The first events for Islanders to learn more about a £1m project, which they are all set to benefit from, have been held.

A scheme called Sustainable Sheppey was launched last year with a £946,275 Big Lottery Fund grant and it aims to inspire people to adapt the way they live to be more green.

Part of this is the Coastal Communities 2150 initiative which is to support the Island by helping it prepare for future environmental change.

A drop-in session was held at Friendship House, Minster, last month which was the first of a series of events to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change over the next 137 years, as well as highlight renewable energy sources which could be established.

Although it’s in its early stages, more publicity and consultations are planned and organisers said it was useful to get feedback from the small but knowledgeable number of residents who went along.

A few days later, MP Gordon Henderson went along to find out about two other parts of Sustainable Sheppey.

Oil Works and Community Allotment projects are both being run from HMP Standford Hill in Eastchurch and are set to be rolled out to residents.

The land they are based on has been renamed Sheppey Mill Green Project which is on the former prison farm, which hasn’t been used for a number of years.

The charity Work This Way is running the Oil Works side, which is supported by Southern Water and turns waste cooking oil into bio fuel which at first will be used within the Sheppey Cluster but eventually for locals to access and use.

Sheppey Matters is running the allotments which have seen 30 plots snapped up by community groups.

Mr Henderson said: “These are two fantastic initiatives that marry community involvement to the rehabilitation of prisoners, whilst at the same time improving our local environment.

“I’m really proud of the positive way in which local people are embracing Sustainable Sheppey.”

Sheppey Matters’ chief executive Nigel Martin said: “Few fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables are available on Sheppey – most is ‘imported’ so the carbon footprint is already high before the produce reaches the shelves.

“This and the well-known obesity problem in Swale are two of the main strands of this project.”

There are seven strands to the Sustainable Sheppey project.

• Coastal Communities 2150 and Renewable Energy, both led by Kent County Council, has £72,000 of funding for a year.Research and a review of potential sites is under way and data analysis is being conducted.
• Sustainable Schools and Sustainable Homes are both led by Groundwork South.The schools has £14,292 funding while homes has £38,304. Liaisons with the schools is progressing and the ‘green doctor’ scheme is under way across the Island which provides free home visits to help people save energy and money.
• Sheppey Matters is in charge of the Community Food strand which has £25,960. An allotment site has already been established, with 120 volunteers working on it.
• Oil Works, led by Work This Way, has £61,537 and bio diesel is already being produced on the site.
• The seventh strand is Green Ambassadors, led by AmicusHorizon, with £54,368 allocated.It aims to give people work placements within environmental sectors and raise awareness of green issues.