Kirkstall Valley Grants launched in June this year, sponsored by Power to Change and co-ordinated by Open Source Arts and Kirkstall Valley Development Trust. Residents and businesses in the Valley, who have solutions to help maintain and improve the local environment whilst also supporting community and sustainability, are eligible to apply for a small grant to help them towards realising their solution.
An interactive awards evening was held on 3 July, producing the award of four grants from the first round of applications. Added to the monetary award, contacts and mentors are included to support the individual projects.
The following are the winners and details of their projects:
Julie Botham – Bramley Bloomers Edible Beds
To source three areas in Bramley that the community can use to grow vegetables. They will use sustainable and eco friendly methods of growing and work across generations, so that everyone involved knows how to grow and how to maintain the land.
Angela McConnell – Broadlea Better Community Residents and Tenants Association
To run a series of workshops throughout August to build Bug Houses with families who usually attend the homework club and to install these in gardens in the Broadlea area. The houses will be checked on a regular basis with children, to teach them about the insects we don’t see every day.
Grace Hills – Eden Crescent
To continue the work teaching children how to grow things such as trees, plants and vegetables and to continue planting along with neighbours to combat climate change and work together to shape the neighbourhood and make it greener.
Nicola William
To encourage the hedgehog population to recover and to run workshops to build sustainable hedgehog homes, including sharing the importance of creating access routes, introducing plants that attract bugs, footprint tunnels (which help record hedgehog activity) and hosting garden habitat seminars to educate and encourage communities. (Nicola has already attended Kirkstall Festival with an estimated attendance of 25,000 to share her knowledge.)
These are achievements to be proud of. All four winners will share their progress reports with the next round of applicants in October.
Applications are now open from people of all ages, especially those new to the world of funding and applications. Apply via the website here.
Anyone with questions or in need of some support with the process is invited to email [email protected] or call Open Source Arts on 0113 246 8975.
