Group type: Charity

Category: Energy, Transport, Waste & Circular Economy, Resilience, Engagement, Nature

Project Description: Access to bike packages and community support. Strathearn Community Cycling Initiative
This project is a comprehensive, community-led initiative designed to promote and support cycling across Strathearn, with a strong focus on climate action and cost-of-living relief. By removing barriers to bike ownership, maintenance, and confidence, we aim to make cycling a viable, affordable, and sustainable transport option for all. This is going to be via Dr Bike, Maintenance courses, and Bike packages.

🌍 Climate Change Impact

Energy: Cycling is a zero-emission form of transport. By encouraging active travel, we reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions. Bikes are inherently sustainable—reusable, repairable, and adaptable across generations.

Transport: We offer practical alternatives to car and public transport use, enabling “anytime” mobility. This empowers residents to commute, shop, and access services without incurring fuel costs or adhering to timetables.

Waste & Circular Economy: Our model centres on refurbishing donated bikes, extending their lifespan, and reducing waste. Through regular maintenance courses, we equip users to care for their bikes, preventing unnecessary disposal and promoting a culture of reuse.

Resilience: By embedding cycling into daily life, we build long-term resilience. Residents become less dependent on fluctuating fuel prices and transport disruptions. Our year-round programme fosters confidence in cycling across all seasons and terrains.

Engagement: We will collaborate with local charities, schools, and community groups to amplify our reach. This includes targeted outreach to families, women, young people, and New Scots, ensuring inclusivity and broad participation.

Nature: Our social rides will connect people with local green spaces and organic farms, encouraging low-impact travel and engagement with sustainable food providers (Farmton, Tomaknock, Allotments).

💸 Cost of Living Support
• Dr Bike Sessions: Twice-monthly free repair clinics throughout 2026, including outreach to remote villages (St Fillans, Methven, Braco). These sessions help residents avoid costly repairs and keep bikes roadworthy for commuting and family use.
• Maintenance Courses: Two monthly workshops (basic and advanced) teaching essential bike care. Skills like puncture repair and brake adjustment empower users to maintain their bikes independently, saving money and boosting safety.
• Bike Packages: We will distribute 10 full cycling kits (bike, helmet, lights, tools) to those in financial need. Recipients will receive training in road safety, bike care, and join supported rides to build confidence and independence.

This initiative is designed to be inclusive, practical, and transformative, helping Strathearn residents reduce transportation costs, adopt sustainable living practices, and build a stronger, more connected community.

Community Impact:

Dr Bike – approx. 15 people per session min (Total supported = 90)
Courses – 32 participants total
Bike packages – 10 individuals
Total = 132

We anticipate having a widespread positive impact on the community that extends beyond the immediate participants. Parents will ride with their families, friends will join riders, and increased confidence and skills will motivate others in their social circles.
Currently, we have six volunteers working without pay, supported by four young people, with plans to expand this team. We also plan to approach recipients of bike packages to join and support their projects, further increasing our group of helpers and volunteers.
This initiative will help reduce social isolation not only for direct recipients but also for those inspired to join them. Additionally, community members will experience improved physical and mental well-being. Since cycling is a social activity, opportunities for conversation with other road users and fellow cyclists will promote inclusivity.

Climate Change Impact: Before carbon-intensive travel became widespread, cycling epitomised highly efficient transport, and it still does. But now it’s also part of the solution for a low-carbon future Cycling is one of the simplest lifestyle choices that most individuals can make to reduce their carbon footprint, and it offers huge benefits for health, the economy, air quality and neighbourhoods.

Group type: Constituted Community Group

Category: Resilience

Project Description: In October 2023 houses were flooded in Perth Road Gilmerton. The Bog Burn flows from Monzie passing through 2 trash screens before entering a pipe under the A85. The heavy and consistent rain caused the trash screens to be blocked by debris (leaves, gravel etc) which caused the flooding.

In conjunction with the Scottish Flood Forum a river track device has been installed which monitors the water level, displays the level in real time to a web page and alerts residents via SMS re imminent flooding but this can give limited time to mobilise people and sandbags.

PKC have inspected the burn to see if installing leaky dams would reduce the flood risk but this was not feasible.

An outdoor web cam with night vision is required to monitor the build up of debris on the trash screens which would be monitored remotely by a resident who would contact the contractor to clear the screens. At present residents may need to stay awake all night in the cold monitoring the situation.

The flooding cost the residents money and this project will minimise future costs to them.

During the flood the A85 was closed for half a day which impacted everyone travelling between Crieff and Perth.

