Fife environmental charity reflects on the challenges of 2020

Bringing the community together, tackling fuel poverty and food insecurity and combating the climate emergency is at the heart of what Greener Kirkcaldy does.

The environmental charity delivers a range of projects, events and skills training to meet the needs and goals of local people and just last year it celebrated its tenth anniversary in the town.

However, this year has been very different and has brought challenges and difficulties for many.

Like all organisations, the Covid-19 pandemic meant Greener Kirkcaldy had to change the way it works. And it did this by quickly adapting services to meet the needs of the community.

In March, the charity closed its doors to the public, moved events online, and played a key role in local emergency response work.

Between April and August, with funding from the Scottish Government’s Supporting Communities Fund, Greener Kirkcaldy made and delivered over 7,400 meals to vulnerable people in Kirkcaldy, and their energy advisors gave top ups to thousands of families at risk of disconnection.

It also supported other local charities in need of urgent financial help, distributing more than half of the funding they received to Kirkcaldy Foodbank, The Cottage Family Centre Kirkcaldy YMCA and The Linton Lane Centre.

Greener Kirkcaldy’s community chef and volunteers continue to make hundreds of takeaway community meals every week and their energy advisors support over 70 households a week who are struggling to keep their homes warm and manage their energy.

Staff also opened a community pantry – the Lang Toun Larder - with funding from Fife Council, redistributing surplus food from businesses that would have gone to waste.

Greener Kirkcaldy has also offered a range of online events, videos and blogs to help people stay connected.

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Over 700 people took part in its online Kirkcaldy Walking Festival in August, summer Kirkcaldy Cycling Festival and its weekly socially distanced cycle rides.

Christine May, chairman of the Greener Kirkcaldy board, said: “This has been a hard year for many, and the changes to people's lives and ways of working and living have been profound.

“But I am proud of the way that Greener Kirkcaldy staff and volunteers switched from face-to-face to online working to finding creative ways to keep projects going.”

“I’d especially like to thank our amazing volunteers who have been crucial to our lockdown support work – we couldn’t have managed this year without them.”

Alongside vital community support, Greener Kirkcaldy redoubled their efforts to tackle the urgent Climate Emergency in 2020.

In October, it launched a new Fife-wide cross-sector climate action project – Climate Action Fife - in partnership with Fife Council, Fife College and Fife Communities Climate Action Network. The £200,000 project will pilot a range of innovative activities to tackle climate change in Fife.

And in that same month, it opened a new town centre community bike shop – Lang Toun Cycles – offering cycle servicing and repairs, sales of refurbished bikes and accessories and free bike hire.

This has been incredibly popular so far, with over 200 bikes repaired and serviced since June.

Christine added: “We are looking forward to another busy year in 2021 – we have lots of exciting activities in the pipeline.”

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