Rich pickings for Scottish community gardeners
27 June 2012
Community gardening in Scotland is enjoying a £600,000 windfall after Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson announced funding to boost the 'grow your own' movement.
'With the hunger for allotments currently outstripping availability in Scotland, the Scottish Government is fully committed to supporting people who are interested in grow your own initiatives and projects,' he said.
The Central Scotland Green Network Development Fund is distributing most of the money directly to community growing projects over the next few years, with other grants going to gardening charities including the Federation of City Farms and Gardens and therapeutic gardening charity Trellis. Greenspace Scotland is also creating a map of an 'ideal' Scottish settlement illustrating where different types of community growing can happen, so that communities in urban Scotland can approach growing their own food more strategically.
The funding follows a two-year research project assessing allotments and community food groups in Scotland and finding ways to support them through financial help, advice and guidance.