Community Impact: Up to four people will be setting up and installing the web cam. Between 20 and 30 residents were affected by flooding. Hundreds were affected when the A85 was closed

Climate Change Impact: Climate change brings an increased risk of flooding so our community needs to be forewarned and ready to act.

Group type: Charity

Category: Waste & Circular Economy, Engagement

Project Description: Seven organisations from the Climate Connect Zero-Waste Network are coming together to deliver a series of collaborative Repair Festivals across Perth & Kinross over the next year. Events are planned in Crieff, Perth, Pitlochry, Blairgowrie, Kinross and Dunkeld & Birnam.

These interactive, inclusive, and inspiring events, piloted last year by Pitlochry Repair Café, will support the community to access repairs and grow skills in repairing electricals, IT, furniture, textiles, ceramics and bikes—all high carbon areas with significant cost-of-living benefits.

Each festival builds on the region’s strong network of volunteer repairers and aims to boost peer-to-peer learning, skills sharing, and long-term community repair capacity. Partnering with local businesses and community groups, the project will increase awareness and participation in repair culture across the region.

Perth & Kinross has the highest density of Repair Cafés in Scotland, with 6 taking place every month plus Culture Perth & Kinross’s Lend & Mend project which runs from the AK Bell Library. Together, these services have supported the community to repair more than 600 items in the past year - saving the community thousands of pounds on new items and preventing more than 3,000 KG of CO₂e emissions equivalent to watching 150,000 hours of TV!

The Repair Festivals will build awareness of these regular repair cafes- driving greater public engagement and volunteer recruitment, and helping to build long-term capacity. This increased awareness and involvement will lead to a sustained rise in local repair activity and community-led climate action.

The project will create new opportunities for local volunteering, skills development, and intergenerational learning. It will foster community connection, inclusion, and empowerment, and provide a positive, hands-on response to climate change—helping to reduce ‘climate anxiety’ and strengthen community wellbeing.

The events will also help tackle social isolation, particularly for older adults and people not in formal employment, by providing meaningful volunteering and participation opportunities. In turn, this contributes to improved mental wellbeing and community resilience.

Repair Fests will directly support with cost of living rises by helping people extend the life of everyday items and reduce the need to replace costly goods. Events will be free or donation-based, ensuring accessibility for everyone.

Additionally, by engaging local groups and businesses, the project strengthens local networks and economic connections, promoting a culture of sharing, sustainability, and circularity across Perth & Kinross.

Community Impact: The Repair Festivals will deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits across Perth & Kinross, impacting 800-1,200 people and supported by around 85 volunteers. These events will foster meaningful relationships, creating stronger, more resilient communities and contributing to improved mental health and wellbeing. Participants and volunteers alike will gain a sense of purpose through involvement in something positive.

The project promotes a circular economy by extending the life of everyday items, reducing waste, and normalizing reuse and repair. It encourages circular behaviours and raises the profile of regional initiatives.

The cost-of-living benefit is clear, as repairs offer an affordable alternative to replacement, helping households save money while accessing quality support in a dignified manner. Preventing the purchase of new goods reduces waste and contributes measurable carbon savings, especially in high-impact sectors like textiles, electronics, and furniture.

Participants will also develop employability skills in repair techniques, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. This could lead to further training or employment. Local businesses will benefit from increased visibility and connections with sustainability-minded customers.

Lastly, the project strengthens volunteering and partnership networks, fostering long-term collaboration and more effective delivery of repair and sustainability services.

Climate Change Impact: The Repair Festivals project will have both direct and enabling climate action impacts across Perth & Kinross. Direct Climate Impact: Emissions Reduction Through Repair By enabling people to repair rather than replace items like electronics, textiles, furniture, bikes and IT, the project will reduce waste and avoid the high emissions associated with manufacturing, transport and disposal. We estimate the festivals will support the repair of around 250 items in addition to the 550 items already repaired annually through regular services. This could result in an estimated 3000 tonnes of CO₂e emissions avoided over the year. Enabling Climate Action: Behaviour Change & Circular Economy

The project fosters long-term climate action by:

• Building repair skills through peer learning

• Encouraging low-carbon habits across communities

• Raising visibility of local circular initiatives like Repair Cafés and Lend & Mend Hubs

• Expanding volunteer engagement, creating a base for ongoing climate action

• Reducing climate anxiety by offering practical, empowering solutions By extending product life and embedding repair culture locally, the festivals will contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy and help normalise climate-friendly behaviours across Perth & Kinross.

