The Helping Your Community Grow initiative is back for 2022, to help Marple’s green spaces blossom this spring.
Launched in 2010 by garden centre Dobbies, the initiative encourages people across Marple to take care of their green spaces.
For 2022, Dobbies is seeking local groups striving to help their community space flourish in a sustainable way.
Whether it’s a community allotment project to get kids eating more fruit and vegetables, a wildflower garden with pollinating flowers for bees and insects or a calming outdoor space for boosting mental health, they want to help communities in Marple transform their local areas.
Now, Helping Your Community Grow is calling for local groups from all over Marple to get in touch, showcasing their community space that needs some attention and what they plan to do if they receive Dobbies’ support.
A successful group will be given advice, products and time to help transform their outdoor spaces, using their sustainable product ranges wherever possible.
This could include peat-free compost, recycled and recyclable pots, UK-sourced plants and safer pest control products.
“Community is at the forefront of what we do at Dobbies and we’re proud to be relaunching our Helping Your Community Grow initiative again this spring,” said CEO, Graeme Jenkins.
“We had a brilliant variety of applications last year in Marple and it was great to see local community spaces, school vegetable patches and memorial gardens benefit from our support.
“This year we are particularly keen to hear from projects in Marple who have a sustainable focus to their work and our teams will share their knowledge of sustainable products and practices, to ensure a truly eco-friendly approach.”
In addition to the regional winners of Dobbies’ Helping Your Community Grow initiative, one national winner will receive further support.
“We really benefitted from entering Helping Your Community Grow in 2021,” said Claire Blowers from Noadswood PSA, the national winner from 2021.
“We had invaluable support and advice from the team, along with products that enabled us to transform our space.
“I would highly recommend community projects submitting entries for this year’s initiative.”
Applications are now open until 25th March 2022. Eligible projects must be located within 20 miles of a Dobbies store. For more information on how to take part, click here.