County Durham community groups can now apply for funding to help make their neighbourhoods cleaner and greener.
Volunteers can apply for a grant of up to £500 from Durham County Council, as part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) It’s Your Neighbourhood campaign.
The campaign encourages communities to come together to make their neighbourhoods a cleaner and greener place to live as well as providing smaller groups with an opportunity to get involved with the RHS Northumbria in Bloom and Britain in Bloom competitions.
Ten volunteer-led community garden groups will be selected by the council to help support projects that are relevant to local environment issues. This can include cleaning up a local park, setting up community allotments or adding floral or planting displays to outdoor open spaces.
Groups have until Friday 15 January to apply and will find out if they are successful in the grant later that month.
It is the fifth year of the funding programme which has previously supported 90 community projects to make a difference in their neighbourhoods.
Cllr Brian Stephens, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, said: “These projects are a fantastic opportunity for people to work together to make a huge difference to their communities. Simple acts, such as planting wildflowers or tidying church yards and other outdoor spaces can have such a positive effect on those who live and work nearby.
“The improvements that have been made by previous groups, thanks to the community grant scheme, have been inspiring and have instilled a real sense of pride to so many neighbourhoods. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the benefits of this year’s successful applicants.”
For more information, visit durham.gov.uk/itsyourneighbourhood.