Group type: Charity

Category: Waste & Circular Economy

Project Description: Our project is a community pantry. We would like to enhance the with we are doing and publicise it to encourage more people to make use of the community pantry. We have been running the community pantry within our community hub based in the Crieff Connexions building on Church Street in Crieff. The pantry deals with local food waste from our local supermarkets. It also utilises goods from FareShare who collate and distribute short dated and surplus goods from supermarkets across Scotland. In addition we take donations of canned goods which are part of the offer in the community pantry. Finally we also welcome garden produce from local gardeners and growers on a seasonal basis. Food is displayed in a shop setting and some goods are priced at a low cost other items are free. Any chargeable items are around 50% of the shop price. The pantry also will provide emergency support for anyone presenting as requiring this. In addition people week be signposted to the Foodbank and other agencies.

This project is a response to food waste and part of the circular economy. We take waste and unwanted food and make that accessible to people who are in need. What we do not use is composted in our own garden, utilised by Auchingarrich to supplement animal food or given to clients to feed chickens. Through these means we attempt to minimise food waste in the community. No other project in Crieff is doing this.

In addition to reducing food waste we are also sorting people with the cost of living. Those who choose to get produce from the pantry are able to offset their bills. They are also supported to access other services, in the hub and more widely. Those attending have a wide demographic however most would be in benefits or experiencing a level of challenge in their day to day lives. Whilst we do help people with the cost of living the pantry does not v exist only for this purpose and is available to all people in the community.

We would like to secure funding to continue this work, as some new equipment and host some cooking demonstration using the did we have in the pantry.

Community Impact: Beneficiaries -
Volunteers - 5 volunteers over a week works with in this project area
Community benefit - reducing waste in the community, encouraging people to make use of a range of foods and near best before foods.

Climate Change Impact: The Climate change impact from this project is a direct impact. Having did used for the purpose it was produced reduces the impact on the environment. Returning waste food to compost and using this in the production of food closes the loop. It also has a direct impact on people's cost if living by offsetting costs associated with food. Alongside this there is a level of education around food and nutrition as we remind people that they can make positive decisions around food that may go to waste.

Group type: Charity

Category: Energy, Transport, Engagement

Project Description: The cost of living crisis doesn’t just squeeze budgets—it affects health, stability, and opportunities, with children and vulnerable households often hit the hardest. We have listened to the wants and needs of our community and are committed to developing this community greenspace as a catalyst for environmental sustainability, public health, social connection, economic vitality, and civic pride.

This project has the ability to strengthen nature by creating habitats for wildlife, improving air quality, and increasing climate resilience through trees and planting. It builds community connections by offering an inclusive, safe, and welcoming place where people can come together, volunteer, learn new skills, and take part in shared activities that improve wellbeing and reduce isolation. At the same time, it provides practical everyday support with the cost of living, through opportunities to grow a range of biodiverse plants, share resources such as tools and compost, and enjoy free outdoor community events and activities, all of which ease household budgets while fostering a sense of pride and ownership in the local area.

By simply improving the infrastructure of the greenspace, it can be benefited by dog-walkers, cyclists, runners etc reducing the need for paid gym memberships, and allowing scope for community outdoor fitness programmes led by volunteers.

Crieff community garden is a free venue for free community events and activities. We already engage with nursery schools, but less time completing necessary but tedious tasks such as grass cutting, would allow for time spent liaising with primary and high schools to increase young people’s participation in growing their own fruit and veg, and showing environmental responsibility. This is a free opportunity so there are no barriers to participation.

Given the time and vision, the garden would not be limited to events hosted by Crieff Community Gardeners, but has the potential to be used by visitors of the neighbouring football club, picnickers, child-minders, nursery groups, yoga classes, meditation sessions, nature- based activities and many more.

Many of the population of South Crieff are financially stretched. Families have less disposable income as essentials like food, housing and energy leave little budget. Limited funds allow fewer chances for after-school activities, trips, or hobbies, which can affect learning and social development. Crieff Community Garden offers families learning and entertainment without costing them a penny. Families would be out in the fresh air, socialising with friends and meeting other like-minded people and actively participating in nature-based and family friendly activities, improving their mental health and wellbeing. This could save families hundreds a year on expensive days out and entertainment.

Community Impact: Crieff’s population is over 7000, and this greenspace is free and accessible to all it’s residents and visitors. We have a very small team of 8 volunteers who will all impact on this project from planning, to physical labour, to delivery of events. With funds to bring in extra maintenance help, would massively impact the progress made at Crieff Community Garden, and with progress comes a greater willingness for the wider public to participate, hopefully increasing our volunteer numbers.

A well-maintained greenspace can be a source of neighbourhood pride and identity, discouraging vandalism and anti-social behaviour. It is open to all, providing a safe, welcoming place to meet, play, relax, and connect across generations.

Access to nature reduces stress, improves physical activity, and supports mental health. Many locals live in flats without a garden, making this shared greenspace even more valuable. It would support child development offering a safe place to play, explore and be active; encouraging curiosity.

