***Press Release***   Waste Swap Shop Opens in Letham     15/08/11   On Wednesday 17th August the Letham Climate Challenge group will be celebrating the official opening of their Swap Shop at 35 Garth Avenue, Letham, Perth.   We will be officially opening the shop around 2.10pm where local politicians, council representatives and community members have been invited to.   The Swap Shop has been in operation for a few months now and we would like to celebrate the success of our venture so far and also thank those involved in making the project happen in our community.   The project is funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge fund and our aim is to reduce the community’s carbon footprint by reusing unwanted house hold items and making them available for others to use.  Unwanted items are swapped for free.  So far we have swapped a large number of items the most popular are books, but we also have a wide selection of various household items.
21/09/10 Garden Clearup Begins. The Garden Share Scheme in Letham matches up gardeners with spare garden ground here in Letham.  Some of the gardens we have available are slightly overgrown and require a little more work to bring them back into use as productive vegetable gardens.  Letham Climate Challenge staff have been out clearing some of the gardens removing overgrown shrubs and weeds which will allow the allocated gardener more time to concentrate on cultivating the ground and preparing for planting in the spring. If you would like to be considered for one on the gardens of the Garden Share Scheme then please call Steven Mitchell on  07883281943 or  Email -  info@lethamclimatechallenge.org.uk The Letham Climate Challenge is funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund and is administered by the Letham Residents Association.
13/9/10 Wild Food Forage On Saturday Margaret Lear of Plants With Purpose led a keen group on a Wild Food Forage in Perth.  The morning started off very wet, but the weather cleared before we started our food forage.  Margaret led us along the footpath by the river Almond behind the Inveralmond Industial Estate.  It was very suprising to see the number of edible plants growing along this section of the river bank.  Margaret informed us of the uses of a lot of the plants and some of us came prepared with carrier bags to take home some of this free bounty.  All who attended had a most enjoyable morning out and left with a little more knowledge of the food that can be available freely growing around us.
11/08/10 Letham Climate Challenge Encourages Organic Gardening at their First Free Workshop. The Letham Climate Challenge Group ran the first in a series of Free Gardening Workshops on Tuesday night.  The workshops are being led by Margaret Lear of local plant nursery Plants with Purpose.  Tuesday night’s workshop covered elements of Organic Gardening looking at composting and encouraging beneficial insects into your garden.  Participants had the opportunity to make a small home wormery and also a Lacewing Hotel which was made using a plastic bottle and some cardboard which they took home to hang in their own garden. The next Free Gardening Workshop will be held on Tuesday 17th August and will cover Companion Planting looking at the benefits of planting certain types of plants together.  The workshops are being held at the Westbank Nursery, Jeanfield Road, Perth starting at 6.30pm running until 9.00pm. Spaces are limited so booking is essential. To book a place Call Steven -  07883281943 or  Email -  info@lethamclimatechallenge.org.uk The Letham Climate Challenge is funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund and is administered by the Letham Residents Association. 5/7/10 Garden Share Scheme Up and Running Over the next few months the Letham Climate Challenge is carrying out a food and gardening survey in the community of Letham, Perth.  Project staff will also be promoting our Garden Share Scheme and also the benefits of home composting.  The Garden Share Scheme aims to match up people with spare garden space with local gardeners allowing them an area to grow their own fruit and vegetables  Due to a lack of allotments in our area growing space is in high demand from people keen to grow their own fresh produce.  The owners of the gardens will not only benefit from an area of their garden being kept tidy but will also be able to share a small percentage of the produce.  Home composting is a good way to turn your own green waste into a valuable garden  compost which can be put back into your garden.    14/5/2010 Job Opportunity We are currently recruiting Garden Food Auditors for the Community Food Growing Project.  They are part time posts for up to 4 months with an hourly rate of £8 per hour for further details please go to the Community Food Growing Project web page.  Closing date for applications is 24th May 2010. 5/3/2010 Perthshire Master Composter Scheme Letham Climate Challenge has joined up with Comrie Development Trust, Muthill Carbon Community Project and Guildtown and Wolfhill Carbon Community Action Plan to set up a Perthshire Master Composter Scheme.  The community project which will involve local volunteers providing composting advice to local residents is due to start in April.  We are currently advertising for a Part Time Co-ordinator for this project.  Please see advert below.
29/01/10 Letham Climate Challenge Street by Street Audit. Energy Awareness Advisors from the Letham Climate Challenge have been working very hard over the past few months carrying out free Home Energy Checks for over 600 residents in the Letham area of Perth.  They have been providing householders with valuable energy saving advice which has been very useful particularly over the past month when the weather was quite severe.  Residents whose homes have been identified with inadequate insulation have been given the opportunity of receiving a free quotation from the projects insulation contactor Clyde Insulation.  Clyde Insulation can carry out loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, draught proofing and hot water tank insulation all at a very competitive price and can advise on grants that may be available. We now have access to a thermal imaging camera and can arrange to take a thermal image of your home showing where there is heat loss through un-insulated walls.  If you live in the Letham area and would be interested in finding out more about the project, receive a Home Energy Check or find out about insulation for your home then please contact Steven Mitchell the Project Co-ordinator on 07883281943 or visit the projects website at www.lethamclimatechallenge.org.uk.
27th November Pete Wishart MP Opens Energy Awareness Fair in Letham Letham Climate Challenge organised an Energy Awareness Fair for Letham residents.  Organisations such as Citizens Advice, Perthshire Care and Repair, Perthshire Housing Association, SCARF, Scottish Hydro Electric and Perthshire Tenants and Residents Fedreation attended the fair offering a wide range of advice.
1st October 2009 Letham Climate Challenge Appoints and Trains Energy Awareness Advisors. The LCC project, funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund and supported by Perth and Kinross Council and Scottish and Southern Energy has appointed 5 part time Energy Awareness Advisors to carry out a street by street energy audit in the community of Letham, Perth.  Before starting the audit the newly appointed advisors took a City and Guilds course in Energy Awareness from SCARF (Save Cash and Reduce Fuel).  SCARF is the Energy Advice Centre for the North East of Scotland. The Energy Awareness Advisors will be assisting residents in Letham to complete a Home Energy Check questionnaire to determine the energy efficiency of their homes.  They will be able to provide energy saving advice and discuss measures that can be taken in each individual property.  If householders would like to carry out some of the energy efficiency measures like insulating their home, then arrangements can be made for the projects preferred insulating contactor to visit and provide a quotation.  There will also be advice available on the various grants available for carrying out insulation work.  Clyde Insulation has been appointed the preferred insulation contactor for Letham , Comrie and Alyth street by street energy audit and insulation programme.  They were chosen out of 9 insulation contactors as the most suitable for the projects.  Residents in Letham can arrange a visit from one of the Advisers by contacting Steven Mitchell the Project Co-ordinator on 07883281943 or visit the projects website at www.lethamclimatechallenge.org.uk for further information.