Delight as Kettering's Green Patch given lottery funding boost

A charity has been awarded £314,000 in lottery funding for a new three-year project at its flagship Kettering community garden.

Groundwork Northamptonshire will use the cash to support people at the Green Patch, off Valley Walk on the edge of the Grange estate, and they also hope to replicate the model elsewhere in the county.

Their project – called Come Together @ Green Patch – will help more than 300 youngsters and recruit 300 new volunteers.

The 2.5-acre Green Patch is an award-winning community garden where the charity runs a host of school clubs, adult volunteer days, community events and a programme for children and young people needing an alternative to mainstream education.

Now Groundwork Northamptonshire is set to recruit a new youth engagement officer and volunteer engagement officer for the Green Patch. They also have ambitious plans for this community green space and plan to use the funding to support more local children than ever before.

Kate Williams, chief executive officer of Groundwork Northamptonshire, said: “To put our lottery application together we consulted with the community and found the feedback very inspiring. It has reminded us how valued and important the Green Patch is to so many people’s health and wellbeing, so to have three years of new funding will make a huge difference to the whole community.

“Our new volunteer coordinator will support our current volunteers and reach out to new volunteers, while our youth engagement officer will support young people to be active in their communities. We will also continue to develop our much-loved Green Patch site and hope to replicate this model in up to three other Northamptonshire neighbourhoods.”