In the face of climate change and biodiversity decline, the Leap-based Centre of Excellence for Climate Action and Sustainability (CECAS) is calling on the local community to help raise essential funds to secure its future and continue its vital work in community-powered climate action.
CECAS has become a refuge for learning, collaboration and community action since opening in 2021, and has welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through its doors and woodlands.
But after the toughest winter since it began, the largely self-funded project now faces an uncertain future.
Ana Ospina, Managing Director at CECAS, says the organisation is a space for the local community to come together to ‘learn, grow and respond to the twin climate and biodiversity crises.
We’ve built something special with just four part-time staff and an amazing volunteer network. But to keep going, we need the support of the community.’
Ireland’s natural ecosystems are under growing pressure. Drawing on their network of ecologists, conservationists, artists and educators, CECAS has provided a crucial space for skill sharing among locals.
In 2024 alone, CECAS welcomed more than 18,000 visits, and hosted more than 80 community events, including native tree propagation workshops and seasonal clothes swaps.
They have also hosted affordable workspaces to ten local businesses, including artists, climate practitioners, and wellbeing facilitators
‘Our work doesn’t stop at hosting events or maintaining the woodlands for people and the planet,’ Ana said.
‘It’s about cultivating a space where people can reimagine the future, where community and nature thrive together. But this takes people, time, and resources.’
CECAS has launched a campaign on GoFundMe and is appealing to the people of West Cork to support this crucial initiative.
Every contribution, big or small, helps keep the heart of community-powered climate action beating in West Cork.
