Funded Projects 2026/27
We have funded the following list of projects for the first Community Climate Adaptation Fund in financial year 2026/27.
Town Centre Climate Adaptation Demonstration Project
Cirencester Town Council will install a sustainable drainage (SuDS) planter at Bingham House to capture and temporarily store rainwater from the building's roof. The planter will help slow the flow of water into local drainage during heavy rainfall, while adding planting and seating to the town centre. An interpretation board will explain how the project works and demonstrate how small-scale measures can help communities manage increasing rainfall and surface water.
Woodfields Pond
Cam Parish Council will create a wildlife pond and community nature area at Woodfields allotments. The new space will help retain rainwater and provide a cooler, greener environment during hot and dry weather. Residents, schools and community groups will be able to get involved through planting, wildlife monitoring and outdoor learning, helping to demonstrate how community spaces can adapt to changing weather.
Stowfield Shade Project
The Orchard Trust will install a large adjustable pergola beside its main barn, providing much-needed shade during periods of hot weather. The shaded area will help disabled and neurodivergent people continue to enjoy outdoor activities safely, while also helping to keep the adjacent barn cooler. The project will help the Trust continue its day services and community activities during increasingly hot conditions.
Tall Tree Water Resilience Project
ND Hub Gloucestershire will install a rainwater collection system at its Tall Tree community market garden in Lydney. Guttering on two barns will feed approximately 4,000 litres of storage, providing a source of water to help keep the garden going through dry periods. Neurodivergent participants and volunteers will also learn about rainwater collection and water conservation through practical activities at the garden.
Creating a Heat-Resilient School Community
Rodborough Community Primary School will install 13 solar-reflective blinds to help prevent classrooms overheating during periods of extreme heat. Following heat-related disruption to the school in summer 2026, the blinds will provide a passive, low-energy way of reducing solar heat gain and helping classrooms remain comfortable and suitable for learning. Pupils will also learn about overheating and practical ways communities can adapt to a warmer climate.
Accessible Climate-Resilient Sensory Garden
Brody's Trust will create an accessible climate-resilient area for disabled children and their families. It will bring together rainwater harvesting, sustainable drainage, shade, seating, raised planters and drought-resilient sensory planting. The project will create a more comfortable and accessible outdoor space during hot and dry weather while managing rainfall more sustainably, alongside opportunities for children and families to learn about climate adaptation.
A Cool Space for the Local Community
The Rising Sun will install heat pumps to provide cooling as well as efficient heating, enabling the community pub to provide a free and accessible cool space during periods of extreme heat. The space will particularly support people who may be more vulnerable to hot weather, including older residents, people with health conditions or disabilities, carers and families. The project will help the pub continue providing community activities and services as hotter summers become more common.
Supporting Stroud's Community Green Spaces to Adapt to Drought
Stroud Valleys Project will work with local community groups to make green spaces better prepared for hotter, drier conditions. The project will introduce drought-tolerant planting and improve the use of collected rainwater, including around wildlife ponds. Practical sessions with community groups will share the skills and knowledge needed to use less mains water and manage green spaces differently as the climate changes, with learning also applied across Stroud Valleys Project's green spaces.
Resilience to Drought in Local Farming
Common Soil Community Farm will improve its resilience to increasingly hot and dry growing conditions following a particularly difficult 2026 harvest. The project will support changes to crop planning and irrigation, alongside trials of shade netting and planning for future water storage. The farm will also distribute locally saved climate-adapted seed to at least 70 growers and share what it learns with other growers in the Stroud area, helping to strengthen local food-growing resilience.
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