Group type: Charity

Category: Waste & Circular Economy, Engagement

Project Description: Textile waste is a significant problem in landfill and we would propose a grant from the Green Living Fund would allow On the Mend to deliver a day fully based around textile reuse. This would involve

*Delivering a sewing workshop in the morning where attendees have access to sewing machines, threads and fabric and a supportive sewing community.

*Encouraging visiting crafters to run textile based workshops.

*Initiating a swap textile rail with clothing and items like bedding and curtains and hold textile share and repair afternoons.

*Creating a vibrant reuse haberdashery shop on Perth High St encouraging donations of reuse textiles. This would deliver against reducing waste, reusing and recycling and also increasing public awareness with an engaged community.

On the Mend has been on Perth High St since 2023 and is a learning and skills-based upcycling project where the positive impacts of making and mending on building self-esteem, good mental health, and a connected community are promoted. The project has no barriers to participation and encourages creativity, trying a new skill, repairing, reusing or repurposing rather than buying new and promoting the circular economy. We have established credentials in delivering the positive benefits of reuse.

On the Mend works in partnership with the CATH Charity Shop on the High Street, the project currently offers 5 weekly free/low-cost groups and workshops using materials, on the most part reuse, and donated by the wider community through our shop. The current engagement levels for On the Mend are on average 30-40 participants per week. At On the Mend we want to highlight the journey donated goods take to being upcycled and all the environmental and personal benefits that journey can bring. Across the shop and OTM we have diverted some 60,000 items from landfill in the last year.

We have fantastic engagement from individuals wanting to share specialist skills in support of the project. On the Mend has been able to offer additional workshops in upholstery, Sashiko mending, needle felting and patch working with reuse materials and volunteer tuition enabling us to offer these creative and sustainable skills at a minimal cost enabling increased inclusion, and participation across the community. This offers alternatives to buying new and gives individuals the skills to reuse what they have and in turn save money, stop items going into landfill. We have also had wonderful engagement from donors bringing sewing machines, crafting materials and lots of fabric.

A project around developing and promoting reuse, sustainable fashion and creative mending of existing textiles rather than keep buying new has a huge impact on cost of living. On the Mend seeks to promote thrifty alternatives to buying new and promote the skills needed to make and mend.

Community Impact: We currently have 30-40 regular attendees at OTM across the existing groups and workshops this could increase that regular attendance to 50+. We would hope to involve at least 2 more volunteers in increasing our Saturday activities. Saturday is an attractive day for young people volunteering for the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Saltire Awards. Sustainable fashion and textiles is an exciting and current area of reuse to connect with young people.

We have already huge benefits in those that attend OTM which we collect through regular feedback

I have fun, it makes me feel lighter’

‘This combats loneliness for me’

‘I look forward to learning something new, I come out of my comfort zone’

‘Helps my mental health, gets me out of the house’

‘Something constructive to do, a reason to get up’

'I enjoy myself and save money!'

The CATH Shop and On the Mend are members of Circular Communities Scotland and attend meetings and webinars with Scottish government policy information information and best practice in reuse nationally. We are also part of PKC Zero Waste Climate Connect and hope to utilise the benefits of connecting and sharing information with reuse organisations across Perth and Kinross. We are also open to holding shared reuse events with other organisations.

Climate Change Impact:

People: With a modest estimate of an additional 10 people engaging with OTM on a Saturday over 48 weeks that could be 480 people involved in textile reuse. This would be made up of people attending workshops, using the textile swap rail, buying and donating reuse fabrics and haberdashery. We would anticipate that this figure would be higher with the High Street location On the Mend has.

Planet: Between our shop and OTM we already divert some 60,000 items from landfill the majority of this is already textiles but this would increase those numbers and put textile reuse right at the heart of the High Street on a Saturday. Encouraging more sustainable choices and saving more textiles from going into landfill.

Promote: Perth is a popular destination for reuse shoppers and larger retailers are increasingly moving online but this is a fantastic opportunity to promote a fairer and greener High Street. Perth should have a vibrant and thriving High Street based around reuse that supports volunteering and the Third Sector and individual shops. The CATH charity shop already has 29,339 customers annually with the majority of footfall on a Saturday. This would only increase with On the Mend offering swapping and upcycling options for customers and increased access to reuse haberdashery.

Group type: Charity

Category: Energy, Engagement

Project Description: Our project proposes the installation of energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the Perth Centre Hub, replacing outdated and inefficient lighting systems. The Hub is a vital community space used by a wide range of groups, including children and young people with autism, families accessing support services, and local residents attending workshops, events, and activities.

