Page 12 - City Life Magazine - Spring 2022

12 Issue 58 • March 2022

GREENER WORCESTER

Communities use green grants

to pledge positive action

Planting more fruit trees and vegetables, improving recycling facilities,
and building bird, bat, insect and hedgehog houses are among the

actions pledged by the first Worcester organisations to successfully
apply for the City Council’s new environmental community grant.

Worcester Community Gardens Brodie and Christina, both
volunteers Jon and Will, with aged 9, by Perry Wood
Brian the dog Primary School’s pond

Grants of between £500 and £1,000 School was also one of the first to MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
are on offer to community groups, successfully apply for a grant. They “We’re excited to see the first
charities and voluntary organisations have used it to make bird boxes, Worcester groups coming forward
to help make neighbourhoods more bug hotels and hedgehog houses with actions that will make a real
environmentally friendly. that are now placed close to a pond difference to wildlife and the
in the school grounds. environment in their local community,”
Worcester Community Garden, says Councillor Andy Stafford, Chair of
based at the old North Stables on Suzanne Beston, Head Teacher at Worcester City Council’s Environment
the edge of Pitchcroft Race Course, the school said: “The school’s pond Committee.
successfully applied for funding to area is continually being developed
purchase and plant 22 fruit trees, to ensure it is a safe space where “The good news is that funding is still
along with top soil to help protect children can investigate and learn available, so more Worcester groups
tree roots in the event of flooding. about the importance of nature in and individuals can still benefit.
our world today. The online application process is
Worcester Community Garden quick and straightforward – I would
committee member Steve Dent says, “Developing the area to include bug encourage anyone who wants to take
“Our beautiful orchard garden was hotels, hedgehog houses and bird steps, however small, to give nature a
devastated by the severe floods of feeders will bring more wildlife into helping hand to apply now.”
the 2020-21 winter. our grounds and will have a positive
impact on pupils’ education.” Applications are invited to support
“The environmental community initiatives that will reduce carbon
grant will mean we can now not only The Worcester Environmental Group emissions, improve resilience to
replace all of the lost trees, but also will use their funding to build a climate change, reduce waste, benefit
build up the ground level around variety of bird boxes, bat boxes, the natural environment, or raise
the new trees to better protect them bug hotels and hedgehog houses awareness about environmental issues.
against future flooding.” that will be distributed along a
proposed 12-mile wildlife corridor,  For more information:
HOMES FOR BUGS known as the Wild About Worcester W: www.worcester.gov.uk/
Perry Wood Primary and Nursery route. environmental-community-grants

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