Local action on climate change with £316,000 awarded to community organisations across Tower Hamlets

Sixteen local organisations have been awarded £316,000 of funding to take action on the climate emergency through round two of the Carbon Reduction Community Grants Programme.  

The organisations will be rolling out projects that aim to decrease their carbon emissions and improve educational awareness around the climate emergency.   

The successful projects include the installation of LED lighting, solar panels, air source heat pumps, insulation, draught proofing and more efficient heating systems.  

There are also five educational projects that will engage with communities across the borough on the climate emergency and will include workshops, seminars, roundtables, plays, exhibitions and community days.    

The Carbon Reduction Community Grants programme supports local community groups, charities, and community interest companies to cut their carbon emissions. 

The grants make up part of a larger £700,000 package which responds to the climate emergency locally by funding carbon reduction projects for 36 local organisations.  

In the first round, approximately £200,000 was awarded to 11 organisations for projects dedicated to reducing their carbon emissions and making their organisations more sustainable.   

Hermitage Community Moorings was one of the organisations that benefited from the first round of funding, which allowed them to install solar panels on their mooring site. 

Jess Lerche, co-chair of Hermitage Community Moorings, said: 

"Our 54-panel array was switched on just last week and our moorings community are planning a ‘solar'bration’ party to celebrate.  

“It is something we have wanted to do since we were founded fourteen years ago, and the grant made it possible.  

“The sustainability team at Tower Hamlets were behind us all the way and it’s a major step in our quest to become the greenest mooring on the Thames." 

The Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said:  

“Congratulations to all the local organisations who have been granted funding as part of this programme – alongside residents and local businesses, your organisations make up the fabric of our Tower Hamlets community.   

“We know that responding to the climate emergency locally requires action and expertise from across the borough. These grants aim to support and empower our local organisations to take action for the benefit of the whole community.  

“The climate emergency is an important priority for the council and the Carbon Reduction Community Grants Programme will help to achieve both carbon-reducing improvements to buildings in our borough and increase educational awareness about what communities can do to help create a cleaner, greener borough for us all.” 

For more information on the Carbon Reduction Community Grants Programme, please visit our website.  

If you have any questions about the programme or would like more information, please email: THEnergy@towerhamlets.gov.uk  

List of organisations who have received funding in the second round of the project include: 

Installation of renewable technologies  

Acme Artist Studios 

The Good Shepherd Mission  

Limehouse Town Hall Consortium Trust 

St Peter’s Bethnal Green 

Art Services Grants 

Energy retrofits  

The Oxford House in Bethnal Green 

Art Services Grants 

St Hilda’s East 

The Good Shepherd Mission 

Mile End Community Project 

Stepney City Farm 

Chisenhale Dance Space 

Limehouse Town Hall Consortium Trust 

St Peter’s Bethnal Green 

Rich Mix Cultural Foundation 

Acme Artist Studios   

Behaviour change  

East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre 

Easthands 

Good Cop, Bad Cop 28 Festival 

Sunny Jar Eco Hub CIC 

Poplar Shahjalal Centre 

Posted on Tuesday 17th October 2023