Youth-led creative climate project enters mobilisation phase across Gloucestershire
Thanks to National Lottery players, The Great Big Climate Circus has won £1,498,916 million over four years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, to develop a bold, youth-led programme using creativity and community events to inspire positive climate action.
The project has now officially begun and is entering an initial mobilisation phase, focused on building the core team, strengthening partnerships and working with young people to co-design the programme. Public events and on-the-ground activity will begin later in 2026.
The Great Big Climate Circus is a touring, youth-led creative programme that will work across 12 communities in Gloucestershire, bringing together young people, artists, environmental partners and local residents through circus, music, performance and hands-on activities. Rather than focusing on fear or blame, the project uses joy, creativity and shared experiences to make climate action feel hopeful, accessible and relevant to everyday life.
Delivered in partnership by Creative Sustainability, World Jungle, Bromford Flagship, Cotswolds National Landscape, Ernest Cook Trust, and On the Brink Arts, the project will support young people — particularly those facing barriers to participation — to build confidence, develop leadership skills and shape climate action in their own communities.
“This first stage is about getting the foundations right,” said Ben Ward, World Jungle.
“We’re building the team, working closely with partners and young people, and taking the time to co-design something that’s ambitious, inclusive and rooted in place. The public will start to see activity later this year as the programme takes shape.”
Year one activity is planned to take place in Stroud, Dursley and Gloucester, with creative engagement and Climate Circus events expected to roll out from summer 2026, following the current mobilisation and co-design phase with young people and local partners in each location.
Over the lifetime of the project, The Great Big Climate Circus aims to engage around 6,000 people, with 720 young people directly involved in co-creating events and 120 young people supported to go on to further climate action. Learning from the project will also be shared nationally through a youth-led toolkit to support better practice in youth participation and climate engagement.
“Young people want to get involved with climate and nature issues but they are rarely given a genuine say or choice as to what that looks like.” said Anna Bonallack, Creative Sustainability.
“The Great Big Climate Circus is a huge opportunity for young people in Gloucestershire, giving them the time, support, expertise and resources to explore the issues in ways that work for them, to make real projects happen in their communities, and ultimately to influence decision makers both here and across the UK.’’
The project is funded through the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million commitment over 10 years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change and involve more people in climate action. This forms part of the Fund’s 2030 strategy, It starts with community.
What happens next
- Recruitment of core project staff
- Youth leadership recruitment and co-design activity
- Local partnership development in first delivery locations
- Public events and creative activity launching later in 2026
Communities and organisations interested in future involvement are encouraged to register interest and follow project updates as the programme develops. Visit Climate Circus – Creative Sustainability to register your interest in joining in, supporting or finding out more about the project.
Notes to editors
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.
We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4bn by 2030. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, over £47 billion has been raised for good causes.