Community Climate Change Fund Round One
In November 2023, Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet agreed to establish a Stratford-on-Avon Community Climate Change Fund (CCCF). The purpose of the CCCF was to enable the delivery of climate change focused projects within the communities of Stratford-on-Avon District.
The first round of the Community Climate Change Fund had a budget of £50,000. The successful grants represented a combined total of £44,137. The successful projects are outlined below:
|
Organisation |
Project Description | Funding Received |
| Great Alne Parish Council | To develop a community flooding Scheme | £4,000 |
| Napton Parish Council | The replacement of sodium bulbs in floodlights with LED bulbs | £10,000 |
| Bidford Parish Council | To establish a community fridge and café | £4,500 |
| Great Alne Parish Council | To install a mobile rainwater harvesting system | £1,842 |
| Snitterfield Village Hall | To install an air source heat pump | £4,696 |
| Bearley Parish Council | The replacement of conventional streetlight bulbs with LED | £2,065 |
| Warwickshire Cycle Buddies | To develop and deliver a help to cycle scheme | £2,174 |
| Shotteswell Village Hall | To install a battery storage system to operate alongside solar panel system | £2,500 |
| Great Alne Parish Council | To commission a feasibility study for a Greenway between Great Alne and Alcester | £10,000 |
| Stratford Town Hall | To commission a decarbonisation feasibility study | £2,360 |
The remaining £5,863 was carried over to the second round of the Fund, where a total of £55,863 was available to successful applicants.
Round One Case Studies:
-
Air source heat pump installed at Snitterfield Village Hall's new garden room
- Upgrade of 12 streetlights to LED in Bearley
Community Climate and Nature Fund Round Two
Following the success of Round One, the remaining £55,863 was allocated and spent in Round Two of the fund. The CCCF was also renamed the Community Climate and Nature Fund (CCNF), to signify that the fund was now open to biodiversity and nature recovery initiatives. The successful projects are outlined below:
| Organisation | Project Description | Funding Received |
| Upper Lighthorne Parish Council | Community action to increase the local hedgehog population | £1,042 |
| The Bear Pit Theatre | Upgrade of theatre stage lighting from tungsten to LED | £4,980 |
| Tiddington Village Residents Association | Water quality monitoring and improvement in the River Avon | £1,392 |
| Kineton Village Hall Association | Insulation of the Village Hall | £9,850 |
| Ilmington Community Shop | Solar panel installation | £6,000 |
| Stockton Village Hall Committee | Solar panel and battery storage installation | £7,750 |
| Shottery Memorial Hall | Solar panel and battery storage installation | £5,500 |
| The Shakespeare Hospice | LED lighting upgrade at their Avenue Farm site | £4,790 |
| Warwickshire Rural Hub | Creation of an online hub for the South Warwickshire Area Network for Wildlife (SWAN) | £4,370 |
| Shipston-on-Stour Town Council | Increasing biodiversity at Cornmill Meadows | £1,620 |
| Heart of England Forest* | Back to Nature Pond Project: Restoration of ponds and their surrounding habitats | £7,500 |
| Stratford Sports Club | Installation of SmartCellar technology | £1,085 |
| Tysoe Village Hall Trust | Installation of two destratification fans at the Village Hall | £2,152 |
| Escape Arts | Provision of sustainable cooking workshops, two new accessible community growing spaces, and installation of a rainwater harvesting system | £5,426 |
*An additional £7,500 was granted directly from SDC's Climate Change Reserve to Heart of England Forest to deliver their Back to Nature Pond Project.
Round Two Case Studies:
1. New LED stage lighting installed at the Beat Pit Theatre
2. New insulation installed at Kineton Village Hall
3. Solar panels and battery installed at Stockton Village Hall
4. Solar panels and battery installed at Shottery Memorial Hall
5. LED lighting upgrade at the Shakespeare Hospice Furniture and Homeware Shop
6. Online Hub created for South Warwickshire Area Network for Wildlife
7. Increasing biodiversity at Cornmill Meadows
8. The Heart of England Forest Back to Nature Pond Project
9. SmartCellar Technology installed at Stratford Sports Club
10. Installation of two destratification ceiling fans at Tysoe Village Hall
11. Nourish and Flourish project delivered by Escape Arts
Upper Lighthorne Parish Council's Hedgehog community project has been included in SDC's Stratford View Magazine! View the article here: Stratford View - Winter 2025-26
Community Climate and Nature Fund Round Three
Round Three of the CCNF was opened in April 2025. The budget was increased to £150,000, to be allocated across the following 12 months. Applications were appraised once per quarter, allowing funding to be released gradually across the year, and for applicants to receive a prompt response.