This project aligns with the Energy category of the Green Living Fund by directly reducing electricity consumption and promoting energy efficiency. LED lighting uses significantly less energy than traditional lighting and has a much longer lifespan, which means fewer replacements and reduced maintenance costs. By upgrading to LED, we expect to reduce our energy usage by up to 80%, contributing to lower carbon emissions and helping Perth & Kinross meet its climate targets.

The project also supports the community with the cost of living. The savings generated from reduced energy bills will be reinvested into our services, allowing us to continue offering free or low-cost activities and support for families, especially those facing financial hardship. This is particularly important as many of our service users are experiencing increased pressure due to rising living costs. By lowering our operational expenses, we can ensure that our services remain accessible and inclusive.

Beyond the financial and environmental benefits, the lighting upgrade will improve the quality of the space. LED lighting provides better illumination, which enhances safety, comfort, and accessibility, especially for neurodivergent individuals who may be sensitive to harsh or flickering lights. This improvement will make the Hub more welcoming and supportive for all users.

We also plan to use this project as a platform for community engagement. Through signage, social media, and workshops, we will raise awareness about energy-saving practices and encourage other community groups and households to consider similar upgrades. By showcasing the benefits of LED lighting, we hope to inspire wider adoption of energy-efficient solutions across Perth & Kinross.

In summary, this project delivers measurable climate impact through reduced energy consumption, supports the community by lowering operational costs and maintaining vital services, and promotes wider awareness of sustainable practices. It is a practical, cost-effective initiative with long-term benefits for both the environment and the people we serve.

Community Impact: Our project will benefit over 350 autistic children, young people, and adults who attend our services weekly, as well as the wider community of 1,400 registered individuals who use the Perth Centre Hub. The improved lighting will enhance the sensory environment, making the space more comfortable and accessible, especially for neurodivergent individuals who may be sensitive to harsh or flickering lights.

We expect to involve 6 volunteers in supporting the delivery of the project, including helping with community engagement, awareness-raising, and feedback collection.

The wider community benefits include:
- Reducing social isolation by making the Hub more welcoming and inclusive.
- Improving mental health and wellbeing through better lighting and a more pleasant environment.
- Supporting financial resilience by lowering operational costs, allowing us to maintain free or low-cost services.
- Encouraging climate awareness through visible sustainability improvements and community education.

This project will have a lasting impact on both the individuals we support and the broader Perth & Kinross community.

Climate Change Impact: Our LED lighting upgrade at Perth Centre Hub will have a direct climate impact by significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. LED lights use up to 80% less electricity than traditional bulbs and last much longer, reducing both energy demand and waste. Based on current usage, we estimate a reduction of approximately 2,500–3,000 kWh annually, which translates to a carbon saving of around 700–900 kg CO₂ per year. This project supports our organisation’s roadmap to net zero by 2028. We are currently at 22% and aim to reach 77% by 2028. The lighting upgrade is a key step in achieving this goal, helping us move closer to our targets while setting an example for other community groups. The project also has an enabling impact by raising awareness of energy efficiency and climate action. Through signage and engagement activities, we will encourage other organisations and households to consider similar upgrades, amplifying the climate benefits across the community.

Group type: Charity

Category: Engagement, Nature

Project Description: Our project provides community-led support for over 40 volunteer “bloom” groups across P&K, enabling them to deliver ambitious, sustainable environmental projects that improve greenspaces, increase biodiversity, and engage the public. Through the expertise of our Project Development Advisor (PDA), we help groups secure funding, plan and manage projects, and maximise community involvement. Since 1998, we have supported 57 projects and raised over £2 million, leaving a legacy of community gardens, sculptures, heritage features and improved greenspaces that enhance quality of life across the area.

1. Engagement – increasing public awareness and engaging communities

TPPKA’s approach is rooted in grassroots participation. Bloom groups bring together residents of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, encouraging volunteering, outdoor activity, and intergenerational collaboration. Through projects, we promote environmental education by involving schools, young people and those who may otherwise be isolated, ensuring inclusivity and broad public benefit. The PDA role is crucial in supporting groups to run consultations, design projects that reflect local priorities, and deliver initiatives that people feel ownership of. Our projects encourage climate awareness by making sustainability visible in the community, whether through low-carbon planting, pollinator-friendly gardens, or heritage conservation. Each project helps local people understand their role in responding to climate change and builds long-term community resilience.

