The grants, totalling £4500, applied for via the council, has helped the volunteers develop the garden and expand the growing area this year. The grant was issued by South Lanarkshire Council, utilising UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund monies.

And the group is delighted to share their success during Climate Week when everyone is being encouraged to also share their inspiring stories using the hashtag #ScotClimateWeek – more info on the Stories for Change page

Of the 12 new raised beds, four large and eight small, using reclaimed paving slabs for the base, the UC volunteers built around half of the beds while the remainder were constructed with help from the council’s unpaid work service.

Other work being carried out in the thriving garden environment include creating a herb garden, an orchard and extending the raised decking for a second greenhouse which was donated to the project.

The Climate Emergency and Resilience Fund grant scheme was opened in January 2022 to support the delivery of environmental, sustainability or climate change projects across South Lanarkshire.

Willam Scott from the Nowhere to Grow project said: “The grant has allowed us to fill our new raised beds with compost and topsoil which has allowed us to grow even more fruit and veg this year.

“We also used the money to get tools and other DIY equipment to be able to build our new decking and some of our raised beds and polycarbonate sheets to repair the greenhouse.

Councillor Norman Rae, the chair of the council’s Climate and Sustainability Committee, said: “I am delighted that these grants have been used so effectively to help the group quite literally grow.

“I am also pleased that the council has granted permission for them to use the land directly beside the Universal Connections building to expand their garden still further.”

The group are now drawing up plans and sourcing more funding for this exciting new project.

William added: We have been donated a further 90 hedgerow saplings from the woodland trust to create a hedgerow in this new garden.

“We have also made plans for a dedicated family garden in the new space as well as a social space that can be used by any of the groups using the Universal Connections centre.

If you want to help combat climate change please go to the council’s website for more information about what you can do to help the environment and the council’s sustainable development and climate change strategy for 2022 to 2027.