Bradford gets £15.8m funding for decarbonisation
Our district has been allocated a £15.8m share of Government funding for decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects.
Most of the projects receiving a share of the funding, from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund, are part of the Bradford Energy Network (BEN) a low emission, district heat network (DHN) to be developed in Bradford City Centre.
When completed in summer 2027, the DHN will play a significant role in achieving the District’s net zero target, providing energy security with an efficient, sustainable, and affordable energy system. The DHN will generate heat using one of the largest air source heat pump systems for heat networks in the UK, connecting the new energy supply to several sites in the city centre.
Bradford Council has received just over £2m to support the decarbonisation of City Hall, which will cover 88 per cent of the adaptation costs, with the 12 per cent Council contribution being provided via Clean Air Zone (CAZ) funding reinvestment.
The building will be one of several connected to the DHN. Its share of the funding will also cover improvements to the hot water and heating distribution pipework. These improvements should allow us to remove 1.5MW of gas fired boilers, which will have a measurable impact on air quality.
Other Bradford organisations who have received grants to connect buildings to the Bradford District Heat Network and make improvements to hot water distribution system and heating pipework are Bradford College who will receive £2,656,876, HM Courts and Tribunals Service who get £3,568,440 and the University of Bradford, granted £6,496,170.
Outside of the DHN, West Yorkshire Police has been awarded £992,321 to decarbonise Eccleshill Police Station, replacing existing gas-fired boilers with ground source heat pumps and adding installing new solar panels, LED lighting and lighting controls.
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Be Santa’s ‘Little Recycler’ this Christmas
This Christmas we are reminding people about the items they may not think can be recycled as the festive season generates extra waste.
We are backing the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation’s (ALUPRO) campaign to raise awareness of items which should go in the recycling bin. These include:
- Metal screw caps from empty bottles
- Aerosol cans, e.g. from body spray or hairspray
- Foil wrappers from chocolate
- Drinks cans
- Foil lids from tubs of cream or margarine
- Foil mince pie cases
- Aluminium tubes e.g. from hand cream or tomato puree
- Foil food trays or wrapping foil
It’s recommended that some of this foil is cleaned before putting in to the recycling bin, then scrunched into a ball.
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Clean Air Zone funds air quality projects in 48 schools
Grants worth over £400,000 have been awarded to 48 schools across the district for projects to improve air quality, thanks to Bradford Clean Air Schools Programme (CASP).
CASP is a Bradford Council initiative funded by the Bradford Clean Air Zone (CAZ). In addition to grants for individual schools the programme sets out the plans to provide cleaner air for the district’s children via a comprehensive package of engagement, education and anti-idling enforcement at the school gates.
Holybrook Primary School is one of 48 schools in the district to be awarded up to £10,000 grant funding from the CASP. Its project includes bike storage as well as a cycle to school initiative to encourage behaviour change and make cycling to school a viable travel option.
The 48 CASP projects that received grants have all been started and many are completed allowing the children to benefit from better air quality. As the CASP continues, all schools in the district can ask for help with anti-idling campaigns and educational support around the topic of air quality and pollution. Take a look at our downloadable resources on the Breath Better Bradford website.
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Film features children’s peat bog art project
A film has just been released showcasing a climate and art project which has worked with six Keighley primary schools on the topic of peat bogs.
The Pledges to Landscape project has been led by Keighley Creative and Yorkshire Peat Partnership with funding from West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Community Climate Grants programme and Bradford Council.
The project worked with Eastwood, Victoria, Riddlesden St. Mary’s, Worth Valley, Holycroft and Merlin Top Primary schools.
The film features children from Eastwood Primary School explaining the project and sharing their enthusiasm for it.
The children visited Denton Moor, created artwork on the plants which grow in peat bogs – sphagnum moss, heather and bilberries – and learnt about the environmental benefits of the bogs.
One boy described sphagnum moss as “a superhero plant” because it can hold 20 times its own weight in water.
The children’s artwork was traced on to wood being used to create a dam on the moorland to redirect waterflow, rewet the bog and help manage flooding. It was burnt into the wood using a special technique called pyrography.
The film can be found here - Pledges to the Landscape on Vimeo
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Learn how to make a difference with Green Skills courses
Do you want to expand your knowledge of carbon emissions, sustainability, plastic pollution or greener transport choices?
Skills for Work, Bradford Council’s training provider which offers training of adults, has launched a range of free Green Skills Courses for businesses and individuals.
