Launching Our Forth Valley Accessible Eco-Trail Map
At FEL Scotland and as a Climate Action Hub, we believe climate action should be accessible and inclusive. That’s why we’re excited to launch our new Forth Valley Accessible Eco-Trail Map, created as part of our SustainAble for All project with Forth Valley Sensory Centre and supported by the Scottish Government’s Climate Engagement Fund.
The Eco-Trail Map features 30 climate initiatives across Forth Valley, from community gardens to heritage sites and local hubs, alongside audio interviews with a BSL interpreter for each place. Each one tells a story about sustainability, accessibility and community connection in a format which is user friendly for those experiencing sight and/or hearing loss. This project has brought together people, places and projects from across the region, highlighting practical climate action while making accessibility a priority.
Have a look at the map to discover climate initiatives in your local area: Forth Valley Accessible Eco-Trail Map.
A screenshot of the Forth Valley Accessible Eco-Trail Map.
A highlight of the Eco-Trail is hearing directly from those involved, and what makes this project unique is that our featured locations have engaged in discussions or awareness training around sight and hearing loss, helping ensure the information and experiences they offer are accessible to more people.
At Forth Valley Sensory Centre for example, volunteer gardener Jean shares her experience supporting the Kitchen Garden, a space that embraces organic growing, reduces waste and connects produce grown with food served at their centre cafe.
Their Kitchen Garden is a great example of how small, community-led actions can contribute to wider environmental care. We hope people accessing the map can feel inspired and get some ideas from the wonderful projects happening locally.
Volunteers at Forth Valley Sensory Centre Kitchen Garden, doing some maintenance at a regular garden day.
We officially launched the Eco-Trail Map at the SustainAble for All event on 31st March 2026, at Stirling Barracks, bringing partners together to share their work, connect with others and even try out inclusive adaptive bikes for people with balance or mobility challenges.
A collection of individuals, groups and staff from Forth Valley Sensory Centre enjoying presentations at the SustainAble for All event.
Jenn from Forth Valley Sensory Centre and Alex from Mayfield Secret Garden testing out a side-by-side bike from our adapted bike range.
If you’d like to learn more about the background behind this project, the Forth Valley Sensory Centre have developed a SustainAble for All toolkit, with accessibility information such as how websites could be more accessible, and how to use Navilens codes (an accessible alternative to QR codes for those with sight loss). If you would like a copy of this toolkit, please get in touch with us at climate@felscotland.org.
The Accessible Eco-Trail Map isn’t an exhaustive list of Forth Valley Climate Action and there is plenty more to build upon! We’d love to keep adding to this map, and if you have a project to feature on our map, please get in touch with us at climate@felscotland.org.
We’ve thoroughly valued working with Forth Valley Sensory Centre and our partners to create a resource that helps more people explore and engage with climate action across Forth Valley. We hope it’s a momentum in our communities which will grow and build on the enthusiasm and commitment to inclusion that we’ve experienced already.
Further reading:
If you’d like more context around eco-ableism, accessibility and the climate movement, we recommend this article from Friends of the Earth Scotland.
