aboutus
On 21st May 2013 LEAP became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), established for Charitable purposes. In particular LEAP’s objectives are to:
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Advance environmental protection and improvement by promoting, empowering and enabling sustainable communities through energy conservation and efficiency, encouragement of the usage of natural resources and reduction of carbon use, pollution and waste;
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Advance education by raising awareness and encouraging communities to consider their impact on the environment;
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Encourage community participation in contributing to environmental improvement and ensure the services offered meet the needs of the community, and help to provide new skills and perspectives
What we do
LEAP Car Club has operated in Renfrewshire since 2012, offering users hourly, pay-as-you-go car hire of electric and hybrid vehicles. We currently have cars based in Lochwinnoch and Linwood. Users save money compared to the costs of car ownership as well as cutting carbon emissions. Data from CoMoUK demonstrates that Car Club Users, walk more, cycle more and drive less. To further encourage the modal shift to active travel we will be launching an E-Bike Club in Linwood in November 2023.
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LEAP Together is an evolution of Lochwinnoch Food Committee. Our varied projects all aim to build resilience at a local level, and deliver services which add value to our community.
The Food Committee originally begun as a grassroots group, set up in response to the pandemic. By the end of 2020, it was obvious there was a continued need for the projects, and it joined forces with LEAP. Our shared core aims around environment and community have aligned perfectly. Now, the Food Committee has rebranded as LEAP Together and we continue our activities in the wider Lochwinnoch area; These include our Community Larder, Diggin’ It, Lochwinnoch Cares and the Feel Good Festival.
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The project team
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LEAP Charity Manager: Mike Callaghan. Mike has been with LEAP since 2014 running LEAP Car Club, which he continues to do whilst managing day-to-day LEAP operations.
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LEAP Together Project Manager: Tori Bell. Tori was a founding member of the Lochwinnoch Food Committee and now oversees LEAP Together projects.
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Community Larder Manager: Charlotte Keir. Charlotte manages day-to-day Larder operations
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Community Larder Service Coordinator: Vikki MacDonald. Vikki manages the relationships with the food partners and coordinate the volunteer drivers.
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Shared Transport Coordinator: Ross Winter. Ross is the first point of contact for Car Club enquiries and is spearheading our new E-Bike project.
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Community Larder Delivery Superviser: Alvaro Huertas-Rosero. Alvaro's role supports the peak delivery times including some evening shifts when we stock the community fridge and freezer.
The LEAP Board of Trustees
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The Project team are managed by a Voluntary Board of Trustees made up of members of the local community.
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The current board members are Kevin Cameron, Martin Mansell, Lesley Scott, Chris Patterson and Mary O'Brien.
If you'd like to have a say in the future of your local environmental charity you can, we are actively seeking passionate new board members. Benefits of board membership include discounted use of LEAP Car Club. If you are interested please contact board@myleapproject.org.
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Latest Accounts
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History
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LEAP have successfully delivered a range of services over its lifetime including providing thousands of free Home Energy Checks helping local residents save energy and money through free impartial advice on insulation, draught proofing, heating, renewable energy generation, grants and subsidies. We also made beneficial, hands-on changes to improve the comfort and fuel efficiency of hundreds of homes living in fuel poverty.
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Recognised as leaders in sustainability, LEAP have consulted with and mentored local charities and local businesses to help them save money and become more sustainable. This was sometimes delivered through our social enterprise commercial energy broker service called LEAP Energy.
We have also successfully delivered Youth Education, and Active Travel events and supported the setting up of growing spaces at the local primary schools and nurseries. In partnership with various local organisations we have also run a number of re-use events including Bike Swaps and Swishes (clothing swaps).
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Since inception in 2010 LEAP have supported the set up of a number of community led groups including ReMode Youth, Eat Lochwinnoch, Grow Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch Community Development Company (LCDC).
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