£3m climate fund for region

A CLIMATE fund for the North West has launched today that will see £1m spent each year on local, community-based carbon-reducing projects.

The Foundation fund is being established to give individuals and businesses the opportunity to donate to local community projects across the region that are helping to combat climate change.

Money raised will be spent on carbon reduction projects ranging from insulation, solar panels and wind turbines, to biological carbon sinks like peat bogs.
 
Managed by Groundwork Northwest, chaired by United Utilities and with an initial investment of £1.6m from the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Foundation has a target to raise an additional £3m in donations over the next three years.

Launching the fund today, Joan Ruddock, energy and climate change minister, said: “I am hugely impressed by the leadership being shown by the NWDA and Groundwork, which shows the commitment to fighting climate change at all levels across the UK. The work being done in the Northwest should be seen as an example to everyone of what we need to be doing to meet our ambitious emissions reduction targets.
 
“During the current economic difficulties it is important that we look after the most vulnerable in our society and I am particularly pleased to see a central theme of Foundation’s work is helping households reduce their bills by introducing energy efficiency measures.”