Growing Together was a partnership initiative aiming to help community growing groups to thrive financially by finding alternatives to grant funding.


Growing Together was set up in 2013 to help unlock income, land and skills for community growing groups, so they could become more financially self-sustaining. The initiative was awarded £800,000 by the Big Lottery Fund in 2015, which enabled it to offer tailored support to provide community growing initiatives with the confidence, skills and knowledge they need to move from reliance on grants to a dynamic and balanced income model.​ Growing Together received a further £97k in 2018 for Growing Together Legacy Work.

Although Growing Together ended in 2018, the initiative created many really useful resources and information aimed at community growing groups which are now available via the Resources Section of this website, including: 

  • Business Toolkit: A primer for community growing groups to share with local businesses and potential corporate partners, which explains why and how businesses can get involved with local groups of whatever size and scale. 
  • Case Studies & Information Resources: Find case studies on topics such as Crowdfunding, Workplace Growing, Business partnerships and Corporate Social Responsibility

The Growing Together Local Heroes Campaign also resulted in a partnership between SF&G and Magic Light to create Stick Man nature trails across the UK at community garden, city farm and care farming sites. To find out more about the Stick Man trails, visit the Stick Man page on this website. 


Key Achievements 

The infographic below highlights the key achievements of Growing Together. Click on the image to download an in-depth report & case studies. 

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Corporate and Business

The Growing Together initiative may be complete, but Social Farms & Gardens is keen to work with companies that recognise the value of social cohesion, healthy people and environmental diversity. We welcome enquiries from businesses of all sizes, covering topics such as:

  • Team/individual volunteering
  • Match funding for crowdfunding campaigns
  • Pro bono support and expertise
  • Sharing of resources and space
  • Finding community-based suppliers
  • Sponsorship
  • Partnering to deliver social aims
  • Any other innovative ideas

Alison Sheffield is our Business Partnership Coordinator whose role is to help businesses connect with community growing groups and help business and corporate organisations set up schemes to support community growing. Tel: 07752 542853 or e-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

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We are the leading UK charity dedicated to supporting city farms, community gardens, care farms & other green spaces.