Lottery cash for climate arts project

"Green influencer" groups for young people will attempt to increase environmental awareness, under a lottery-funded project.

Our Future Starts Here, which is based in Grimsby, has been awarded £1.45m from the National Lottery Community Fund to "inspire and support more people to take climate action" over the next five years.

Organisers say the money will pay for nature-based murals and arts programmes in North East Lincolnshire.

Charlotte Bowen, chief executive of the Culture House, which set up the project in 2022, said they hoped to "educate and inspire on what is often challenging subject matter", by using arts and culture to "engage, have fun" and "grow skills".

Students from Franklin Sixth Form College will take part in the project, while the University of Hull will evaluate its impact on communities.

The college will also host an annual STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) conference, with a focus on green skills.

Paula Grant, of Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire, a charity involved in the project, said the green influencer groups would support children and families to engage with nature.

Meanwhile, a number of families and individuals will take part in a five-year initiative to record the impact the project has on their lifestyles.

The money has been provided under a 10-year commitment from the National Lottery's fund to help reduce the carbon footprint of communities.

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