This round closed in April 2026, and the full £150,000 was spent across 29 projects. The full list can be found below:
| Organisation | Project Description | Funding Received |
| Alcester Town Council | River Arrow & Alne Revival: community action on river restoration in Alcester | £750 |
| Ilmington Parish Council | To deliver a pond restoration project | £3,900 |
| Compton Verney House Charity | Installation of a 104kW heat pump at Compton Verney Learning Centre | £8,000 |
| Pillerton Priors Village Hall | Installation of two 2.9kWh batteries to complement their existing solar panels | £2,400 |
| Bearley Parish Council | Upgrade of 3 streetlights to LED | £1,234 |
| Tysoe Village Hall | Installation of two 8kWh batteries | £4,715 |
| Alcester Town Council | Alcester connected for climate and nature project – events and initiatives to enhance local biodiversity | £10,000 |
| Bidford Parish Council | To continue the operation of their Community Fridge and Café | £7,600 |
| Welford on Avon Bowls Club | Installation of 60 solar panels on their club roof, as well as a battery storage unit | £10,000 |
| Hoppers Lane Wood Trust | To restore and plant on the 0.6ha Hoppers Lane Wood site | £4,033 |
| Henley Parish Council | To deliver their “Henley Buzz and Bloom" biodiversity and bee initiative | £5,530 |
| Tysoe Tennis Club | Upgrade of the club's floodlighting to LED | £3,104 |
| Henley Memorial Hall | Installation of 3 air source heat pumps in the Memorial Hall | £6,000 |
| Kineton Village Hall | Installation of 2 air source heat pumps in the Village Hall | £6,000 |
| Harbury Scout Group | Installation of solar panels on the roof of the Scout Hut | £5,985 |
| Forest of Hearts | Nature and biodiversity initiative at the Garden of Arden | £5,990 |
| Friends of Henley Station CIC | Installation of solar panels on the roof of the Station Bar | £10,000 |
| Snitterfield Playing Fields | Installation of 12 solar panels, battery storage and inverter on their new Pavilion | £7,369.44 |
| Stockton Village Hall | Installation of double-glazed windows and roof insulation | £5,041 |
| Stockton FCCC | Interventions to improve drainage and climate resilience of their 9 football pitches | £8,210 |
| Oxhill Village Hall | Installation of solar panels and battery storage | £2,500 |
| Stratford Baptist Church | Installation of 64 solar panels and LED lighting on their main church building, as well as the Welcombe Hall | £6,000 |
| Langley Parish Council | To carry out a community engagement exercise to encourage more sustainable use of the village's septic tanks | £849 |
| Tysoe Parish Council and Tysoe Wildlife Group | Interventions to preserve and enhance local swift and hedgehog populations | £3,971 |
| Stratford Beekeepers' Association | To fund equipment and engagement events to defend against the impacts of the Yellow Legged Asian Hornet | £5,110 |
| Lighthorne Parish Council | Installation of solar panels on their Pavilion | £5,000 |
| Long Compton Flood Action Group | To clear vegetation and debris from the Nethercote Brook | £5,000 |
| Phoenix Players | Installation of double glazed windows and insulation in their Rehearsal Studio | £367 |
| Pillerton Priors Village Hall | Construction of a new overland interception ditch to protect the village hall from flooding | £5,004 |
Round Three Case Studies:
1. Battery storage installed at Pillerton Priors Village Hall
2. More LED streetlights installed in Bearley
3. Solar panels and battery installed at Tysoe Village Hall
4. Climate and nature initiatives delivered by Alcester Town Council
5. Henley Buzz and Bloom biodiversity enhancement project
6. Air source heat pumps installed at Henley Memorial Hall
7. Air Source Heat Pumps installed at Kineton Village Hall
8. Double glazing and insulation installed at Stockton Village Hall
9. Drainage and surfacing improvements delivered at Stockton Football and Cricket Club
Compton Verney House Charity's Air Source Heat Pump project has been included in SDC's Stratford View Magazine! View the article here: Stratford View - Summer 2026