Heat pumps in Drayton, solar at Letcombe Regis, Scouts in Abingdon and 1,000 free trees: the 15 projects sharing the Vale's £100,000 climate fund this year.
Fifteen community projects across the Vale will share £100,000 from this year’s Vale Nature and Climate Action Fund. They include an Abingdon Scout group, two heat pumps for Stonehill Housing in Drayton and Abingdon, and 1,000 free native trees for households.
Vale of White Horse District Council published the list on 6 October. The grants were offered in September. This is the sixth round of the fund.
Who is getting money
The council lists each project by place. It has not published how much each one receives. The fund’s 2026/27 guidance set a minimum grant of £250 and a maximum of £10,000.
| Where | Project | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| Abingdon | Repurposing old items into new, and climate awareness events | 30th Abingdon Scout Group |
| Drayton and Abingdon | Two heat pumps to replace an existing heating system | Stonehill Housing |
| Sunningwell | Restoring the rare valley fen at Lincombe Lane Field and Reserve | Oxford Preservation Trust |
| Cumnor | Community restoration of priority habitat and species | Long Mead Foundation |
| Wantage | Battery storage to get more from the museum's solar panels | Vale and Downland Museum |
| Wantage and Grove | A nature recovery action plan for the two towns | Sustainable Wantage |
| Letcombe Regis | Solar panels at the Court Hill Centre | Court Hill Trust |
| Faringdon | Community tree planting to diversify the woodland canopy | Faringdon Folly Tower Trust |
| Coleshill | Tree planting, wildflowers, hedge laying and a new pond | National Trust |
| Shrivenham | Replacing more petrol equipment with battery tools | Wilts and Berks Canal Trust |
| District wide | 1,000 free native trees for households | International Tree Foundation |
| District wide | Training advisers on energy efficiency, waste, nature and climate resilience | Vale Community Impact |
| District wide | Surveying and sampling black poplars, to grow a genetically diverse stock for planting | Cotswolds Rivers Trust |
| District wide | Energy assessments for three community buildings | Low Carbon Hub |
| District wide | Gleaning surplus food from farms and turning it into long-life products for community groups | Oxford Food Hub |
Most of the projects are outside Abingdon. Only the Scouts’ project is in the town alone. Stonehill Housing’s heat pumps are listed for Drayton and Abingdon, and Sunningwell is about three miles north of the town centre.
What the council says
Councillor Robert Clegg is the Vale’s cabinet member for environmental services, climate action and nature recovery.
“These projects show the difference local communities can make when they are given the support to turn great ideas into action,” he said.
The council says the projects support its goal of a net zero district by 2045.
What it means for you
- You may be able to get a free tree. The Vale is funding the International Tree Foundation to give 1,000 native trees to Vale households. The council has not said how they will be handed out. The charity’s own Garden Tree Giveaway page says applications open in October, with up to two trees per household. Successful applicants hear in early November and collect during National Tree Week.
- The species on offer are spindle, wayfaring tree, guelder rose, crab apple, rowan and hazel. They come as bare-root whips, 60 to 90cm high. The charity says the best time to plant is between October and mid January.
- Next year’s round. This year’s fund opened in May. Local groups can watch the council’s fund page for the 2027/28 round.
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