The National Gardens Scheme (NGS) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recently announced the first four gardens to receive bursary payments from the fund created in memory of the garden writer Elspeth Thompson.
The gardens are:
- Gibside Community Farm, a newly formed community supported agriculture scheme, is celebrating after receiving funds to grow fresh produce for local communities in Tyne & Wear.
The project, which was made possible by a bursary of more than £1,000 from the gardening charities, will help members of Gibside Community Farm transform a disused car park into a plot of land on which to grow vegetables.
The renovation is part of a larger project to restore the walled garden on the National Trust’s Gibside Estate back to its former glory.
- Horton Community Farm Co-operative in West Yorkshire is to receive funds to help create an urban ‘micro-plot’ for the local community to grow their own healthy food.
The ‘micro-plot growing area’, which will form part of the regeneration of a neglected inner-city allotment site will be made up of small growing plots and a composting area.
The project, made possible by a bursary of more than £3,000 from the gardening charities, will provide local residents and community groups with a much needed space to grow their own produce and enjoy the range of social and emotional benefits gardening brings.
- A Dulwich school will use the bursary to assist with creating a much needed green space for children to learn about the health benefits of fresh food by growing their own.
The new allotment, which was made possible by a bursary of more than £2,000 from the gardening charities, will give Dulwich Wood Primary School the chance to embed gardening into the school timetable.
The school hopes that by bringing pupils closer to nature they will develop a greater understanding of food production, increase their environmental awareness and learn how to lead healthier lives.
- A church group in Tipton is to create a community allotment designed to give local resident’s access to a green space where they can grow their own food.
The new allotment, which is being developed by the St Peter’s Church Group, was made possible by a bursary of more than £2,000 from the gardening charities.
The project will breathe new life into a piece of neglected land and transform it into a community space to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. The food produced on the allotment will be used to feed some of the most disadvantaged members of the community, including the homeless.
Penny Snell, chairman of the National Gardens Scheme, said: "The Elspeth Thompson Bursaries aim to support community projects and include diverse sections of society through horticulture and a community effort.
"Community gardening was very close to Elspeth's heart and we are delighted to be able to provide these bursaries in her name in partnership with the RHS."
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