Community groups across Glasgow have kick-started food and climate action projects after splitting a share of a £15,000 funding pot.
Glasgow Community Food Network (GCFN), which was established in 2017, has teamed up with the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund to donate £1500 to 10 groups throughout the city.
The funding comes as part of GCFN’s Demand for Land Campaign, which is focused on growing spaces in Glasgow in response to a surge of interest in community gardening, allotments, and food cultivation.
The money was gifted to the successful groups to allow them to begin community-led food and climate action in their local areas and to encourage a movement across the city.
Eleanor Dillon, project manager, said: “The funding is about supporting groups to take their own community-led actions forward.
“We announced the funding towards the end of June and we’re anticipating that most of the groups are taking their time in preparing to launch their work.”
The projects include creating community meals, offering free beekeeping classes, harvesting, and gardening classes, and much more.
Eleanor added: “The funded projects range from a student-led community hub garden in Knightswood Secondary School to a series of workshops linked to learning from COP26 from African Relief Support.
It is hoped the funding will offer an understanding of the climate, and what impact food has on our protection of it.
Eleanor stated: “The hope is that the money will enable groups to initiate, continue or adapt different activities based on their own insights, and engage new people or allow for more in-depth conversations within existing networks.”
Many of the selected Glasgow community groups are now starting to pull the trigger on their community projects.
The Wash House Garden
The Wash House Garden, situated in Tollcross, has created free beekeeping workshops.
The workshop sessions began on August 7 and are set to take place every second Sunday from 11am till 1.30pm up until December.
During the sessions, attendees will learn some theory and biology about bees, their structure in the hive, some of the bee terminology used, how to approach a hive and remove sections, and how to interact with them calmly and safely.
Kim Moore, one of the organisers, said: “It was really important to us that these sessions are accessible to all as an opportunity, so offering them free was important and only made possible with funding support.”
Excited to have received the funding, Kim added: “This really helps support the time and expertise needed to care for our bee colonies and allows more people to be involved with looking after them and learning all about them.”
With this funding, Kim and her team can now offer a space where people can learn together, benefit from the relaxing environment of the garden, and “feel a connection to nature whilst understanding more of the interconnectedness of the ecosystem and the importance of it for our health and futures”.
Kim added: “Bees and pollinators of all kinds are crucial to our food systems, so we feel that it's a powerful experience for people to spend time with a bee colony.”
Thanking GCFN for the funding, Kim stated that all the projects at the event were “amazing”.
Kim added: “We hope we can continue to secure funding and extend the life of the bee school into the future and open it as a space to more and more local people.”
Linkes
Community group Linkes, which is based in Knightswood, plans to use the money to promote healthy eating.
Ingrid Fitzsimons, community development worker at Linkes, said: “This funding is a big help and will enable us to bring together the local community to access fresh, healthy food.
“The funding will be used to get children and young people involved in our forest garden on the estate and to provide a free community meal for local people in the autumn.”
The free meal will take place at Knightswood Congregational Church and will be a free event for local people and families to enjoy a three-course meal cooked by staff and volunteers.
Freedom from Torture
Freedom from Torture which is situated in the Gorbals, is using its £1500 to benefit survivors of torture.
Ahlam Asouidi, senior community development worker, said: “The funding is a crucial initiative.
“It will increase the participation of our clients to come together, learn new skills and share knowledge through a therapeutic project and environment that improves their mental health and wellbeing, rehabilitation and integration.”
Freedom from Torture will use the funding to grow food and deliver traditional cooking workshops to hopefully lead to food recipe production.
Ahlam added: “The funding will not only benefit our clients and communities, but it is also promoting collaboration, value and tackling isolation.”
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