A £1.3 million project aimed at embedding and improving sustainability in some of Leicester’s most deprived neighbourhoods has been launched – as part of a drive to make Leicester a city of climate action.
De Montfort University has secured funding from The National Lottery Community Fund Climate Action Fund, working in partnership with five grassroot organisations across the city over the next three years.
The project, Leicester Environmental Action and Future (LEAF), will also act as a future template for other community organisations across the country to bring lasting and widespread improvements in sustainability.
LEAF will work to embed carbon reduction and climate education initiatives within the partner organisations working across deprived and diverse areas of Leicester.
DMU and the five grassroots organisations will identify practical ways for people to develop climate literacy and take everyday actions to cut carbon emissions, improve wellbeing, influence local climate policy and share good practice more widely.
A snapshot of activities will include:
- Carbon literacy training for community staff, volunteers and participants
- Climate education projects for children and young people
- Growing, gardening, sport and arts-based sustainability initiatives
- Behaviour change programmes on energy use, recycling and healthy lifestyles
- Quarterly climate action focussed public engagement events and a DMU-hosted annual climate action conference in years two and three
The LEAF programme will see a new climate action hub created at DMU, to fund activities delivered by Leicester Nirvana Football Club, Somali Development Services CIC, ZamZam Unlimited Possibilities CIC, Saffron Acres and One Roof Leicester. Together they will reach thousands of residents aged 11 to 85 across Leicester.
Dr Mark Charlton, Associate Professor of Sustainable Development and manager of the project at DMU, said: “The legacy we want for this project is to share what we’re finding in Leicester and beyond.
We haven’t seen anything like this project here before. Each of the organisations’ projects is pioneering in its own way and we’re excited to see them develop.
“We want to amplify beyond the organisations that we are working with and we want to champion Leicester as a city of climate action.”
Leicester ranks among the top 10% of most deprived local authorities in England and is one of the UK’s most diverse cities. LEAF partners work directly with communities who are often overlooked in national net zero policies.
Over the three years of the project, the organisations will train more than 150 community staff and volunteers in carbon literacy and reach more than 1,500 residents with climate action activities.
Partners said they were delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund had supported the programme.
Laura Gray, Saffron Acres, said: “Creating strong foundations is imperative to really being able to build something lasting for the future, and here at Saffron, we are proud to be involved at the start of something so extraordinary and significant!”
Ivan Liburd, Leicester Nirvana Football Club: “This funding empowers us to enhance our environmental initiatives, and promote sustainability to our players and supporters. It means we can lead by example and demonstrate that grassroots football can play a pivotal role in tackling the climate crisis.”
Salma Ravat, One Roof Leicester, said: “The Climate Action Funding gives One Roof Leicester the unique opportunity to develop and deliver a range of sustainability training and projects for our residents and volunteers.”
Maryan Anshur, Somali Development Services, said: “This funding will not only empower us to deliver vital environmental activities but also create lasting positive impacts, fostering resilience, improving well-being, and driving a more sustainable future for everyone we work with.”
ZamZam Yusuf, ZamZam Unlimited Possibilities, said: “We’re incredibly proud and excited to receive support from the Climate Action Fund. With this funding, we can open more doors, create more opportunities, and help young people feel confident that they can make a difference in the face of the climate crisis.”
A dedicated LEAF section will be launched on the DMU website to showcase events, resources and case studies from the project and share good practice through partner websites and networks as well as through the National Lottery Community.
You can follow the De Montfort University SDH Hub on Instagram for the latest updates @dmusdghub.
