The Land Trust has
secured funding of £291,000 from the Denise Coates Foundation that should
ultimately rise to £747,123.
The grant will
enable the Land Trust to carry out a major project at the Trust's site at
Hassall Green, a two hectare green space which the Land Trust took ownership of
in 2014.
The planned five
year programme will see extensive improvements made to the site with four key
objectives:
- Make the site safe for
regular use by the general public
- Restore and improve habitats
- Increase biodiversity
- Engage the community
Euan Hall, chief
executive of the Land Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding
from the Denise Coates Foundation. It is a significant sum of money that will
make a real difference to the charitable objectives that we are able to deliver
at HassallGreen.
“The current site
budget only allows for a relatively basic level of maintenance to be performed
and the additional funding will enable the Trust to undertake a transformative
programme over the short and long term. This will significantly improve the site
and its habitats; making it more aesthetically pleasing, enhancing its
biodiversity and creating a real focal point for the local community.”
The grant will also
enable the Land Trust to expand its successful Green
Angels training and education programme which delivers training courses on
subjects including habitat creation and management, environmental education and
hard landscaping. The project focuses on encouraging social cohesion and
improving the future prospects of the local community. Initially trialled on a
former Land Trust site in Liverpool, Green Angels has helped nearly half of its
participants back into employment, while many others have gone on to further
education.
Denise Coates CBE,
Denise Coates Foundation Trustee commented: “The trustees are delighted that
the Foundation could be a part of this project which will see the development
of an old industrial site into an area of natural beauty, freely available for
the local community to enjoy.”>
