Lincolnshire Co-op is funding The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to help with the cost of employing a new member of staff whose presence will give local people greater access to its space.
The trust is working with clients from Clarence House – a nearby care home for people with learning disabilities – to create a community garden at Banovallum House, its base in Horncastle.
Residents from the home come to the garden every fortnight to help clean, cut and plant foliage, giving them a chance to socialise with others and to work on something they can be proud of.
“With the help of the fantastic volunteers at Clarence House we want to create an educational and visitor experience for people to come and enjoy,” said Tammy Smalley, head of conservation at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
The garden will celebrate flowers and plants from around Lincolnshire – and offer a vital habitat to a variety of garden birds, including finches, song birds, thrushes and pied wagtails.
The green space will also provide a location for the charity to showcase projects, give talks and hold exhibitions. In order to maintain the garden and organise events, the trust needs to employ a new member of staff – and that’s where Lincolnshire Co-op’s funding will help.
“Having that person in post dedicated to help deliver activities in the green space will help us to shout about everything that is great with Lincolnshire wildlife. Funds will also let us pay for flowers and foliage, so we can recreate the county’s scenery,” said Ms Smalley.
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The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is one of almost 70 local green groups the co-op is supporting through its Community Champions scheme. Every time a member shops in one of their stores with a dividend card, Lincolnshire Co-op makes a donation to the scheme. Money is also being raised for the scheme through collection tins in stores, proceeds from carrier bags sales and colleague fundraising activities.
