Green-fingered helping hand offer to get Swansea residents growing locally

SWANSEA Council is offering a helping hand to local residents who want to grow their own veg.

The Council’s Grow Local Swansea grants scheme that offers up to £5,000 to eligible groups, organisations and schools for their own food-growing projects.

Mark Child, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Healthy City, said the scheme had already helped scores of locals turn their hands to the soil and see what comes up.

He said: “Anyone interested in growing and eating their own food, such as, schools, community groups, allotment holders, and individual gardeners have all taken the chance to bid for grants to get their green scheme going and there’s £20,000 in the fund this year.”

He added: “The Grow Local Swansea project really seems to have captured people’s imaginations. We’ve received over 60 applications since it was launched two years ago and allocated almost  £80,000 of funding to a number of schools and groups.

“There are so many good things that can come out of the activities which Grow Local will support. We want to encourage people to work together and to share skills and knowledge, not just on how to grow produce but also how to prepare and cook tasty meals.

Cllr Child said: “Swansea Council is supporting local people to make a difference in their communities. The Grow Local scheme is a brilliant way for local people to work together to make the most of their local environment.”

The Grow Local scheme is designed to encourage our communities to grow their own food by funding a range of community-based growing projects with the aim of improving access to fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the city, particularly among those on lower incomes.

Posters and flyers have been going up at community venues around the city to promote the scheme. You can also find out more by going to the www.swansea.gov.uk/growlocal website.