A NEW sustainability fund established by a housing association to support projects which benefit the environment has received its first successful application.
The Applegarth Community Garden project in Northallerton has received funding of £500 from Broadacres to put towards the cost of buying wood for raised beds, compost, seeds, bulbs, and plants.
The garden, which is to the west of the Auction Mart just off Ashlea Road, is inspired by the Northallerton Secret Garden and the Incredible Edible movement. It will provide a new, open shared space for the public to enjoy.
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The project is the first to receive funding from Broadacres’ new initiative, which provides funding of up to £500 - £1,000 in exceptional cases - for local projects which:
* Protect or create areas for wildlife;
* Involve tree planting;
* Encourage or enable people in the community to grow their own fruit and/or vegetables;
* Protect or create an outdoor space for local communities to enjoy.
Initiated by One Northallerton One Planet, and with the support of the town council and auction mart, the volunteers behind the Applegarth Community Garden project are already hard at work creating the new garden.
One of the volunteers, Liz Styan, said: “Our ethos is to create an open, beautiful-shared space where both people and wildlife can thrive.
“There will be raised beds for a variety of sustainably grown vegetables, sensory beds full of herbs, bee friendly plants, scent, texture and sound and a variety of trees and shrubs producing fruit for people and wildlife.
“It is available for anyone to tend, nurture, harvest and enjoy. There will be a variety of seats, including wheelchair friendly benches, to encourage people to sit, chat and relax.
“We are very grateful to Broadacres for the funding, and we’re thrilled to have been the first to benefit from the sustainability fund.”
The sustainability fund forms part of Broadacres’ sustainability strategy, which will ultimately lead to all its homes and operations having net zero carbon emissions within the next 30 years.
The fund was made possible thanks to a rebate Broadacres receives each year from one of its suppliers, Jewsons. The rebate was used to set up the fund.
David Smith, Broadacres’ Resource Director, said: “The Applegarth Community Garden project is the perfect example of why we have set up the sustainability fund.
“It’s creating a new space for the local community to enjoy, and which will benefit the wildlife and environment in general.”
To apply for funding through the sustainability fund can do by visiting www.broadacres.org.uk/customer-area/getting-involved/sustainability-fund/
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