News Item

Cash boost for Bootle community garden

* Please note – The article below was released prior to South Sefton Development Trust changing its name to Regenerus

A Bootle-based social enterprise has become the latest organisation to receive funding from a new south Sefton environmental grant scheme.

The Gateway Collective has been given £500 from South Sefton Development Trust’s Ace Fund to develop a new community garden in Bootle’s North Park, working in partnership with local children’s charity YKids.

The Ace Fund provides a similar amount each month to a project in the Development Trust’s core operating area of Bootle, Litherland, Seaforth and Netherton.

Applications from established community and voluntary organisations are welcome, but the Ace Fund is also open to informal groups of local residents joining forces to work on a one-off ‘green’ project.

The fund guidelines have been left deliberately broad to encourage as many groups to apply as possible by completing a simple online form.

The Gateway Collective will work with Ykids on growing organic fruit and vegetables in the new garden, at the same time creating a range of training and volunteering opportunities for local residents.

The produce from the garden will be shared between the two partners. The trading arm of the Gateway Collective will use its share in its range of pickles, chutneys and jams.

YKids will use its produce to run cook and eat sessions at its North perk community cafe in the town centre.

The Ace Fund grant will enable the partners to buy a range of equipment for the project including garden tools, plants and seeds.

Ali Thomas of the Gateway Collective commented:“We’re delighted to have been awarded this Ace Fund grant which will help us to get this exciting new project off the ground.

“it will enable us to transform a bare patch of grass into a thriving resource for the local community.”

South Sefton Development Trust Ace Fund Co-ordinator, Eve Money, visited North Park to hand over the grant and find out more about the project.

She said: “We’re delighted to be able to support this initiative which is an ideal example of how a small grant can generate a large number of benefits for local people in terms of enterprise, training and volunteering opportunities.”

Mrs Money added that the Ace Fund has been established because, as part of its constitution, any surplus income which the Development Trust generates has to be ploughed  back into regeneration projects in south Sefton.

“  For more information about the Ace Fund and an application form visit www.ssdtrust.co.uk.