Community Spaces programme opens

Community Spaces, a £50 million lottery-funded grants scheme providing funding and support to community groups in England, has opened for business. The scheme will help groups create or improve green and open spaces to improve the quality of local life. Funding is available for a variety of local projects to improve green and open space, including play areas, community gardens, parks, wildlife areas, ponds, courts and village greens, kick-about areas and pathways. 

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Every Action Counts

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens is part of a consortium of organisations encouraging people to take part in Every Action Counts, a Defra-backed initiative aimed at getting groups of people together to take simple, practical steps to improve their local environment and create a cleaner, greener, fairer and safer future.

Every Action Counts is about encouraging and enabling community groups to maximise the impact they have in protecting and improving their environment. You can find out more, including details of how FCFCG members can get free membership for a year, on our Every Action Counts webpage.

 

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Open Farm Sunday

More than 100 farms have already registered to take part in Open Farm Sunday which is aiming for a third successful year in 2008. The campaign, organised by Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF), offers a fantastic opportunity for everyone, young and old, to enjoy the living, vibrant countryside. The even takes place on June 1 this year with a new theme for 2008 ‘Feed Your Senses’. 

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Community Day support sought

Community groups are being encouraged to support Community Day – a public holiday dedicated to celebrating and promoting voluntary community activity. You can find out more information about the day, which is a joint venture from NAVCA, CSV, Volunteering England, NVCO and the TUC at the website www.communityday.org.uk

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Care farms research

Care farming is a valid solution to increasing pressures on health and social care providers, offender management services and educational bodies, according to new research. Increasing demands on these services to supply solutions to an ever wider range of challenges has created a need for additional options for rehabilitation, therapy and training. Now University of Essex research shows there is a proven positive relationship between exposure to nature and a person's health.

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Bluetongue disease investigation

Vigilance surrounding the disease remains high Defra has created various surveillance and protection zones across most of England. Defra has confirmed 66 cases of Bluetongue since it was first identified in September 2007.

 

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Foot and mouth - statement

All FCFCG member city farms and school farms will be following government (Defra) guidelines on bio-security, restricting the movement of livestock, and any special local measures that may be introduced. Full advice is available from www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth

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