In an initiative by the RHS and Defra, £50,000 is being made available to help community gardening groups in England use less peat-based growing media. The organisations are making the money available to It’s Your Neighbourhood and Britain in Bloom groups through the Sustainable Horticulture in Partnership (SHiP) scheme, to cover the groups’ use of peat-reduced and peat-free growing media.
Britain in Bloom is the UK’s largest community gardening campaign, involving more than 300,000 people. Volunteers in cities, towns, villages, urban communities and neighbourhoods work together to improve their local environment, using gardening as a tool.
In 2011 the Government announced its aim of eliminating peat use in horticulture by 2020 for home gardeners and by 2030 for professionals through a voluntary partnership approach.
To apply for funds, Britain in Bloom or It’s Your Neighbourhood groups must be led by, or be working in partnership with, their local authority. Groups will need to develop partnerships with their local supply chain of growers, landscapers or growing media suppliers who can demonstrate a commitment to the use of sustainable growing media.
Applications for funding will close on 23 May.
More information is available at www.rhs.org.uk/britaininbloom and by emailing plantinggrant@defra.gsi.gov.uk.
Source: RHS – Gardening Groups to Get 50,000 to Encourage Use of Peat-Free Growing Media
