Liverpool ONE is on the hunt for a Local Climate Hero in celebration of its new exhibition

Liverpool ONE has launched a search for a Local Climate Hero to celebrate the arrival of the Everyday Climate Hero Exhibition to inspire and champion positive change.

Created by renowned photographer Rankin and non-profit Futerra Solutions Union, the Everyday Climate Heroes Exhibition, unveiled at COP 26, is a photo series highlighting unsung climate heroes from across the UK who are doing extraordinary things to help save the planet.

Among those included in the exhibition, which is located on Paradise Street until the end of July, is West Derby-based St Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment which has been integrating climate action into its curriculum for more than a decade.

Credit: Gareth Jones

John Patterson, principal at St Vincent’s School, said:

“Our young people are our future and their voices need to be heard loud and clear. 

“Our pupils are incredibly passionate about changing their behaviour to make a positive difference and it’s essential that we all understand that our small, everyday changes can make a big, lasting change.”

Also included is Toxteth-born Ibe Hayter, who created Cycle of Life, a charity that encourages people to make cycling part of their lifestyle and help reduce carbon emissions.

Now Liverpool ONE, in collaboration with Futerra Solutions Union, is looking for nominations to identify a local Climate Hero from across the Liverpool City Region, who can inspire and encourage others to have a positive impact on the environment. 

Together with Grosvenor Property UK, Liverpool ONE is also launching a special funding programme, the Greener Futures Fund, to empower local community groups and organisations working with young people to take action within their communities.

The Greener Futures Fund, which will award grants to groups where all direct beneficiaries are aged 24 and under from across the Liverpool City Region, will support training for ‘green jobs’, enable communities to take climate action and improve young people’s access to nature. 

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said:

“It can be very easy to look at the climate change crisis and be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the issue, thinking you can’t make a difference. 

“But, we can all be inspired by leaders such as St Vincent’s School and Ibe Hayter who are driving change and we’re thrilled that we can showcase their work and the rest of Rankin’s exhibition here at Liverpool ONE.

“We know that there are lots of unsung heroes across the Liverpool City Region who are consistently going above and beyond to champion the need to take action and protect our 

planet – there is certainly a potential climate hero in everyone and we’re looking forward to hearing from these people and crowning another Local Climate Hero.”

Donna added: “The Greener Futures Fund has been created to help implement changes that will ultimately help to improve the lives of local people.

“We’re awarding grants of up to £5,000, so we would urge organisations, charities and community groups to think about how they could use the grant to make a positive impact on their local area.”

For further information about applying to the Greener Futures Fund, click here.

For further information about becoming a Local Climate Hero, or to nominate someone you know, head to the Liverpool ONE website here.