Environmental Action & Sustainability
Wilfred Southall was passionate about the natural world and he is remembered for his love of long walks and for cycling practically everywhere until his old age. However, this Environmental Action & Sustainability category was not a main focus area for the Trust until 2000, when it amalgamated with the Kenneth & Phyllis Southall Trust - a separate family trust which had a strong emphasis upon this subject.
Within this category, we are keen to hear from charities that meet our general requirements and are focussed upon actions and activities that have a positive impact upon the natural environment. We are particularly keen to hear from charities that are looking to make good use of renewable energy and/or those tackling pollution, over-exploitation, climate change and things that pose a threat to the world's ecosystems, biodiversity and ecological integrity.
Please note that within this category we are looking for applications from charities that are clearly engaged with the natural world and seeking to improve it. We receive a lot of applications from charities looking to install renewable energy systems. While this is commendable, these sorts of projects in isolation are unlikely to receive our support.
Some examples of recent grants are listed in the table below:
| Charity Name | Project | Amount Granted | Award Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baildon Methodist Church | Support towards the cost of the first community building on church premises in Britain constructed to a similar standard to those of a Passivhaus using virtually no energy and emitting virtually no CO2 | £2,000 | 2019 |
| IMPACT Foundation | Support to implement a Rain Watering Harvesting System to supply a school in Kitui in Kenya with safe, clean water. | £2,000 | 2019 |
| Little Ouse Headwaters Project | Support to carry out levels and soil surveys on some recently purchased land in order to draw up a land conservation management plan | £3,000 | 2019 |
| Hope for the Future | Support to equip climate campaigners across the UK with the tools to effectively lobby their MPs. | £3,000 | 2019 |
| Tuppenny Barn Education | Support towards the annual insurance costs of an Education Programme. | £3,000 | 2019 |
| Dabane Support Fund | Support towards the construction of a sand dam in a semi-arid area, with community participation. This is expected to deliver food security, village empowerment and health and hygiene benefits. | £2,002 | 2020 |
| Blyth Woods | Support to dredge a pond and purchase/plant trees within a recently-purchased piece of land which will become a community wild space. | £1,400 | 2020 |
| West Cumbria Rivers Trust | Support for a Volunteer Coordinator, to enable the charity to achieve more for the environment, offering work experience to local communities by recruiting, training and retaining more volunteers. | £3,000 | 2020 |
| Sunnyside Rural Trust | Support to install solar panels to make use of renewable energy for a training and therapeutic facility for young people and adults with learning disabilities. | £5,000 | 2020 |
| UK Harvest | Support to co-ordinate the collection and delivery of perishable food wastage, to be distributed to vulnerable people through charities and organisation, educational activities across the South East. | £3,000 | 2020 |
| New Life Wood | Support for a community wood recycling project. | £1,000 | 2020 |