Green Grants in the Community – Growing Together Levenshulme
In 2023 we trialled a Green Grants programme for non-environmental grant-holders. Grants were available for up to £10,000 each to develop climate change mitigation and environmental improvements within organisations. One of the first applications we received was from Growing Together Levenshulme (GTL). They had a project ready to go.
GTL is a volunteer-run horticultural group that supports people in the immigration system in Greater Manchester, running horticulture sessions at a local allotment. As well as a therapeutic allotment space, they provide a comprehensive range of support in person and remotely to improve mental and physical health, and build skills and community.
Their application to the green grants programme was for solar panels for their outdoor kitchen roof – food is a central part of GTL’s sessions and highly valued by participants, especially for those living in hotels without access to decent cooked food. The plan was for the solar panels to be fixed on top of a shipping container, and provide clean energy to power lighting, charging, tools and equipment.
The GTL team sourced quotes for materials and labour, and we looked to our corporate partner, Bruntwood, to validate the proposals. Sustainability department colleagues were able to analyse the group’s needs and proposals, a process that concluded with a recommendation for a more efficient solar panel system.
“We all enjoy working on the Green Grants programme as it allows us to use our skills to have a direct impact in our communities, so it’s a win-win for everyone involved. Given our day jobs we can often add value to the original proposals, so I’d encourage anyone thinking about applying to get in touch so we can have a chat about their ideas.” – Bev Taylor, Director of Environmental, Social and Governance
Through discussion, we also agreed that the project would be more impactful and deliverable if it was designed so that a member of the group could lead the installation, and for the installation itself to be conducted as an educational activity for group members to engage with and learn from. A series of solar panel workshops was designed in, and the costs of this wrapped into the total grant package awarded.
The full-day workshops were run by Simon Chislett, and taught group members how solar panels work, are installed and function as part of a system.
“We saw lots of interest and engagement from our project partners – including many asylum seekers and refugees – and there were lots of extremely valuable opportunities during our solar panel workshops for them to increase skills, understanding and confidence. The entire programme has been extremely valuable!” – Tom Spencer, Growing Together Levenshulme
Eight participants participated in total, and the workshops culminated in an installation of the solar panels and finally, the big switch-on!
“Through the Green Grants Programme we now have renewable electricity powering lights and sockets in our new kitchen. This means we’re able to charge power tools using solar, and also that we have facilities on site for vulnerable people to charge their phones and devices, which is really valuable, especially for those who are homeless and have no other options.”
We are now offering the green grants programme as a rolling programme for existing grant holders, with a maximum grant available per organisation of £10,000. If you’re eligible to apply and GTL’s project inspires you (or, if you’re inspired by any of the other projects from 2023, included here) then please do complete a short Expression of Interest.
