Well done to Gate 55!

Wester Hailes is to get a Magical Woodland thanks to a funding announcement made today!

Green community projects in Edinburgh have received an early Christmas present this year as they have been awarded over £6,000 funding from the Central Scotland Green Network’s (CSGN) Community Projects Fund to improve their local greenspace.

Supported by Forestry Commission Scotland, the CSGN Community Projects Fund provides one-off grants of up to £3,000 to support small-scale projects at a grass-roots level to enhance the quality of their environment.

The Fund aims to increase use of and foster community pride in local greenspaces and is directed at ventures which benefit children and young people under 16 years old, or which involve this age group in the project.

In total, £6,113 has been awarded across three projects in Edinburgh:

  • Friends of Montgomery Street Park has been awarded £1,500 to employ a graffiti artist to work with local primary school children to design and paint a mural on an unsightly electrical substation as part of a clean-up and activity day in the Park.

  • Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust has been awarded £2,873 to transform a Millennium Woodland next to the Gate 55 community hub in Westerhailes into a Magical Woodland. The funding will support predominantly volunteer delivered, woodland management, path improvements and planting of hedgerows and bulbs.  A number of parent toddler groups, children’s groups and the local school will be involved in the project.
  • Gorgie City Farm has been awarded £1,740 to create an African Key-hole Garden. The Garden will be constructed by the Farm’s Nature Detectives and will be centrally located to encourage learning and engagement in it by visiting schools and families. The grant will be used to buy tools, materials and site signage.

Keith Geddes, Chair of the Central Scotland Green Network Partnership Board, said: “Now in its third year, our Community Projects Fund continues to go from strength to strength and we’re pleased to be able to continue our support for grass-roots projects across the region.

“There’s a fantastic range of successful projects this year, from nurseries looking to promote outdoor learning and natural play, to allotment groups trying to encourage children to take part in community growing activities to inspire healthy eating.

“These small-scale local initiatives are instrumental in achieving our goal of creating a high-quality green network across central Scotland to improve the quality of life for local communities.”

Some 26 environmental community projects throughout the CSGN area received a share of this year’s £60,244 Community Projects Fund.

As one of the Scottish Government’s ‘National Developments’ in its second National Planning Framework, the CSGN willchange the face of Central Scotland, by restoring, transforming and greening the landscape of an area stretching from Ayrshire and Inverclyde in the west, to Fife and the Lothians in the east.

The CSGN encompasses 19 local authorities across 10,000 sq km and has the potential to benefit 3.5million people, equating to 70 per cent of Scotland’s population.  The network’s overarching vision is that by 2050, Central Scotland will be transformed into a place where the environment adds value to the economy and where people’s lives are enriched by its quality.

For further information about the CSGN Community Projects Fund, please visit www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org

 

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