Cwm Arian Launches New £5,000 Youth Green Fund in Honour of Daniel

This July, we are officially launching a brand-new initiative designed to put climate action directly into the hands of the next generation: The Daniel Blackburn Memorial Fund for Youth Action. Every year, this fund will award a £5,000 grant to a local school, charity, or youth group creating bold, green projects right here in West Wales.

If you knew Daniel, you’ll know he spent his life inspiring young people to think differently about physics and green energy. He had a joyful, wonderfully eccentric approach to engineering. Whether he was firing toilet rolls across classrooms to show how air behaves, or staying up until 3:00 am super-glueing miniature wind turbines so local kids could hold them, Daniel always sparked massive curiosity.

We want this fund to act as an enabler for that same creative, boundary-pushing spirit.

What We Are Looking For (And Where!)

We want vibrant, youth-led projects that focus on:

• Low-carbon living & renewable energy

• Sustainable transport

• Ecology & the environment

  
  

The grant is open to groups working with under-18s within Daniel's beloved North Pembrokeshire, South Ceredigion, and West Carmarthenshire. Daniel passionately believed in listening with empathy. The young people themselves must be the driving force behind the idea—inspiring, shaping, and helping to deliver it from start to finish.

Key Dates

• July: Fund officially opens (full criteria and digital application packs coming to our website soon).

• September & October: The application window is open.

• January 2027: We announce our very first grant winner!

Daniel built the change he advocated. The community wind turbine spinning in Llanfyrnach stands as a monument to his tenacity and endless volunteer hours. By keeping this fund flexible and open to bold new ideas, we're making sure Daniel's unique spark keeps lighting up local change. If you know a local youth group with a big, green idea, please point them our way. Let’s see what the next generation can build!

Ready to apply? Keep an eye on our website where the full guidelines and area maps will be live shortly.