The courses are:
- Award in Carbon Literacy and the Impact of Climate Change Level 2
- Environmental Sustainability Level 1
- Preventing Plastic Pollution Level 1
- CPD Principles of Sustainable Transport
- Green Skills for Managers Workshop
The Carbon Literacy course will look at greenhouse gases and how human activities are contributing to their increase, as well as how choices made by individuals and organisations can reduce the impact of climate change.
Environmental Sustainability will cover the basic concepts in sustainability, developing an understanding of the environmental impacts of goods and services and understanding what makes a sustainable community.
Preventing plastic pollution looks at different types of plastics, their uses, how to dispose of them, their impact on marine life and how plastic pollution can be reduced.
CPD Principles of Sustainable Transport will look at the environmental impact of transport, how companies can reduce their carbon footprints through more sustainable transport and barriers that may prevent it.
The Managers’ Workshop will be designed around the learning already undertaken and how it can affect the team and service area.
These courses are ten to 20 hours of guided learning and can be delivered at Britannia House, Broadway, Bradford BD1 1JT, or people can study at their own pace, distance learning, with a final assessment at Britannia House. They are a good career pathway development opportunity and are available to council staff, businesses and members of the public.
Anyone interested in this training should visit the website for more details then email Businessdevelopment@bradford.gov.uk
Grants for green projects in Shipley
Grants of up to £2,000 are available for projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change in Shipley.
Following the success of last year’s Green Grants, Shipley Town Council is again allocating £7000 for projects. They want to hear from people with ideas, as well as those interested in voting for worthy recipients at a public meeting on 25 January 2025.
The deadline for applications is 3 January 2025. The main criteria will be to help Shipley’s community and businesses address the recommendations of the Climate Jury.
To find out more, read the Citizens’ Jury Climate Report and download an application go to https://shipleytowncouncil.gov.uk/climate-emergency/. If you have any questions, email hello@shipleytowncouncil.gov.uk
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Sustainability support for businesses in West Yorkshire
If you're a business in West Yorkshire and are looking for ways to become more sustainable, the Sustainability Knowledge Library provides resources and advice to help you save energy, lower costs and reduce your carbon footprints.
A series of Sustainability Webinars provides useful insights into things for businesses to consider if they want to plan for a ‘greener’ future.
- Climate Resilience for Businesses - How to complete a climate risk assessment and understand what green measures could be put in place to future proof climate resilience.
- Design for the Circular Economy - What is the circular economy and how could it be used to help a business grow? This webinar advises on how to build a circular business model and implement it, and how to apply changes to supply chains.
- Reduce your Water Footprint - Understanding a business’s water footprint, ways to reduce it and engage with the workforce to get them onboard to help reach water footprint goals.
- Encourage Sustainable Travel - Electric vehicles, bikes, walking and public transport. We all know the ways to get to and from the office using sustainable travel, so why don’t we do it? This webinar shows how to build and implement a sustainable travel plan, covering topics like behaviour change and electric vehicles for work.
- Identifying and Avoiding Greenwashing - Businesses who over-communicate their green credentials without backing them up with the corresponding environmental measures and policies. This webinar shows how to communicate sustainability achievements without the risk of greenwashing, and where to go to authenticate the measures put in place.
Help increase visitor diversity at Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is to start working with communities in Bradford, Keighley and Leeds to help more people from minority ethnic backgrounds access the Dales and create Community Champions.
Championing National Parks for Everyone is a National Lottery Heritage Funded project which aims to increase the number of people from minority ethnic backgrounds visiting the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Over the next 15 months, the YDNP will build links with community groups in Bradford, Keighley and Leeds to co-design visits to the Dales, access outdoor activities and promote a connection to nature. Some activity ideas are short walks, farms, picnics and museum visits. There is funding within the project to support travel and to pay for some activities. Activities are scheduled to begin in April 2025.
Alongside this, there will be Community Champion training. This free six-month training programme aims to upskill individuals from minority ethnic groups to feel confident exploring the countryside and support them to bring others to the National Park. The training will cover navigation, safety outdoors, group leadership and building a connection to nature.
The Community Champions do not have to be confident or experienced walkers, but need to have a passion for nature and to be able to commit to the full programme. Community Champions will be supported to organise a trip for others to the Dales and there is a small budget to support travel and activities. The first programme is scheduled to start in February 2025 (subject to booking confirmation).
In early 2025, recruitment will open for an Engagement Trainee. The aim is to create improved pathways for people from diverse communities to enter employment in the environment / outdoor sector. No specific qualifications are required for this role – the focus will be on skills such as communicating with community groups and an interest in pursuing a career in the environmental/outdoor sector.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the project and working in collaboration, should contact Jamila Gaskin, Jamila.gaskin@yorkshiredales.org.uk
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