Toryglen Gardening Club Project get cash injection

Nov 12 2008 by Will Henshaw, Rutherglen Reformer

TORYGLEN Gardening Club Project have received a massive cash boost from the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund.

The group will receive £134,184 from the £1.6m fund, which is designed to support innovative and locally-led green projects to cut carbon emissions and build sustainable communities.

Toryglen Gardening Club were one of the community projects which benefited most from the funding, gaining the third-largest amount in the share-out.

MSP Patrick Harvey of the Scottish Green Party insisted that worthy community organisations like the Toryglen Gardening Club will benefit greatly from the funding.

He said: “Although there is much that government, business and individuals can do to beat climate change, we believe inspirational community projects have a huge role to play.

“The Toryglen Gardening Club and the 17 other projects receiving support today are just that. Each one is an imaginative and community-led solution, with ideas tailored to local circumstances across the country.

“The fund was designed to support imaginative schemes across the country, projects that could inspire others. We also hoped to see projects with ideas on how to meet a range of social objectives as well as tackling climate change and Toryglen Gardening Club does exactly that, providing training, improved quality of life through green spaces, and local fresh food into the bargain.”

Project coordinator and community project officer with BTCV Abi Mordin said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been successful with our application to the Climate Challenge Fund.

“Over the last year, our small community garden project has grown and grown, and this money will provide us with the opportunity to make a lot of our ideas a reality.

“The volunteers at the Toryglen Gardening Club are committed to a vision of environmental, social and economical sustainability and we believe that collective community action really can make a difference.

”Our two market garden sites where we will grow fresh produce that can be distributed back into he community will be at St Brigid’s Church and on land behind the High Flats on Prospecthill Circus.

“The additional funding will also mean an additional full-time post and a part-time post.”