People with learning disabilities across Merseyside are set to become the region’s newest ‘Climate Champions’ thanks to a landmark £1.2 million grant aimed at making climate action accessible to all.
The five-year project, titled ‘Climate Champions: It’s Our Planet Too’, is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund. Led by our partners People First Merseyside, an organisation run by and for adults with learning disabilities, the initiative tackles a major gap in the environmental movement: the lack of accessible information and opportunities for the learning disability community.
While the climate crisis affects everyone, people with learning disabilities often face significant barriers to taking part in climate action. This project will break those barriers down through a massive partnership involving local organisations: Gateway Collective, Groundwork, Growing Sudley CIC, Grow-Wellbeing CIC, Lantern Company, Regenerus and The Conservation Volunteers.
Through the project, participants will:
- Share Knowledge: These resources will be made available free of charge to organisations locally and nationally to empower others to lead inclusive climate action.
- Get Hands-On: Learn about food growing, composting, biodiversity, gleaning, etc. at community hubs across Merseyside.
- Lead the Way: accessible resources to help people with learning disabilities understand climate change and take practical action in their everyday lives.
People First Merseyside Project Development Worker Madeleine Shannon, said: “We want to show that everyone can help save the planet and live a better, greener life. This £1.2 million investment will allow us to prove that when you empower people with learning disabilities, they don’t just participate – they lead.”
The project has now officially launched and will run for five years, building a lasting legacy of environmental inclusion across the region.
