New workshop dates are being offered by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful in November 2022 to help people who live or work in the Cairngorms National Park to learn what the climate emergency means for the area, find out how they can take action, and have their say on what sustainable communities look like.

In August, Keep Scotland Beautiful announced a partnership with the Cairngorms National Park Authority to deliver online and in-person Climate Conscious Communities workshops as part of the Park Authority’s Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme.

The workshops have received funding through The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to money raised by National Lottery players and in the past two months over 70 people have registered to attend a workshop, either online or in person, with attendees saying they really enjoyed the workshops and found them useful.

Participants at the November workshops will learn what the climate emergency means for the Cairngorms National Park in terms of impacts, risks and opportunities. And they’ll find out what’s being done to combat climate change across the area as well as learning more about Climate Conscious actions they can take as individuals, communities and businesses. The workshops will also provide opportunities for people to have their say on climate change – from what a Climate Conscious Cairngorms looks like – through to identifying barriers, challenges and support required to take climate action.

Workshops take place until 17 November 2022. To register and see all available dates please see eventbrite.

Catherine Gee, Deputy Chief Executive for Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We’re delighted to partner with the Cairngorms National Park Authority to offer further workshops in November so that people living or working in the park can learn more about what the climate emergency means for the local area, find out how to take action, and have their say on what sustainable communities look like.

“Climate change can seem like a scary or overwhelming prospect, so these workshops emphasise hope over despair and introduce co-benefits of climate action relevant to individuals, communities and businesses – such as saving money, improved wellbeing and resilience to extreme weather, new regulations and changing customer expectations.”

Grant Moir, Chief Executive for the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “The Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme is all about putting the power to tackle the climate and nature crises in the hands of our Park communities. I’d encourage as many people as possible to attend one of these in-person or online workshops as a great way to get practical information on the climate emergency and discuss what it means for them and their community. Taking part in these workshops will ensure local people are at the heart of decision-making on climate issues and I look forward to hearing about the outcomes.”