2. Nature – improving greenspace and increasing biodiversity

Bloom groups directly contribute to biodiversity through planting schemes, creation of pollinator corridors, wildlife-friendly gardens, and sustainable management of public spaces. We support groups to design projects that enhance natural habitats, improve air quality, and create attractive outdoor spaces for all to enjoy. From small villages to larger towns, our projects transform neglected or underused areas into thriving green spaces that support both nature and community wellbeing. This aligns with PKC’s Community Plan ambition to protect and enhance natural landscapes while tackling climate change.

3. Helping with the cost of living

By providing safe, attractive and free-to-access greenspaces, we help families and individuals enjoy leisure and recreation without financial burden. Community gardens can reduce food costs by encouraging local food growing and promoting healthy, sustainable eating. Volunteering also brings skills development, confidence and wellbeing benefits, helping people cope with financial stress. Importantly, the PDA helps groups secure substantial external funding, reducing reliance on limited local authority budgets and ensuring communities benefit from projects that would otherwise be unaffordable. Every £1 invested in the PDA role unlocks significant additional funds, delivering long-term value for money to residents across P&K.

Community Impact:

1. Beneficiaries

With bloom groups active across most of Perth and Kinross, we estimate around 15,000 people (approx. 10% of the local population) will directly benefit each year from the greenspaces and community projects supported by TPPKA. These include local residents, school pupils, visitors, and people of all ages who enjoy improved local environments.

2. Volunteers

Over 40 local bloom groups are involved, with an estimated 500–600 active volunteers contributing time, skills and creativity to deliver projects. Volunteers are at the heart of every initiative, supported by our Project Development Advisor, who helps them access funding, training and professional guidance.

3. Wider Community Benefits

Our proposal delivers long-term social and environmental value. It helps reduce social isolation by bringing people together to work on shared projects, improves physical and mental health through outdoor activity, and creates inclusive spaces that everyone can enjoy free of charge. By encouraging food growing and sustainable practices, projects also help reduce household costs, build community resilience, and increase biodiversity.

Climate Change Impact: Our project will have a significant enabling impact on climate action across P&K by supporting over 40 local bloom groups to design and deliver sustainable, community-led environmental improvements. While each project is unique, all share a focus on increasing biodiversity, reducing carbon impacts, and promoting community resilience. Direct impacts include the creation of pollinator-friendly planting, tree and hedge planting to absorb carbon, and the development of community gardens that promote local food growing and reduce food miles. For example, recent projects have introduced wildlife-friendly habitats, drought-resistant planting schemes, and greener active travel routes, all of which contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation. We estimate that hundreds of new trees and thousands of plants are established annually through bloom group activity, each contributing to carbon sequestration, improved air quality, and greater biodiversity. Enabling impacts include supporting volunteers with training, fundraising, and project management. We give communities the tools and confidence to deliver climate-positive projects that would not otherwise happen. Benefits of projects include access to improved greenspaces and educational opportunities, embedding climate awareness at a local level. In addition, the role of the Project Development Advisor enables groups to secure significant external funding, multiplying the scale and reach of climate action across the area.

Group type: Constituted Community Group

Category: Waste & Circular Economy, Engagement, Nature

Project Description: Your North Muirton will install a polytunnel and add new raised beds on the allotment site. The polytunnel will extend the growing season, support earlier planting, and increase the number of crop cycles while protecting plants from heavy rain, frost, and other extreme weather.

The extra raised beds will create more space for local residents to grow their own vegetables and other produce. This reduces food miles and strengthens local resilience. Volunteers will also use the space to grow shared produce, which will be distributed to households facing food cost pressures.

By increasing the availability of low-cost fresh food, teaching practical growing skills, and building local food security, the project helps people directly with the cost of living while also contributing to climate change action.

Community Impact: Around 26 individual residents already directly benefit from the new spaces, with likely an additional 10 more with expansion. Alongside groups such as Riverside Primary School & Nursery and Perth Autism Support, who use the allotments for learning and wellbeing activities.

We expect at least 10 volunteers to be involved in delivering and maintaining the project.

The wider benefits include:

Access to fresh, low-cost produce, helping with the cost of living.

Opportunities for children and young people to learn practical food-growing skills.

Reducing social isolation through

Improved mental health and wellbeing from time outdoors, growing, and community connection.

Strengthened resilience to climate change through more local food production.

Climate Change Impact: The project has direct impacts (local food production, lower carbon emissions, biodiversity) and enabling impacts (sustainable skills for children and residents), benefiting over 40 households/groups; with 10kg produce each this saves 400kg of food transport, reducing packaging waste and emissions — a High climate impact.

