Council to support eco-friendly projects in the district

Malvern Hills District Council is providing funding to community projects which aim to make a greener and more sustainable district.

The Destination Zero Community Fund is a dedicated funding pot available through the crowdfunding platform, Spacehive, to support local, community-led projects that help to reduce carbon emissions.

The £100,000 fund is aimed at community groups, charities, local councils, schools and individuals to help bring forward projects that would have a wider community benefit.

The council is interested in projects that contribute towards the aims of the Destination Zero plan, focusing on reducing carbon emissions, tackling climate change, and enhancing biodiversity and habitats.

Projects with the following outcomes are being encouraged:

• Improved energy efficiency of homes through community action
• Increased low carbon travel for community benefit
• Community campaigns that support reduce, reuse, and recycle initiatives
• Natural measures to capture and store carbon (e.g., tree planting, pollinator sites, wetlands, wildflower meadows)

Examples of projects could be a community garden, e-bike hire schemes, community repair café, swap shop events, local renewable energy schemes, but there are many more possibilities.

The council will review all project campaigns and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge of up to £10,000 (max. 50% of the campaign target).

The size of the pledge will depend on the size of the project, how it delivers against fund criteria and Destination Zero objectives, the impact it will have, and the buy-in from the community.

Before the fund launches, the council is encouraging organisations to share their project ideas to inspire others.

Cllr Sarah Rouse, Portfolio Holder for Environment at Malvern Hills District Council, said: "The fund is a brilliant opportunity for the community to come together and set up projects that could make a real difference to reducing the carbon emissions in our wonderful district. We are asking people to take part in our ideas board to get them talking, inspire them and encourage them to create projects within their communities that will help create a greener, more sustainable district. By sharing these ideas, it could inspire a group to develop a project and help make them a reality."

Visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk/crowdfundingto share your project ideas and to find out more information about the fund.