IT was great news for two environmental projects on Arran recently as they received funding of over £100,000.

Both Eco-Savvy and Arran Community Land Initiative were successful in their applications to the Climate Challenge Fund for 12 months funding starting in April of this year.

The total funding granted amounts to £115,000, which not only will help Arran communities tackle climate change, it will also provide new jobs on the island.

Eco-Savvy’s new project is ‘Arran Eco Savvy Reuse Micro-hubs’ which aim to create an island wide network of reuse and up-cycling sites which will encourage local communities to come together to tackle waste and build a more sustainable future.

These micro-hubs will be focal points for waste reduction – promoting up-cycling though skills sharing, reuse through swap shops and delivering educational events. Each hub will be located in an existing community space.

By collaborating with established Arran groups, the aim is that no one on Arran will ever be more than four miles from an Eco Savvy Hub.

Arran Community Land’s project is called ‘Arran Fabulous Community Food’ and aims to extend the use of the community land in Whiting Bay to greatly increase the amount of food grown locally on Arran and to make this available for local consumption.

There will be a new orchard, soft fruit plantation and heritage potatoes grown along with workshops and educational events to support and encourage local people to grow and cook locally produced food.

This food production will help to reduce the carbon footprint of food eaten by local people, give them local food options, encourage more local growing of food in the community and enhance carbon reduction on Arran.

This money forms part of almost £10m of funding to tackle climate change across Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said : “Scotland is making huge progress in delivering our climate change ambitions, but there is still much to achieve and the role of behaviour change and community action is crucial.

“The Climate Challenge Fund supports projects that inspire people to care about the problem of climate change, consider what it might mean to them in terms of their everyday lives and enable them to take action.”