Green-fingered Grimsby gardening enthusiasts celebrate £158k lottery funding boost

Green-fingered growers in Grimsby have been awarded £158,000 in funding from the National Lottery.

The funding has been given to gardening project Green Futures Grimsby, which gives the local community the opportunity to share their experiences of growing fresh produce and how to grow in their gardens.

Money raised by National Lottery players will enable Green Futures to recruit a new member of staff, who will further support the volunteers, enabling more people to become involved with the project. It will also help to expand the scope of skills being taught, including hanging basket workshops and woodworking.

All of the produce grown at the site, which also includes shrubs and plants, is sold to the local community with the money then re-invested back into the project.

Greg Morter has been volunteering at Green Futures on Bradley Road for six months.

He said: “Volunteering at Green Futures has helped to improve my confidence. I have met lots of new people who also volunteer.

“We share our interests and expertise with each other, our ideas are listened to and implemented, so together we have helped to develop the project.”

Carol Prendergast, CEO at Green Futures, said: “We’re a unique organisation in Grimsby. For many people in the community we’ve become a home away from home, somewhere that volunteers can visit, make new friends and learn a whole host of new skills.

“This project has become an integral part of the community, providing many of our volunteers with a renewed sense of belonging.

“This funding will make a big difference and go a long way to assisting people in the Grimsby area.”

Abdou Sidibe, Yorkshire and Humber regional head of funding at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we are able to support fantastic projects like Green Futures, which is making such a difference to local people’s lives.”