Northumberland community projects receive financial boost

04 Jun 2025

Northumberland County Council’s Environment and Climate Fund is once again supporting sustainable initiatives in the county.  

£50,000 will be distributed across 18 projects resulting in more grassroot community projects helping to tackle climate change, improve our local environment and foster a sense of shared responsibility. 

The projects span a wide range of activities, including reducing emissions, supporting community engagement and education, improving the energy efficiency of buildings through insulation and retrofitting, encouraging active and sustainable transport, or upgrading waste solutions to support more reducing, reusing, and recycling.  

Each project will help strengthen the Council’s ambition to make Northumberland a net zero county by 2040.   

Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council and Cabinet Member for Climate Change said: "It is great to see - once again - so much enthusiasm for our Environment and Climate Fund.  

“Our local communities are at the heart of driving environmental change and it is so important that we support them in their efforts.  

“I’m excited to see more of these projects come to fruition and help improve our county.” 

The Northumberland Climate and Environment Fund aligns with the Council's Environment Policy Statement which underscores the Council's commitment to environmental initiatives and supports its key corporate priorities of achieving value for money, tackling inequalities and driving economic growth. 

Projects include:

• Afghanistan and Central Asian Association: ‘’Coastal Conservation and Climate Awareness in Ashington’’ - A new initiative designed to engage the local community, particularly families, young people, and individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds in climate education and conservation efforts.  

• Ashington Town Council: ‘’Eco Fair’’ - Running an Eco-Fair, which will include Exhibitors, Project Showcases, Workshops, Presentation, Demonstrations, Activities, Live Entertainment and more.  

• Blyth Riverside Resource Centre: ‘’Blyth Riverside Community Allotment’’ – Refurbishing the community allotment as well as introducing solar powered water heating and electricity.  

• Burnlaw Centre CIC: ‘’Burnlaw X Allen Valleys 2025 Education programme for resilience and sustainability’’ – To host 5 public events and a residential workshop to engage the local community and further afield in important questions about community resilience to climate change.  

• Chatton Village Hall Trust: ‘’Energy Efficiency and Heating Improvement’’ - To build on existing work, installing Air Source Heat Pumps and Battery Storage Solutions.  

• Coquet River Action Group: ‘’Coquet River Action Group Citizen Science Water Quality Testing 2025/26’’ - To continue citizen science water quality testing for another year at sites along the length of the river coquet.  

• Cramlington Red Squirrel Group: ‘’Beyond the Thin Red Line’’ - To eradicate or reduce grey squirrel numbers significantly to protect and support our endangered red squirrel.  

• Felton CAN: ‘’Playing for the Planet – Games as a means of community engagement’’ - Using board games concerning climate and nature as a means of engaging young people, particularly families, in learning about these issues in a way that is both entertaining and educational, fun and enjoyable.  

• Heddon on the Wall Parish Council: ‘’Heddon Community Buildings Sustainability Retrofit Plan’’ - To commission structural surveys and the production of a retrofit plan for 2 community buildings in Heddon Village - Heddon Library and the Knott Memorial Hall.  

• Holy Island Village Hall: ‘’Low Energy Lighting and Smart Heating Control for Holy Island Village Hall’’ - Improving the energy efficiency of Holy Island Village Hall (HIVH), targeting both heating and lighting.  

• Prudhoe Community Partnership: ‘’Prudhoe Net Zero’’ - To inform and advise on the impact of climate change and changes in weather related situations as well as biodiversity activities.   

• Queens Hall Arts Centre: ‘’The Future Is Now Festival’’ - To run community engagement events to engage community members on the issues of climate change, reducing emissions and environmental action.  

• Repurposeful CIC: ‘’Engaging our Community in Waste Reduction - Junk Modelling’’ - To promote reuse within target communities, as part of supporting waste reduction, enabling children to become champions of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ in their households, whilst supporting fun, creativity, wellbeing and a host of important skills.  

• Rockets Community Foundation: ‘’Rockets Go Green’’ - Educating and empowering local residents, particularly youth aged 12-16, by co-designing community projects that promote environmental responsibility.  

• St Hilda's Church, Lucker / Parochial Church Council of Lucker: ‘’St Hilda’s Church Lucker – Community Orchard, Green Space and Churchyard Biodiversity Action Plan’’ - To support the next phase of work aimed at converting the Glebe field that is adjacent to St Hilda's Courtyard into a community orchard, biodiversity rich meadow and woodland burial area.  

• Stocksfield Parish Council: ‘’Living Roof Bus Shelter’’ - To install a living shelter on the bus shelter in Stocksfield in a brick build bus shelter on the A695.   

• Tyne Rivers Trust: ‘’Volunteer Tyne’’ – Engage with people throughout the Tyne catchment to increase biodiversity, improve water quality, and protect habitats and environments most important to them, all whilst learning new skills, getting outside and improving physical and mental well-being.  

• West End Women's and Girls Centre: ‘’Circles’’ - To run a programme of volunteer activity for women at their farm in Harwood Forest over 12 months focussed on environmental learning and engagement by connecting the intersected issues of the climate crisis and food security.