14th January 2026
Young people across the county are taking action and leading the way in educating others on sustainability and the climate crisis, thanks to a project funded by Cumbria Community Foundation.
Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC) developed ‘Climate Leaders – the future is now’ to empower young people to take social action. The project received £51,866 from the Foundation over three years, from multiple funds, to work with schools, youth groups and other organisations.
Heron Hill Primary School in Kendal is one of the schools taking part. It has a well-established programme of environmental action, including an Eco Council, made up of 24 pupils from across the school who meet once a week. One of the oldest members, Evie, explained what the funding has enabled them to do. “We were having a lot of fruit for snacks, which is good, but all of the banana peels and orange skins were just going in the normal bins. We decided we wanted to use this waste to make compost. So now each yard has two bins, one for all the ordinary litter and one for the composting.
“And then we realised that the staff needed a compost bin as well. So we put one in their room so that they can do the same as all the children.”
The compost is used on the school’s vegetable patch, feeding pumpkins and courgettes which will be used to make school dinners, further reducing the school’s carbon footprint.
The teacher in charge of the Eco Council, Emma Patrick, explained: “Now we have the eco councillors established, we are trying to embed the programme through the whole school so everybody can contribute.”
This is key to the ethos of the programme – that young people will pass on what they have learned to others. Laura Goad, Director of CDEC, explained: “The idea is that a core group of young people will upskill others and build a movement of young and older people across Cumbria whose actions will make a difference locally and globally for our planet, people and place.”
Youth Climate Summit
Another key strand of the Climate Leaders programme is the Youth Climate Summit, which was held in Barrow in 2025. Secondary age students led workshops for younger pupils on topics such as fast fashion. Two of those taking part were Marley Brafield and Lucy Grecic, both 18. The pair first got involved with the work of CDEC in 2023, helping to organise a litter pick in Kendal.
At the most recent Youth Climate Summit, Marley ran a workshop on biodiversity mapping, while Lucy interviewed other young people to create a film about the event.
Marley said being involved with Climate Leaders has really boosted their confidence, particularly when it comes to public speaking, and helped them decide which career path to follow. “The programme has inspired me to take ecology and conservation at uni. I want to make my impact; I want to do stuff for the planet and I think the best way to do that is being knowledgeable and hopefully be able to inspire other people.”
Connected Cumbria
Lucy also led on a project called Connected Cumbria, visiting businesses and charities across Cumbria to photograph the work they are doing to build a fair and more sustainable world, then displaying these images in an exhibition. She agreed that being involved with the programme has increased her confidence and made her more optimistic about the future of the planet.
“I was really anxious but now I feel more hopeful. CDEC put me in touch with so many people and groups doing good things.”