Big lottery announces 30 sustainable living pilots, 2 in the West Midlands
Big lottery announces 30 sustainable living pilots, 2 in the West Midlands
6 March, 2012
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Two communities in the West Midlands are to receive funding from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to jump start detailed planning for more sustainable living as part of BIG's Communities Living Sustainably Programme.
The two areas, one in Herefordshire and one in Central Shires Waterways, are part of a group of 30 across the country receiving up to £10,000 to work in partnership with local people, councils, schools, businesses and voluntary groups to draw up detailed plans on how their community can be greener.
The Waterways Trust in Stoke-on-Trent is to plan the management of woodland stock which may provide fuel for boat users and tackle fuel poverty. The Trust counted 4,159 boats on the Central Shires Waterway in 2011 and will look to improve the recycling and landfill ratio of waste produced. The Trust will also explore ways to capture the energy of water flowing over weirs and how to preserve water resources.
The Bulmer Foundation will be leading a partnership in Herefordshire. The community plans will include establishing syndicates for insulation materials and renewable energy technology, setting up community transport schemes and support networks for old and vulnerable groups. They will also investigate ways of conserving water and flood management.
John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the West Midlands said: "We want to support local communities to make greener choices to improve their quality of life and help them become resilient to the changing environment. The small steps being taken by these projects will have a big impact and will hopefully spark a change in behaviour that makes sustainable living second nature to us all."
Simon Slater, SWM commented: "We are delighted that two community projects have been selected for further development by the Big Lottery sustainable living fund. However we are surprised that more excellent West Midlands bids we were aware of or supported didn't make the short list. The challenge now will be to help the successful bidders learn from the existing good practice in the West Midlands and to help the unsuccessful bidders access other BLF funding and the remaining £40m future programme."
For more information, visit the Big Lottery Fund website.