Allotment holders and community gardeners across Scotland are set to benefit from a spring lottery windfall after the Big Lottery Fund announced a grant of nearly half a million pounds to the Growing Communities in Scotland partnership.

The partnership is between the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG), the Scottish Therapeutic Gardening Network (Trellis) and the Allotments Regeneration Initiative (ARI). The lottery funding will help the partners continue their work with the blossoming Scottish community garden and allotment network. At least 350 community, therapeutic and allotment gardens across Scotland will benefit from improved and comprehensive support services.

Alison Magee, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Committee, said: "The grant shows the Big Lottery Fund’s commitment to helping improve the capacity and infrastructure of intermediary organisations.

"This grant to the Growing Communities in Scotland partnership will allow this network to flourish, it will enable the sector to develop a single voice and in turn it will become more effective in raising the profile and recognition of the powerful benefits that gardening and the outdoors can have for marginal groups."

Jeremy Iles, Director of FCFCG, welcomed the grant. He said: "Every gardener knows that the only way to ensure their crop can thrive is to strengthen the soil and roots.

"This funding does exactly that for our network and in turn will allow us to help all those in community, therapeutic and allotment gardens to develop their work, and support those who come in and tend their gardens: we expect to see a growth in the movement and now we are better placed to support it."

Published 2nd April 2008