UK: National Garden Scheme relaunch Community Gardens Award programme
A thriving community garden is not only a ‘catalyst for diversity’, it can be good for your health
From their website:
The National Garden Scheme has re-opened applications for its popular Community Gardens Award programme after a year’s break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re delighted to be offering our Community Gardens Award grants again,” says National Garden Scheme Chief Executive, George Plumptre. “These hugely popular grants provide funding to amateur gardeners from community groups in England and Wales to create a garden or similar project (such as an allotment) with a horticultural focus for the benefit of the local community or charitable group. The aim should be to bring a community together by creating or developing a space that people can share, by the acquisition and sharing of gardening knowledge and skills, and by inspiring a love of gardening.”
In 2020, 44 grants totalling over £97,000 were awarded supporting community allotments and gardens, rehabilitation, and regeneration projects, as well as gardens designed to support mental health and wellbeing, and training and development for young people.
“We welcome applications for projects that foster diversity and/or support people with physical or mental disability. With all applications considered on their individual merits, there is no fixed amount, but awards do not usually exceed £5,000,” adds George Plumptre.
Projects that have benefitted from a Community Gardens Award include Antur Aelhaeam in Gwynedd which promotes a sense of community in the village of Llanaelhaearn and the associated district, designed to halt and reverse the trend towards depopulation. The garden project aims to create a bridge between the generations, to lessen the stigma of living with dementia and to promote better understanding of the condition. An award of £2,575 funded a potting shed and greenhouse along with lots of tools and materials.
In Pendle, the Colne Open Gate project – which aims to give people the opportunity to have a go at gardening in a safe and friendly place – received an award to help create and furnish a workshop which also provides some great indoor space. And in Chigwell in Essex, funding helped buy a poly tunnel for a new community garden for people with learning disabilities run by Voluntary Action Epping Forest at Grange Farm, Chigwell.
Submissions close on 28th February 2022 and applicants will be notified of the results in April 2022. For more details and an application form click the button below:
