RenCAN Climate Action Grant Recipients 2025 - 26

Broadloan Gardens - Renfrew Association of Growers and Gardeners: Starting up a community seed library at Renfrew Library, offering free access to seeds to encourage people to grow food and flowers at home. Promote seed saving, local food growing and the use of pollinator-friendly plants. Providing seasonal opportunities for community involvement. Raising awareness of and prompt action on climate justice.

Darkwood Crew: Establishing a communal tool shed to enhance the accessibility, usability, and sustainability of the Ferguslie Community Growing Area, located on the Village Green in Ferguslie Park, Paisley. Increasing accessibility and participation in Ferguslie Community Growing Area. Supporting local biodiversity and contributing to tackling the climate change emergency by enabling more food to be grown locally & reducing carbon emissions. Increasing skills development and educational opportunities for residents. Strengthening community ownership of the Village Green. 

Oakshaw Trinity Church: Creating an ecogarden, enhance the biodiversity of the church grounds.

School of African Cultures: Delivered a 5 day October holiday climate action camp: "friendship with nature". Young people experienced climate action activities that they can control (growing food to reduce CO2 footprint, cooking from scratch) to combat climate change and preserve nature. They connected with nature and appreciated its benefits and values for mental health and life on earth. Young people learnt more about origin of food and the interest to care for our environment, as well as reviewing and consolidating knowledge about Climate Change and Action

Renfrew YMCA: Delivering 5 community climate reduction activities for young people and their families (including litterpicks, Renfrew YMCA bug hotels, Renfrew YMCA Bottle Collection challenge, Renfrew YMCA Local Birdspotter Challenge). Supporting local young people to take part in the community climate activities. Linking the project with local schools and community partners, embedding climate learning more widely. Opportunity for the young people to complete the Hi5 Climate Action challenge through these activities. 

Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust: Planting as many varying species of plants and flowers as possible within the garden space where further planting is necessary. Providing a biodiverse environment for many creatures to thrive. Creating a beautiful, natural space to enjoy, learn, & host activities in.

Creating a Sustainable Gryffe: Delivering a “Community Retrofitting Workshop” in Bridge of Weir. Encouraging and supporting community members to retrofit their homes. Gauging interest in exploring the potential for a community retrofitting initiative. 

Lochwinnoch ELCC: Purchasing a storage unit, a water irrigation system for the polytunnel and a canopy for creating a sheltered space in the woods. Creating a sheltered space in the woods. Delivering growing workshops, engaging the nursery, school and volunteers. Increasing knowledge of, and the importance of growing your own food. 

Chard Organic Produce CIC: Purchasing fruit trees to create an orchard of around 100 fruit trees at the field in Barnhill. 

Sewing2gether All Nations: Delivering 4 sewing workshops, engaging those from low-income backgrounds or refugee community: Developmenting basic sewing machine skills, creating a fully upcycled draught excluder from donated textiles. Increasing awareness and education on keeping the home warm in winter, and lowering energy costs.

Friends of Clyde Muirshiel: Purchasing a reliable office printer, sufficient ink and paper supplies to produce and print  a quarterly Friends of Clyde Muirshiel - Accessible Newsletter (approx. 100-150 copies each edition). Providing accessible information about upcoming events, volunteering opportunities and conservation work. Supporting community outreach activities, including posters and handouts for local meetings and events based in the park.

Lochwinnoch Community Larder: Developing a new growing space: 12 raised beds and Polytunnel space within the community garden. Growing and distributing seed / food locally. Offering skills development in climate action, and empowering people to find sustainable solutions and harness local resources in a lasting way.

Grow in Glenburn: Purchasing a new polytunnel and raised beds to expand growing opportunities (iIncreasing the growing space, and engaging additional growers. 

Rainbow Turtle: Purchasing growing resources in order to deliver the ‘Schools Growing Project 2026’. Engaging 3 local schools, delivering 3 educational growing workshops to young people within each school.  Workshop 1 - Origins of the foods and drinks, Workshop 2 - Outdoor gardening activities, Workshop 3 - Learning outcomes. Increasing conscious consumerism, time spent in nature and awareness of caring for the planet. 

Tannhill Centre: Purchasing community cooking class ingredients, and lego solar kits. Delivering 20 community cooking classes. Increasing skills and knowledge around reducing food waste & energy costs. Also delivering several learning sessions in connection with the up-and-coming installation of solar panels, engaging youth groups and wider community groups. Increasing knowledge and awareness of sustainable energy and community solutions.

Erskine Riverfront Development Trust: Enhancing the biodiversity of the piece of land (beside the River Clyde) inherited from Scottish Enterprise. Purchasing the relevant resources for site development (Wildflowers, pond digging, wildflower seed, & materials for making nest and bat boxes). Increasing biodiversity of the site through planting & installing nest and bat boxes. Engaging the local community in the making of the nest and bat boxes. 

Lochwinnoch Community Garden: Running a small project promoting small wildflower meadows in Lochwinnoch. Contributing to the wildlife corridor within Lochwinnoch. Increasing benefit to pollinators and other wildlife. Small scale carbon sequestration, contributing to the understanding of the need to sequester carbon and how individuals can help with this.

Gala Ministry: Purchasing sewing machines and basic accessories (needles, threads, scissors, measuring tools). Engage families in the Foxbar through the Mend, Adapt, Repurpose (MAR) Project to: Encourage mindful consumption, build local resilience, and empower participants to take practical climate action in their daily lives. Participants will learn basic sewing skills; mending (patching, hemming, sewing on buttons), altering sizes, basic pattern adaptations, creative repurposing, and peer practice. Through supportive tutoring participants can practise sewing skills both in group workshops and at home.