A horticulture therapy centre in Powick is hoping to win vital funding to expand its valued community services through a major supermarket’s grant scheme.
Link Nurseries is a community-focused horticultural therapy centre and provides therapeutic and vocational services for people wishing to improve their mental and physical health.
It has been named among the three local community projects in the running for funding under the Tesco Community Grants Scheme, which Tesco works with community charity Groundwork to run.
Local people will be able to support Link Nurseries by casting their vote for their favourite project in Tesco stores across Droitwich and Worcester. From January to March Tesco customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.
The project with the highest number of votes in the region will receive £1,500, the second placed project £1,000 and the third placed project £500.
Link Nurseries, which is part of college group WCG, will use any grant to invest in new materials and to expand its Well Bean Gardening Club, alongside its soon to be launched Mini Allotment Club.
The Well Bean Gardening Club provides a tranquil space for gardeners to cultivate their own vegetables and flowers, and develop new skills – all within a small, manageable 4ft by 4ft square plot.
And the Mini Allotment Club offers slightly less structured sessions for people to have their own plot for growing vegetables and flowers and will be encouraging a supportive and friendly environment for members and plants to flourish.
Phil Woodhead, manager at Link Nurseries, said: “Grant funding is essential to helping us to deliver our horticultural therapy provision at Link Nurseries. Following the pandemic we are seeing more and more people come to us to see the benefits horticulture can have on their physical and mental health.
“There has been a lot of pressure put on people’s wellbeing over the last two years and we hope that our clubs can do their little bit to relieve some of that pressure.
“If we are lucky enough to be successful in our application for the Tesco Community Grants Scheme we will be able to give more people a chance to try horticulture, meet new friends and help members to feel less isolated.
“We would be very grateful for anyone who takes the time to vote for us at one of the local Tesco stores and local people should know that by voting for us the funding will go directly into supporting a valued resource for the community here in Powick, Worcester and the wider region.”
Tesco’s Community Grants scheme has already provided over £90 million to more than 40,000 projects across Britain.
Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, added: “Tesco Community Grants help support local good causes but especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”
Voting for the Tesco Community Grant Scheme closes on Thursday, March 31. Votes for Link Nurseries can be cast at two superstores in Worcester and Express stores at Droitwich, Henwick Park, Worcester Warndon and Worcester Foregate.
To find out more about Link Nurseries visit https://wcg.ac.uk/linknurseries.