CAN YOU HELP US DOUBLE UP WITH THE BIG GIVE?

Exciting news! We have secured £5,000 match funding from The Big Give to support Local Community Action Groups with grants to run events and activities that will deepen people’s connection to nature. This means we can DOUBLE YOUR DONATION and DOUBLE OUR IMPACT and offer £10,000 in grants!

Running from 20-27th April, we only have one week to achieve our goal - and we need your help to get there!

With Great Big Green Week coming up on 10-18th June, there’s no better time to support our network of over 100 Community Action Groups around Oxfordshire to deliver projects and activities that promote, encourage, engage and educate local people in ways to connect with nature. Many of these groups are volunteer and community lead, the grants we give can make a huge difference to their activities.

Read on to find out more, or click here to donate!

DONATE HERE

Why is it important?

Our communities need nature, and now more than ever, nature needs us. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world: 1 in 7 native species face extinction and more than 40% are in decline.

Caring for our environment helps us care for ourselves too. It can:

Improve mental and physical health
Help us make new friends
Build self-esteem and confidence by learning new skills
Provide a sense of belonging and shared purpose in our communities

What is Great Big Green Week?

Great Big Green Week is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. This year, it’ll take place from 10th-18th June. We’d love you and your group to be part of it!

In 2022, we supported 29 community action groups to host events to raise awareness of climate change, engage the public and provide practical and fun solutions. For example:

Down to Earth Community Cafe held a low energy community cook in, sharing low cost, low energy recipes and building social connections.
The Nature Recovery Network held a Fungi/Art Foray, Beginners' Bird Walk, Bugs in Brooks Workshop, Trees for the Future Walk, Green Week Stall, Meadow Workshop.
Banbury CAG Biodiversity and Wild Banbury engaged their local community at the Banbury Canal Festival. The group were so impressed by the level of interest and concern that visitors expressed that they went on to write to Victoria Prentis, MP for Banbury, to share their findings.

Our post-event survey found that:

100% of respondent groups plan to participate in future Great Big Green Weeks.
Over 90% of respondent groups believed it helped to raise the profile of their group locally, in turn engaging more people in climate awareness and action.
Over a third of events groups held reached up to 100 people

Who are the Big Give?

Big Give runs match funding campaigns for charities and special causes at key moments across the year. By connecting charities to funders (like philanthropists, foundations or corporates) and the public, they help them double their donations. And, in doing so, make an extraordinary difference to the world’s biggest challenges. The Green Match Fund runs for one week from 20th-27th April, doubling donations to double the impact of green focused organisations!

How can I help?

The easiest way to get involved is by donating! Click here to donate £5 and help us get one step closer to our goal!

Can’t donate? No problem! We'd love if you could share it with your networks. We have created a comms pack with lots of example posts and graphics for you to use or simply use the text below:

“Looking for a simple way to support climate action this summer? The @cagoxfordshire network has an opportunity to DOUBLE your donation and DOUBLE our impact, thanks to @BigGive #GreenMatchFund of £5,000. This means we can offer £10,000 funding for community events during #GBGW23! Donate here to help us meet our goal:https://bit.ly/3KRjGCT”