£303,000 of Green Recovery Funding support awarded to 28 local projects

Twenty eight local projects in the Cairngorms National Park have been awarded money totalling £303,000 from the 2021/22 Green Recovery Fund.  The diversity of successful projects includes community litter campaigns, a new “Garbiologist” post to encourage more waste recycling in the Park, a Community Repair Café and a Rural Skills development programme for High Schools in the area.

Originally launched in 2020, the Green Recovery Fund was set up by the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Cairngorms Trust to help communities and local businesses recover from lockdown. A further round of funding totalling £300,000 (£250,000 from the CNPA and £50,000 from the Cairngorms Trust) was made available in April 2021 to support the ongoing recovery of the Cairngorms economy, with an emphasis placed on projects that would protect and enhance the natural environment and seek to address the ongoing impacts of climate change.

Thirty seven project applications totalling £580,000 were received and assessed against the four guiding principles of the Fund:

1. Green – projects will contribute to strengthening the natural and social capital of the Park.
2. Cairngorms – projects will be Cairngorms National Park focused and contribute to the outcomes of the National Park Partnership Plan.
3. Partnership – applicants will work in partnership with others to deliver projects, focused on green recovery, well-being and economic growth.
4. Employment – Projects will endeavour to maximise their contribution to local employment and impact for the National Park.

Willie Munro, Cairngorms National Park Authority Board member and chair of the assessment panel, said: “We were delighted to receive such a large volume and variety of quality applications, it made our deliberations very thorough. With a more generous funding pot than last year, we are delighted to award funds to 28 great projects from across the Cairngorms National Park.  We hope this funding will not only help sustain the recovery but bring a boost to the local economy, with green projects that will help to deliver a sustainable future for the communities in the National Park.”

The Cairngorms Trust contributed £50,000 to the Fund and the charity has a remit to support projects that will benefit the wider residents and the visiting public. Roger Clegg, Chair of the Cairngorms Trust, said: “This past year has been particularly hard for rural communities. It is vitally important to continue to support their recovery, particularly those groups who may struggle to access funds in other ways. It was encouraging to see such a large number of applications and the confidence of groups to take projects forwards on behalf of their communities. We are proud to be able to contribute to some really worthy causes.”

See the full list of projects that have been awarded funding here.