Fresh produce on the menu in Syston thanks to Charnwood Community Grant

Published: Fri 26th April, 2024

A community garden in Syston which is encouraging residents to live sustainably whilst offering free and fresh produce is being supported by a Charnwood Community Grant.

Grow, Give, Live has received £1,000 through Charnwood Borough Council’s community grants scheme to purchase planters to provide freshly grown fruit and vegetables for residents free of charge.

The project aims to promote healthy and sustainable living by creating a community garden where any resident can be involved and volunteer.

This is one of 16 projects that the borough council is supporting through its latest round of grants funding with a total of £40,000 being handed out to projects across Charnwood.

Peter Oliver, director of housing and wellbeing at Charnwood Borough Council, said: “This is a fantastic project which is teaching residents about living more sustainably and offering them a chance to get involved with a community project.

“I am so pleased to see another community project benefit from our grants scheme and I would encourage projects and groups to look into the support they can get from the Council.”

The group operate from an allotment space on Upper Church Street in Syston and have around 12 volunteers.

Grow, Give, Live welcome any volunteers that are willing to help in the area and it aims to create a welcoming environment which will help improve people’s mental health and wellbeing whilst getting them active.

Hannah Coombe, chair of Grow, Give, Live said: “We believe that this is a community project with a lot of potential as we can help residents live more sustainably, offer free produce and improve people’s wellbeing.

“Funding is really important to allow us to continue with projects such as this one and I would like to thank the borough council for their support and encourage any other community projects to apply for funding.”

Grow, Give Live is also working in partnership with the borough council and Syston Town Council to create a community garden on Glebe Way. The project received support from local residents through a consultation held in 2022 which gave people an opportunity to view designs and offer feedback on the proposal.

To find out more about Grow, Give, Live, visit their Facebook page.

The Council offers a wide range of community grants to voluntary and community sector organisations across Charnwood.

You can find out more about the Charnwood Community Grants which are on offer by visiting the Council’s website.