More than 50 community projects to receive climate action grants following summer of heatwaves
Thirty-one Oxfordshire groups have been awarded funding to help kickstart 54 different projects to address the impacts of extreme weather – especially heatwaves, following a summer of record temperatures.
The grants, ranging from £85 to £3,000, will be used by organisations across the county to tackle the impact of high temperatures, floods, droughts, and storms in Oxfordshire caused by climate change.
The expanded community resilience small grants programme, administered by Community Action Groups Oxfordshire (CAG) and funded by £44,724 from Oxfordshire County Council, supports local events and activities which address or raise awareness of climate adaptation.
This year’s grants have increased from last year when 11 groups received a total of £12,000.
The money will help fund projects including practical ways to make homes more bearable during heatwaves, creating cooler community spaces, tree planting, growing food, harvesting rainwater, and tackling climate anxiety.
The full list of recipients can be found on the CAG Oxfordshire website.
Katherine Chesson, Director of CAG Oxfordshire, said: “Our role at CAG is to support community leaders who, in turn, are able to support their neighbours.
“With this strategic funding from the county council, we are able to make a direct investment in local knowledge and expertise in order to facilitate more connected, prepared communities from the impacts of the climate and nature crisis.”
Councillor Laura Gordon, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “The increase in funding allocated for these grants this year shows how important we believe it is to support communities in carrying out these projects.
“They are the experts and know their own areas better than anyone. This summer’s heatwaves were not one-off occurrences, but the new reality for the UK and we all need to adapt. So, it is inspiring to be able to help so many communities to help themselves tackle the heat and other instances of extreme weather.”
The awards also recognise that climate action will impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
Flooding in Oxfordshire in recent years brought this into the spotlight, with some people suffering a loss of livelihood and a negative impact on their mental health. These events are going to be more common going forward as extreme weather events become more frequent.
One of the recipients is the Cherwell Collective, which successfully applied in all three categories – heat safe homes grants, community resilience grants, and climate anxiety grants.
Victoria Russell, Programme Manager at Cherwell Collective, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the long and short term support of CAG Oxfordshire. The funds are going to help us tackle climate anxiety within Oxfordshire and go towards the work that Cherwell Collective is doing with the Oxfordshire Good Waste Charter, a grassroots initiative that is looking to pave the way for waste in Oxfordshire.”
The council has been increasing its focus on improving heat resilience in the county through a series of training and information events and seminars this year.
It has funded the CAGs to appoint a resilience coordinator to begin community-led learning and capacity building and launched a community of best practice for building resilience, with the first event taking place in September 2026.
Climate risks such as extreme heat, intense storms, and severe flooding are an increasing threat to public health, particularly for vulnerable residents, including older people, people with disabilities, and those with long-term health conditions.
In England, an estimated 2,877 heat-associated deaths occurred during this year’s May and June heat events alone. Many homes, schools, hospitals, public buildings, and other infrastructure are not designed for the weather events now being experienced and are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
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