Member Article

Green Fingered Growers Receive National Lottery Funding Boost

Green fingered gardening enthusiasts in Grimsby are today celebrating news of a £158,000 funding boost made possible by players of The National Lottery.

The money – awarded by the Big Lottery Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK – is being injected into a local gardening project, Green Futures Grimsby, which provides local people with hands-on experience of growing fresh produce.

The initiative supports a range of people from the local community through volunteering opportunities at its 3.5 acre site, where they can learn about, and share their experiences of, growing fresh produce and how to grow in their own gardens.

The organisation, which launched in 2009, also helps participants gain essential life skills, unlocking their talents and providing them with the support to gain confidence at the same time.

The money raised by National Lottery players will enable Green Futures to recruit a new member of staff, who will further support the volunteers, enabling more people to become involved with the project. It will also help to expand the scope of skills being taught, including hanging basket workshops and woodworking.

All of the produce grown at the site, which also includes shrubs and plants, is sold to the local community with the money then re-invested back into the project.

Carol Prendergast, CEO at Green Futures, said: “We’re a unique organisation in Grimsby. For many people in the community we’ve become a home away from home, somewhere that volunteers can visit, make new friends and learn a whole host of new skills.

“This project has become an integral part of the community, providing many of our volunteers with a renewed sense of belonging. This funding will make a big difference and go a long way to assisting people in the Grimsby area.”

Greg Morter has been volunteering at Green Futures for six months. He said, “Volunteering at Green Futures has helped to improve my confidence. I have met lots of new people who also volunteer. We share our interests and expertise with each other, our ideas are listened to and implemented, so together we have helped to develop the project.”

Abdou Sidibe, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Head of Funding at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we are able to support fantastic projects like Green Futures, which is making such a difference to local peoples’ lives. It not only provides an important service in teaching new skills, but it also brings different people together and creates a real sense of community in the local area.”

National Lottery players raise on average £30 million every week for projects across the UK, both big and small, from supporting community groups to funding the nation’s athletes. To see the difference National Lottery funding makes in your area, please visit, www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Henry Roberts .