News Item

Gardening project growth spurt after £700 funding boost

A project which helps Bootle residents grow their own food has been given a cash boost from a ‘green grant’ scheme.

St Leonard’s Youth and Community Centre has received £7000 from the Regenerus Ace Fund to prepare the previously unused plot at its Peel Road site.

This has involved clearing the area, installing raised beds and purchasing good-quality siol and tow large water butts to get the project off the ground.

The aim is to provide interested centre users with a place to grow their own fresh produce including soft fruit and a range of vegetables, herbs and spices.

And as St Leonard’s also runs South Sefton Foodbank, any surplus produce will be distributed amongst food bank users, who will also be encouraged to get involved in growing food at the centre.

Regenerus Ace Fund Co-ordinator, Eve Money, said:”We were delighted to be able to support this project which reflects many of the key objectives of our grant scheme.

“The funding has enable St Leonard’s to transform a disused patch of land into a resources that local people will reap the beneit from for years to come.”

Mrs Money also pointed out that this project is part of the wider Taking Root initiative established by Regenerus in partnership with social enterprise Lotus Brook Ltd.

This involves a number of unused sites across south Sefton being given a new lease of being redeveloped for food growing purposes.

St Leonard’s Youth and Community Centre Co-ordinator, Debbie Shelly, said: “We’re very grateful to Regenerus for the Ace Fund grant which has helped to improve part of our site and also provided a very useful facility for our local community.”

The Regenerus Ace Fund provides a grant of up to £700 each month to a project that will help improve life in the organisation’s core operating area.

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

For more information about future Ace Fund grant opportunities and an application form visit www.regenerus.org.uk or ring Regenerus on 0151-934-2637