GET INVOLVED
Sowing seeds of change
Up-and-coming local projects are being given a helping hand to grow and flourish thanks to the Future Ealing Fund , which has been set up to support local people with big ideas about improving the local community . Dan Stephens reports .
Launched in March as a further development of Ealing Council ’ s previous Transform your Space ( TyS ) initiative , the Future Ealing Fund provides financial support to community-led ideas that help the recovery of business , neighbourhoods and the local area .
A share of the £ 100,000 fund is available up to a maximum of £ 10,000 and is being offered as a pledge towards people ’ s active crowdfunding campaigns .
SKILLS , SOCIALISING … AND FOOD One project which could benefit from funding is the DIG scheme in Green Lane , Hanwell , which has been working to transform an unused garden area with the aim of creating regular opportunities for local people to learn about gardening and horticulture .
The burgeoning project is being led by the social enterprise Cultivate London and , as DIG co-founder Sylvia Cordell explained , it is all about supporting the local community : “ We want to enable local people to have job-ready skills .
“ Our programme of activities will address mental health , wellbeing and social isolation , among much more , and will be available to everyone who wants to get involved .
“ We will also produce organic food that will be shared by the participants – and any surplus will be offered to food banks .”
‘ FUNDS IN THE HANDS OF LOCAL PEOPLE ’ TyS backed 25 local initiatives over five years to help turn neglected and underused pockets of space into community assets – and Future Ealing is building on this success by significantly broadening the scope of future projects .
Projects looking to bring the local community together , improve public spaces and high streets , create hubs and help reduce the borough ’ s carbon footprint could all be eligible for a share of the fund .
Community groups , mutual aid or volunteer networks , charities , tenant or residents ’ associations or social enterprises are all encouraged to get involved .
Councillor Jasbir Anand , the council ’ s cabinet member for thriving communities , said : “ Our Future Ealing Fund aims to transform the borough for people who live and work here ; and we are putting funding in the hands of local people to help residents to do more in their local areas and help us achieve that .”
The council will be announcing the first projects to receive Future Ealing Funding in June . But there will be another chance to apply if you have a great idea because a second round of the Future Ealing Fund will be launched in the autumn . Find out more at ealingnewsextra . co . uk / features / future-dig
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