£60,000 green spaces grant will Grow Good Health for people suffering mental health issues

The partnership funding application in conjunction with Lancashire Wildlife Trust, was one of 21 succesful bids out 3,000.

The funding will support a two-year project to develop community space within the grounds of Guild Park, Whittingham, and improvement works at the Chai Centre – a community centre - in Burnley.

It is aimed at increased food growing beds, a mini orchard, community composting and an outdoor classroom.

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With wider engagement, it’s anticipated that 2,000 people will benefit from the project. This will include 60 service users per year accessing greenspace opportunities at Guild Park, 64 people will be referred to three-month nature and wellbeing groups at The Chai centre, and there’ll be four collaborative days per year between Guild Park and the Chai Centre, supporting species recording and monitoring, seed collection and sowing, habitat box creation, harvesting and cooking.

Rebecca Witcombe, Senior Nature and Wellbeing Officer, will be running the sessions from the Chai Centre.

She said: "I'm really excited about bringing our Nature and Wellbeing activities to the Chai Centre in the heart of the Burnley, It's a place I visited regularly when I first started working for the Wildlife Trust 16 years ago and it's been close to my heart ever since.

"It will be wonderful to work here and create some growing spaces in the gardens and support people to carry out actions for nature. Connecting with nature is such valuable wellbeing tool.”