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Climate Challenge Fund Award

Knoydart Powerdown post brings in £41,000 award to Knoydart Foundation

Knoydart Foundation is grateful to the Scottish Government’s “Climate Challenge Fund” for making an award of £41,000 to enable it to set up a Community Garden and Electric Vehicle project.

The costs of bringing fresh food into the area is expensive both in terms of haulage costs and “food miles”. The project will enable the community to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved in the reduction of food transport miles.

The funding will be used to employ a community gardener for a year to work with local residents to create a community garden on the site of the former market garden, and to provide training and advice in growing produce. Sam Gardener has been appointed as the community gardener and is looking forward to the challenges and rewards ahead. “I am excited about the prospect of bringing this area of land back into use for community benefit.”

Deer fencing, tools, equipment, seeds and training events will also be covered from the grant.

Twelve community members have already signed up to have their own little veg patch with the community garden and many others are keen to come and help out with communal tasks. “One of our ideas is to have a carbon neutral community Burns Supper in 2011,” said Gwen Barrell, Powerdown Officer. “We’ll grow all our own neeps and tatties in the garden this year.”

“It’s crazy to be importing fruit and vegetables when we could grow them closer to home,” said Aaran Watson, Community Director of Knoydart Foundation and local school teacher. “As an Eco School we will also be interested in joining in with the project and learning more about gardening.”

In order to reduce our carbon footprint even further, the funding will also enable the community to pilot an electric quad bike and trailer for moving things like compost and vegetables around. As Knoydart already has its own renewable electricity the quad bike will be recharged on green electricity