The Stockton project blossoming while supporting mental health

“Cultivate gives me a purpose…what I do there means something for the whole community”

An environmental project aiming to address high levels of food waste in Stockton on Tees, while providing mental health support for its volunteers and participants, has been given £10,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Stockton based Cultivate Tees Valley C.I.C aims to improve food security across the borough by creating urban growing sites and community gardens on unused and derelict land. The group now want to take sustainability further with a new community composting project to tackle high levels of food waste.

Thanks to National Lottery funding, the group will work with local businesses, schools and residents around its growing sites to collect food waste and create compost, which will be ploughed back into its agricultural work to produce healthy food for its food trailers.

The group’s work is supported by volunteers and participants with ill mental health, many of whom are affected by isolation and loneliness, which has been heightened due to the impact of the pandemic.

With ‘check-in’ discussions at the beginning of their sessions, by bringing people together and instilling a collective sense of helping the local community, the Cultivate Tees Valley team has helped to improve members’ emotional and mental wellbeing.

Ginny, who has been volunteering with Cultivate Tees Valley, said: “Before I started the cultivate sessions I had a pretty rough time - I was in and out of hospital with Epilepsy, mental health problems exacerbated by medication, and daily seizures and a range of caring responsibilities for others in my family.

“Cultivate gives me a purpose, time for me to enjoy being me, the ability to support others on their growing journey, new skills to grow my own food and most of all a sense of worth - what I do there means something for the whole community.”

Andy Robinson, Director at Cultivate Tees Valley C.I.C said: “We are delighted to be awarded this £10,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. We are all aware of the environmental challenges we face globally. Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding gives us the opportunity to work within our local community to play our part in reducing the amount of food waste going to landfill, and putting it to good use for our community gardens and growing spaces across Stockton where we grow food for local people.”

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Funding for the North East and Cumbria at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will have a huge impact on people’s lives across the Tees Valley. Now two years on from the start of COVID-19 pandemic and what has been an incredibly challenging time for people across the UK, groups like Cultivate Tees Valley are continuing to step up to help their communities build back stronger.

“We’re proud to support people to come together and build community spirit during a momentous year that includes the UK’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games and commemorating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”

Nearly 50 charities and community groups across the Tees Valley have been awarded almost £1.5 million of National Lottery funding in the past quarter*.

The Tees Valley isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that almost £8 million has been awarded to groups across North East and Cumbria and nearly £90 million has been distributed to over 2,700 community organisations across England in the past three months*.

Thanks to National Lottery players, this will fund things that matter to communities, such as economic prosperity, employment, young people, mental health, loneliness and helping the UK reach net zero by 2050.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week across the UK for good causes. The National Lottery Community Fund as a distributor ensures a share of this funding goes straight to communities, helping them to tackle important issues such as supporting young people into employment, mental health and climate action.

In the last 12 months we have given out nearly £600 million to 12,500 organisations reaching every local authority and constituency in the UK, helping people and communities to build back from the pandemic, prosper and thrive.

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