Climate Action Strathaven
Why you should vote for Climate Action Strathaven for the People’s Choice Award
Undertaking a project of such scale in a small charity was a significant risk for our organisation, but was mitigated through a tremendous amount of hard work in community consultations, market research, fundraising and learning. The success of the service represents the very best of what charities are able to achieve: delivering innovative projects which succeed through community ownership and strong local knowledge. The project also provides a popular and practical form of community climate action, which enriches the lives of locals rather than constrains them - an ethos which is at the heart of all of our activities.
Responding to community demand, we launched the 3C bus as the first regular public transport route linking Strathaven and Glasgow in over 30 years. Despite not being considered viable by commercial operators, we were confident in our local knowledge and market research. We therefore took the unusual step - as a small community charity - of becoming a registered operator, leasing a 53-seater coach and employing local drivers. The result has been a huge success with 28,000 tickets issued in 6 months through a community-owned asset which brings work, study and leisure opportunities to thousands of locals, whilst tackling Climate Change.