Many people are suffering from isolation and loneliness, so a space for outdoor education, conservation volunteering, and workshops would create new skills, build confidence and foster positive social interactions.

Our events are always very well attended and well-received by the community. We can deliver events more regularly if maintenance is regularly managed by a hired gardener.

Climate Change Impact: The project offers direct biodiversity benefits by transforming green lawns into a valuable habitats, contributing to pollinator pathways and nature connectivity. Planting will occur throughout the garden with a diverse palette of trees to replace those suffering from ash die-back. The greenspace lies between an open playing-field and residential gardens. By expanding vegetation cover, this project will strengthen ecological links between these areas, allowing wildlife to move freely across the landscape. The habitat corridors will benefit birds, and small mammals with hedgerows creating safe nesting sites. Flowering trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species with staggered blooming periods, will provide continuous foraging resources throughout Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Introducing bug hotels and bird feeding tables will help improve Winter survival. Monocultures are more susceptible to outbreaks, so a variation of species will be planted to reduce loss due to pests or pathogens. Differing tree varieties differ in growth rate, wood density, and longevity, so diversity will increase the reliability and long-term capacity of carbon sequestration. Trees will also filter pollutants improving the air quality, reducing urban heat, and absorbing rainwater. Cultivated ground is able to absorb and store water from rainfall, thereby reducing runoff during storms and in turn reducing flooding. Tree planting, and soil improvement will sequester carbon over time.

Group type: Unconstituted Community Group - sub-group of St Fillans Community Trust

Category: Engagement

Project Description: Natural Narratives will be a continuation of a project initiated by Aquila Wildlife & Nature in the winter of 2024. At that time, it was funded by the organisation with voluntary donations by attendees to help cover the costs. With the cost of living crisis this funding model is no longer viable as the CIC is facing increasing running costs and our community are struggling with every day living costs making attending events and donating money prohibitive.

As a group, we aim to engage the community with the issues that climate change presents such as increased flooding, food shortages and reliance on fossil-fuels. The continuation of the Natural Narratives programme will provide the community chances to come together to discuss these issues in a sociable and focussed way.

Natural Narratives aims to bring together our Strathearn communities during the long, dark winter months to engage with a variety of environmental topics, through informal discussions, educational speakers, documentary screenings, and more. We aim to host these monthly events from September to March in St Fillans. Our hope is that each of us comes away from each session with ideas about how to make a difference, whether that be getting involved in large-scale community projects down to small ways we can promote biodiversity or sustainability in our homes.

Natural Narratives started in September 2024 and was run by Aquila Wildlife & Nature CIC. Last year's programme covered many topics and included screenings of ‘Why Not Scotland,’ ‘The Bough Breaks,’ and 'The Serengeti Rules,’ to community discussions and talks on biodiversity, co-existing with beavers, and regenerative agriculture. Given the positive community feedback from last year's programme, St Fillans Futures would like to build on this success by delivering a programme of events concentrating on community resilience and action in the face of climate change. Being able to provide the events at little or no cost, we hope to reach a wider audience.

Community Impact: The Sandison Hall can accommodate 60 people seated and previous events have had an average attendance of 45 people. However, with Wifi now installed in the hall, we will be able to live-stream these events making them more widely accessible. We estimate that we have the potential to reach 150-300 local residents.
This initiative encourages people to come together as a community and totally aims to reduce social insolation, especially during the winter months when there are fewer opportunities for people to come together. It will also tackle mental issues by promoting positively and group action and giving people a sense of purpose and belonging.

Climate Change Impact: The Natural Narratives project has had a measurable impact on shifting local attitudes toward climate action by engaging the community in creative, reflective, and nature-based experiences. Through storytelling, participants developed a stronger emotional connection to their environment — which in turn fostered a deeper sense of responsibility and care. Last year’s project revealed that many participants began to see climate action not just as a global issue, but as something personal and local. Feedback showed increased awareness of how everyday choices affect the local ecosystem, and a growing interest in sustainable practices such as reducing waste, supporting biodiversity, and protecting natural spaces. Importantly, Natural Narratives reached individuals who might not typically engage with environmental initiatives — including older residents, young people, and those who felt disconnected from mainstream climate messaging. By using storytelling and creativity as entry points, the project helped shift attitudes from passive concern to active engagement. This year, with steering by St Fillans Futures group members, we hope to draw on the change in mindset to initiative community action thus taking a vital step toward long-term climate resilience. When people feel emotionally invested in their local environment and see themselves as part of the solution, they are more likely to support and participate in climate-positive actions — both individually and collectively.

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 £50 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.