly less.  The needs of the group are to relocate  all composting to the Alichmore site and to become self sufficient in compost.  There is also a drive to more sustainable planting and to use the current polytunnels to overwinter plants etc; both  polytunnels  require re skinning. 

Should this application be successful, this will allow the group to purchase the following

4 x 189 litre rotating composting bins 

1 x Hyundai Chipper/Shredder 

4 x Standard Composting Bins 

Reskinning of Polytunnels and Associated Sundries 

This funding bid to the Green Living Fund, if successful, will materially help Auchterarder Community Bus Group (ACBuG) maintain at least a three-day a week timetable on the Auchterarder Town Bus Service from April 2024 for the subsequent 12 months.  If sufficient funds can be generated a fourth day will be added.

Auchterarder Community Bus Group (ACBuG) was formed to address community concerns about a lack of public transport provision within the residential areas of Auchterarder.  For a not insignificant proportion of the local community carrying out relatively straight forward daily activities, such as shopping or going to a medical appointment, was difficult or even impossible.  Social isolation was clearly seen to be a real issue for some residents.

Since its launch the Town Bus Service has successfully helped an increasing number of residents to participate more fully in their community. 

In early 2023 the ACBuG faced some significant financial challenges, and the Town Bus was only able to operate for two days a week from June 2023.  Fortunately, with crucial funding support received from Friends of St Margaret’s, The National Lottery Community Fund and through the Perth & Kinross Warm Welcome Fund, amongst others, a four-day a week timetable was implemented from 06 November 2023 and will continue up to the end of March 2024. 

The two-day operation saw the average number of daily journeys increase significantly, with an overall average of 56 passengers per day.  Initial figures for the four-day timetable look encouraging and the usage target(s) will be reassessed to better reflect the enhanced timetable.

ACBuG believes that a three-day timetable offers a reasonable degree of accessibility for local residents to the shops and community facilities in central Auchterarder, as well as to the health and social care facilities at St Margaret’s; whilst this would be materially enhanced with the operation of a fourth day.

How the Town Bus helps improve quality of life in our community

Clearly the overarching aim of ACBuG has been to make our community more accessible, so that individuals do not find it as difficult to participate in community life.

Through on-going survey work, ACBuG has received numerous positive statements with accessibility to shops and other community facilities for those with no car or limited mobility an important benefit highlighted.  Complementing accessibility, bus users also mentioned the bus providing them with independence to get out, including reducing isolation.

Whilst the Town Bus service is open to the whole community, our focus has been on assisting people in need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, or residential isolation.

The timetable and routing of the bus service, which operates hourly during the day, is intended to make it attractive and easy to use.  ACBuG also offers one-to-one support to potential new users through Travel Assistance for Independent Mobility.  An increasing number of residents with wheelchairs and other mobility aids regularly use the bus.  With the bus operating on a ‘hail and ride’ basis, the driver can also be particularly sensitive to the mobility needs of passengers.

How does the bus help people in our community with the cost of living

The Town Bus is a registered local bus service and, as a result, most passengers travel free if they have a valid National Entitlement Card.  For the elderly, people with a disability and young people under 22 years of age, this is important because it avoids any fiscal barrier to using the service.  For those that must pay to use the Town Bus, a low flat fare of just £1.20 single applies to all journeys.