£1.4m in National Lottery funding will support communities in Lancaster to tackle climate change

The funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, will be used by Lancaster District CIC (LESS) and Lancaster District Community and Voluntary Solutions (LDCVS) to create a circular and regenerative food economy for the local community.

The partnership hopes to transform the local food distribution network across the district, encouraging people to intercept food waste from supermarkets by taking advantage of surplus food spaces, as well as creating a compost academy.

Through composting workshops at the academy, adults and children from across Lancaster will come together and learn about the benefits of tackling food waste through composting and community growing.

Project coordinator at LESS, Anna Clayton, said: “We are thrilled to have received this vital funding thanks to National Lottery players. This partnership we have created with LDCVS is all about encouraging people to learn about food waste and how they can play their part in reducing it.

"We want to empower communities and give them a sense of ownership when it comes to reducing waste and improving the sustainability and environment of our planet.”

Nick Gardner, head of climate action at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We know communities have a big role to play in responding to the climate emergency. That’s why, thanks to National Lottery players, we are pleased to be supporting community-led action to address waste and consumption.

"These projects will bring people together to create a lower waste society, that will not only help us get to net zero, but also support communities to prosper and thrive.”

This new community funding comes as recent National Lottery research* found four in five adults in the north west (77 per cent) think local communities are responsible for acting on climate change.

The research also shows that more than half (55 per cent) are worried about the impact of climate on their local community.

Thanks to National Lottery players, 21 community-led waste and consumption focused projects across the UK are today receiving funding from the Climate Action Fund - a £100m fund that aims to reduce the carbon footprint of communities and support community-led movements that demonstrate what is possible when people take the lead in tackling climate change.

Since 2016, thanks to National Lottery players, we have awarded £397 million through more than 6,000 grants which involve environmental action, including action on waste and consumption, energy, transport, food and the natural environment. National Lottery players raise £30m each week across the UK for good causes.