Hamilton good cause secures £15,000 funding for community garden

Supporting Our Community is working to transform a piece of waste ground at Comely Bank into a green space for local residents

Everything is coming up roses for a Hamilton community group whose volunteers have received a £15,000 grant to transform an area of vacant land into a garden and growing space.

Supporting Our Community successfully applied for funding from the Asda Foundation for the project close to their community hub at Comely Bank in Earnock, and will use the money to install a summer house, paths and raised beds as well as purchasing plants.

Now local residents, school pupils and groups will be invited to help choose the layout for the garden – which will also include a sensory area – and to use the new space for recreation, socialising and educational visits.

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The charitable group took over the disused ground last year after completing a community asset transfer application, aiming to restore and manage the 0.33 acres of vacant land.

Project co-ordinator Mark Rouse said: “The area we’re developing was a piece of waste ground and a bit of an eyesore, and the funds will help transform this once-unloved area into a thriving community space.

“We’ll be using the funding to construct permanent pathways so that the garden will be accessible to all, as well as a communal seating area and a sensory garden – this project is led by local people [who] have decided what they want and need.”

Supporting Our Community told how the area “will be transformed into a community garden and growing initiative to help support people locally; the site layout and choice of plants, flowers and produce will be decided by the community at every stage”.

Group volunteers celebrated the funding award with a special visit from Asda Hamilton community champion Gillian Summers, who said: “Supporting Our Community is a tremendous resource to the Hamilton community, especially those who are isolated or lonely.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with the group and help them apply for the funding, and I’m so delighted they’ve been awarded the Asda Foundation grant – the garden will offer a vital outside area for everyone to enjoy, and the group offers a safe and warm environment which everyone is welcome to join.”

The Hamilton good cause is among eight Scottish groups to share a grand total of £150,000 from the Asda Foundation’s investing in spaces and places grant fund, supporting “the improvement of community spaces where local people can come together and thrive”.

Foundation chair Karl Doyle said: “We know that safe and inclusive spaces can be a lifeline to many in our communities.

“They offer a way for people to be together and are the home for many vital services and activities, and we want to continue playing our part in uniting communities and reducing loneliness by improving community spaces and bringing people together.”

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