Over the first 2 Fridays in May we joined STAND Meeting Centres at the Ecology Centre in Kinghorn for 2 great days of shared learning, fun climate related activities and lots of chat.

Over the 2 days almost 50 people living with dementia and care partners came along to the events along with STAND staff, facilitators, volunteers and partner organisations including Greener Kirkcaldy and the Ecology Centre who helped to run activities.

Robyn Smith who wrote the Climate Wisdom song along with the Kinghorn Meeting Centre and Professor Ryan Woolrych, our University of Heriot-Watt partner.

Both days followed a similar format. After brief introductions and housekeeping we spilt into 2 groups. One group went off to the polytunnel with Ecology Centre Team members to do some planting. Whilst the other groups sat outside in the gazebo playing the interactive Climate Fresk game and ‘What’s in the Box’ supported by Greener Kirkcaldy.

After a delicious lunch the afternoon sessions were a bit more gentle with some people opting for a guided tour of the site, others got creative creating an Earth Day banner and some just took time out to relax and enjoy the beautiful setting they were in.

Across both days conversations were very varied: we heard stories about farming, gardening, growing, food and how being part of the project has begun to change how people are seeing the environment around them and the small everyday actions they are taking to make a difference.

• “I’m now more conscious of what I am planting in the garden, this year I am planting flowers that attract bees and butterflies.”
• “I never really thought about it before Climate Wisdom, now I am more aware of what I do and the environment.”
• “When I take Buster for a walk, I take a plastic bag and collect rubbish as I go.”
• “I think about turning my heating down by 1 degree.”
• “I am starting to look at the world differently, my granddaughter is learning about climate change at school, it’s great we are sharing what we are learning and showing the rest of the family.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, Outside the Box have received almost £1.5m from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, to launch ‘Climate Wisdom’. 

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