Group type: Charity

Category: Waste and Circular Economy, Engagement

Project Description: School Uniform Bank
We are looking to secure funding to run our School Uniform Bank throughout the year and our Back to School and Nursery project over the summer.
School Uniform can cost families between £150-£200 per child whereas it only costs us £27.60 per pack to provide nearly everything a child needs. Our project would save our community over £225,000 in school uniform costs which then allows families to redistribute these savings into other household bills, keeping houses warm, children fed and our community thriving.
We have run our Back to School project for the last three years offering free applications to everyone living in Perth and Kinross and attending a school.
2023 – 300 2024 – 647 2025 - 1,034
We have seen a dramatic increase in applications each year, which not only indicates the need for free uniform support, but also our community’s commitment to reducing their fast fashion purchases.
Social Flock has been collecting pre-loved donations from our community across Perth and Kinross for three years. We would like to be able to open applications throughout the year for school uniform to support the ongoing need of growing children and families. Despite receiving 1,003 Back to School pack applications over summer, we continue to receive multiple requests for uniform from individuals, PKC service providers, charities and other community support networks.
In our Back to School packs we provide three days of school uniform, two days of PE kit, a school bag, a pair of school shoes and an additional extra each applicant can select for themselves ranging from school socks to a water bottle.
In our Back to Nursery Packs we provide 5 days of mix and match outfits: 5 bottoms, 5 tops, 5 jumpers and a pair of shoes. We offer 2 additional extras such as sun hats, hair ties, socks, vests and pants.
What else do we offer as part of this service?
Personalised Packs – to reduce waste and ensure the clothing we are redistributing will be used fully we don’t just ask for clothing and footwear sizes. We ask for sensory requirements, a style guide, colour choices and characters that children would love to have on their school bag. Each pack is catered to exactly what each child would like not just what they need.
Free doorstep delivery to each applicant to remove barriers to access across Perth and Kinross including access to travel in rural areas, disability and mental health issues which would limit access to our central Perth Hub.
Community Pop-Up Shops allow people to visit our event and ‘Pick Their Own Pack’ which increases dignity for everyone whilst also promoting wearing preloved, thus reducing the stigma around this within the community.
Community-based Collections – working in collaboration with other community groups, businesses and charities we have run collection points across Perthshire to enable our community to pick up their packs in their local area. Removing emissions from delivery and building community-based action.

Community Impact: Over 3,000 people will be positively impacted by our School Uniform Bank throughout 2026, covering benefits to cost-of-living, mental health and wellbeing, community activism and environmental awareness. Not only do pupils benefit from our packs, but everyone in their home. Households can redistribute uniform savings to other essential household bills like food, heating and fuel costs. Our applicants have told us our packs reduce stress in the household, support positive mental health and wellbeing for adults, excitement for returning to school & nursery for the children, alongside providing items they would otherwise not be able to afford. We work with a team of around 50 volunteers. We have regular volunteers coming into our Hub to organise donations, make up packs, and deliver packs to families across Perth and Kinross. We have volunteers who offer other essential roles for delivering all our projects such as washing and mending. We make sure any volunteering role is free for our volunteers, because we know we couldn’t run Social Flock without their contribution of time and energy. We offer travel costs, provide sustenance throughout their volunteer time. Our Delivery Drivers are provided with fuel reimbursement for their journeys. Our menders and washers are provided with specific supplies anything else they would need to support their volunteering. Keeping volunteering free to our community allows more people to support our services in a way that is accessible to them.

Climate Change Impact: Social Flock perfectly combines anti-poverty and pro-climate action for our Perth and Kinross Community. On a monthly basis Social Flock receives around 1 ton of clothing donations coming directly from our community across the 12 Perth and Kinross wards. We are redistributing between 1 – 1.5 tons of clothing to families across Perth and Kinross. We have also worked with different groups to run workshops to increase engagement with the aim to reuse and recycle clothing and build skills. We partner with AK Bell’s Lend and Mend hub to repair and redesign clothing ensuring we keep items in circulation for as long as possible. We are committed increasing our community’s knowledge on the environmental impact that fast fashion has. In 2025 we launched our Rural School Uniform Climate Challenge. Schools collected donation of preloved clothing and circulated our Back to School application, contributing to their Eco-School Status. In 2026 we would like to expand this into more schools across Perth and Kinross, offering complimentary workshops to further educate pupils on the environmental impact of wearing preloved clothing, embracing changes in their clothing and shopping habits and becoming Clothing Climate Activists. We see an increase in families returning their clothing to us building a cyclical clothing economy. By ensuring our Donation Stations are open and accessible to families across Perth and Kinross we can reduce re-useable clothing being put into our landfills.