crowdfunder

Last month, we shared our support for a Crowdfund campaign to create a Climate Change Response Centre in Totnes.

We are thrilled to report that it smashed its initial target of £16,000 and just as this article was going to press it reached a grand total of more than £26,137

This opportunity came about thanks to the efforts of some of our climate change 'champions' recruited through our community engagement work. This was made possible thanks to funding through the Transition Networks’ Bounce Forward grant, provided by The National Lottery Community Grant Fund.

Our purpose was to continue the conversation where we left off, following a meeting held in the Civic Hall way back in 2019, where various groups and individuals came together to address the climate emergency declared by our local town, district and county councils.

It addressed the question, ‘Totnes Declares a Climate Emergency: What Next?’ and a number of themes went into a big book of collective ideas that formed ‘The People’s Climate and ecological Emergency Plan for Totnes.’

The next chapter of this book will be the creation of a Climate Emergency Centre. It was an idea that was already gaining momentum before our ‘champions’ came along and it was inspired by a national movement, where a model has been shared to provide an information hub to help all communities address the global challenges we all face in a way that’s relevant to their local area. A Totnes Climate Emergency Response Centre will do just that.

It aims to inspire, educate and enable the community to respond effectively, intelligently and creatively to climate and ecological breakdown at a local level. It will enable individuals, families, groups, businesses, organisations and councils to all make more sustainable choices, reduce their carbon footprints, protect nature and live in more regenerative and caring ways. It will be a prominent building in the middle of Totnes that represents how important this situation is and will involve a coalition of many local groups with this ideology, with an array of solutions and responses that can be helpful.

Find out more about plans to create a Climate Change Response Centre and what you can do to get involved:

https://www.transitiontowntotnes.org/news/