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Local groups to get £100,000 for climate and nature projects

Floodplain restoration, improved insulation for a local museum and a giveaway of at least 1600 new trees are just a few of the projects to be given financial help by the Vale of White Horse District Council’s Climate Action Fund this autumn.

The council has just announced that it has offered a total of £100,000 in grants to 16 organisations including charities and community groups. These local projects collectively aim to save energy and resources or help nature recovery or empower people to make sustainable choices.

Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Climate Action and Nature Recovery for Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “This is the fifth year we have offered the Climate Action Fund to groups across the Vale, and it’s as popular as ever. It was once again oversubscribed. We have been very impressed by the quality and ingenuity of the proposals with people looking to tackle environmental issues.

“In addition to a variety of ideas, we are also seeing abundant enthusiasm from all applicants to make improvements to their local areas to take action for the climate and to help build nature recovery. We are so pleased we can support and encourage so many of these groups.”

Notes to editors

Climate Action Fund awards – offered September 2025

  • Abingdon – Delivery of Creative Climate Champions programme – engaging schools and the community in practical climate action (The Life Space Project)
  • Abingdon – Funding for venue space to hold a community festival event, with stalls, performances and workshops on zero waste principles (One Planet Abingdon)
  • Blewbury – Purchase of a cycling rack, pump, bike repair items, locks for visitors to the Style Acre Tea Room, to encourage active travel (Style Acre)
  • Botley and North Hinksey – New section (125m) of boardwalk to accommodate grazing cattle at the site and replacing existing poor-quality boardwalk to increase access (Hinksey Trail Regeneration)
  • Cumnor – Funding for a floodplain meadow restoration project (Long Mead Foundation)
  • East Hendred – Expansion of a community growing space, including the building of accessible features (Hendreds Environment Group)
  • Sunningwell – Funding for a wetland restoration project (Oxford Preservation Trust)
  • Uffington – Sustainably managing the recovery of woodland using ‘horse logging’ to protect the woodland and save carbon emissions (Wilts and Berks Canal Trust)
  • Wantage – Following an energy audit of their rented premises, the applicant is carrying out practical improvements to reduce energy usage and enhance the building’s environmental performance (VCI – Vale Community Impact)
  • Wantage – Installation of secondary glazing to windows to improve insulation and reduce heat loss (Vale and Downland Museum)
  • Wantage – Scoping and feasibility study to produce a five-year food growing strategy (Sustainable Wantage)

District Wide

Picture of person's hands planting a new tree
  • Distribution of 1600 free, native Oxfordshire trees to households across the Vale of White Horse, creating an opportunity for people to engage with tree planting in their own gardens (International Tree Foundation)
  • Introductory workshops to educate and support communities to transition to rooftop solar power (CPRE – The countryside charity Oxfordshire)
  • Provision of energy assessments for up to six community organisations in the Vale (Low Carbon Hub)
  • Water testing at 40 locations across the Ock river catchment and running of engagement events, production of communications and training volunteers (Thames21)
  • Local talks and engagement on climate adaptation to support community resilience in the face of increased risk of flooding across the district (Future Flood Resilience Group)