Community gardens celebrate after receiving lottery funding to help with development
Local Community group, Craven Arms Community Gardens (CACG), is today celebrating after being awarded almost £6,000 in National Lottery Funding to support its work to expand with new gardens for the wider community.
The group based in south Shropshire, will use the money to develop a new 500 square metres of land gifted by the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, providing new garden plots for adults and children.
Focusing on expanding our sensory experiences to help wellbeing, mental health and education, whilst addressing food security and biodiversity to improve the sustainability of the community.
CACG has been running since 2008 and is supported solely by volunteers. These volunteers include CACG plot members and also members of our new "Friends of the Gardens" group. Over the years it has experienced its ebb and flow, however since 2019 demand continues to grow.
CACG runs two weekly sessions for the Children's Garden Group. Where children grow, harvest and enjoy eating their own produce. Other children's groups also visit the gardens as part of the workshop "Food to Bowl" and HAF programs. These sessions help make new friends, while learning new skills and having fun.
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, enabling CACG to expand into the "EcoFriendly Gardens" project, offering new larger garden plots to grow food, helping the cost of living crisis, food poverty and sustainability and offering the Children's Garden groups more space to expand their activities. Plus further the desire to grow CACG with a new sensory theme throughout the gardens and the goal to offer a user friendly disability raised bed gardening area.
We are delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way, thanks to National Lottery players we are able to forge ahead with "Eco-Friendly Gardens" project.
Submitted by CACG committee and its members
