“It’s more than just a community garden”: How National Lottery funding helped create new hobbies and friendships

Tucked away in a courtyard in Walsall is Caldmore Community Garden, a grassroots community organisation, which brings people from different faith and community groups together. The group is led by Caldmore Village Festival Group and run by local members of the community and hosts weekly parent and child sessions, women’s days, a men’s shed and gardening days for people to enjoy.

Caldmore Community Garden has received more than £200,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. This vital funding, raised by National Lottery players, has supported the group to create a variety of activities that are reflective of the diverse communities that reside in Walsall.

One local resident who has benefited from Caldmore Community Garden is Fiona Kells. She said: “After retiring as a science teacher, I joined the group’s women’s day sessions, where I was able to meet people I would never otherwise interact with and really enjoy a new hobby. The group is more than just a community garden, it’s a space for us to grow our own fruit and vegetables, learn new creative skills, like creating Islamic mosaic tiles, and more importantly a place where I have now made new friends.

“The pandemic was really isolating for a lot of us, but the garden became a safe space where we could get out to and help out with maintenance jobs. I started to think about how we could use the funding we received and how it could be used to engage with people in our local community. That’s when we started to create knitting and crochet packs, gardening packs and as restrictions lifted host science activities that would help to engage young people with the group.”

Caldmore Community Garden is just one of nearly 570 charities and community groups across the West Midlands to have been awarded more than £27 million of National Lottery funding throughout 2021 so far*. Walsall isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that £200 million has been distributed to more than 4,500 community organisations across England so far this year* - all thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK**.

This life-enhancing funding will help people and communities thrive –supporting them as they seek to overcome social and economic challenges raised by the pandemic.

Project worker at Caldmore Community Garden, Anna Webster, commented: “Thanks to National Lottery players we were able to create more than 600 gardening packs to more than 1,200 children during the pandemic, and even had a wait list of 200. Without the funding we just would not have been able to reach communities in Walsall. We were able to create an accessible outdoor space for people of all backgrounds to come together with a shared interest in gardening and the outdoors.

“The community garden has become a place that just isn’t about gardening and growing food, it’s become a place to feel safe, included and involved. The National Lottery funding really has been invaluable to us.”

Nicola Thurbon, Senior Head of Regional Grant Making for the Midlands at The National Lottery Community Fund, added: “I am incredibly proud to see the amazing impact that money raised by National Lottery players is having in communities across the West Midlands. Recent challenges have shone a light on the inspiring volunteers and groups, like Caldmore Community Garden, who have been dedicated to helping their communities to thrive. This funding has given a much-needed boost to community spirit this year after what have been some extremely difficult times.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Thanks to National Lottery players, last year we awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. Over eight in ten (83%) of our grants are for under £10,000 – going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are bringing to life amazing ideas that matter to their communities.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk