WELLIES GO WORLDWIDE – BUT EVERY VOTE STILL COUNTS
THE final push for votes is under way to ensure a ground-breaking urban farming project lands a big slice of Lottery funding.
People across Middlesbrough – and far beyond – are being urged to get dialling on Thursday to help the town’s Berries In Your Wellies initiative land the cash.
Discarded wellies have found a new lease of life as colourful ‘growing stations’ in a unique project launched by Breckon Hill Community Enterprise in Middlesbrough.
The project has been shortlisted by The People’s Millions Lottery Fund – and this Thursday goes head-to-head with other projects in a public vote.
If successful, the bid for around £50,000 of Lottery funding will allow the project to be developed and expanded, with more residents encouraged to grow and eat healthy produce, reducing obesity and introducing healthier, more sustainable lifestyles.
Organisers have been flooding Middlesbrough with hundreds of posters which are springing up in buildings across the town, while an email appeal has gone around the country and as far afield as Dundee, Denmark and Germany.
The voting hotline number for Berries In Your Wellies will be available on the Big Lottery Fund website at http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/ and in The Mirror newspaper on Thursday, November 27.
The project will also feature on Thursday evening’s Tyne Tees’ North East Tonight local news programme between 6pm and 6.30pm.
Berries In Your Wellies, based at Breckon Hill Community Centre, aims to encourage local people of all ages to grow fruit and vegetables in their back yards, gardens, community centres, care homes, school fields and parks – and even old wellies.
The resulting home-grown produce will be served up at a celebratory community feast and festival open to all Middlesbrough residents at the Community Centre over the August Bank Holiday next year.
Currently unused and under-utilised community spaces will be brought into new use as urban growing and allotment areas, enabling greater numbers of people to grow their own food and eat healthily – and reduce their carbon footprint.
Amanda Buck, Community Engagement Co-ordinator at Breckon Hill Community Centre, said: “We’ve had fantastic support so far, but we’re still relying on people to vote for us – so get dialling on Thursday!
“The project has created a really nice community, with a lot of people now seeing the humble wellie in a totally new light.
“It’s all about getting people to grow their own produce, using recyclable items like wellies if they haven’t already got growing stations.
“People of all ages are learning what to grow and how to grow it, and then how to harvest and cook their very own produce.
“I really hope people will show their support for a great project and vote for us on Thursday!”
Councillor Dave Budd, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “This is a terrific project which will benefit hugely from Lottery Funding, so I hope as many people as possible will vote.
“Urban farming has proved hugely successful in Middlesbrough and Berries In Your Wellies is adding a real splash of colour to the town, while enabling people to produce their own healthy, locally grown produce.”
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