RenCAN Annual Network Gathering celebrates community climate action

Held at The Wynd Centre, Paisley on 2nd October 2026, the annual gathering brought together partner organisations, guest speakers, panellists, workshop facilitators and network members for a day of inspiring conversations, practical activities and opportunities to collaborate.

The day opened with Lisa Hough-Stewart, Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland, exploring how we can build an economy that puts people and the planet first. Drawing on international thinking and real-world examples, the session challenged conventional measures of economic success and highlighted the importance of embedding wellbeing into policy and practice.

Becky Duncan from Open Aye then introduced and launched for the first time, Renfrewshire’s Green List Directory, showcasing climate action already happening across the region. Developed through participatory photography workshops over the past two years, the directory captures a diverse range of community initiatives spanning conservation, the circular economy and social justice, shining a light on the people and projects making a difference locally.

Food and community resilience were the focus of a panel discussion, hosted by Bora Zabransky from LEAP,  featuring guest speakers  Lesley Compston of KLAS Care, Reuben Chesters of Locavore, Fiona McConnell of Broadloans Gardens and Johannes Gonani of Pachedu. Together, they explored how community gardens, food-growing projects, pantries and sustainable food producers can work together to tackle food waste, respond to the cost-of-living crisis and build more resilient local food systems.

Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in a series of drop-in workshops. Remode explored flax processing and spinning, Diggin’ It (LEAP) shared the art of seed saving, and Open Aye showcased the Green List participatory photography exhibition. These practical activities highlighted the many ways people can take meaningful climate action in their own communities.

After a networking lunch (provided by Trail Grazers) and a climate quiz hosted by Lucy Cunningham of NatureFix, the gathering closed with facilitated Climate Conversations by Scott Duncan (Sustain The Change) & Becky Ducan. These small group discussions gave participants space to exchange ideas, share experiences and build solidarity around the challenges and opportunities facing their communities.

Throughout the day the key message was that meaningful climate action depends on people working together, sharing knowledge and supporting initiatives already making a difference. The gathering provided a valuable opportunity to further strengthen relationships across the network, celebrate incredible progress  across Renfrewshire and inspire future collaboration.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the event, including partner organisations, guest speakers, panellists and workshop facilitators, The Wynd Centre for its hospitality, Trail Grazers for catering, and, of course, our network members who continue to drive positive change across Renfrewshire.

RenCAN welcomes individuals, community groups and organisations to join the network for free. By joining, you can connect with like-minded people, share ideas, access opportunities, resources & seed funding, and become part of a growing movement for a more sustainable future.

Ready to get involved? Join RenCAN for free and help shape the future of climate action in Renfrewshire.

Photo credit: Mike Callaghan / RenCAN