Halton Borough Council Celebrates Green Success with UKSPF Funding

Halton Borough Council is pleased to share the significant progress achieved through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to enhance green spaces, promote sustainability and support community engagement across the borough.

Transformative Green Projects

The funding is managed by the Council’s Programmes Office who established a Green Grants strand for small community projects to apply to. This pot was managed by the Council’s Community Development Team with the aim of delivering key green initiatives designed to connect people with nature and enhance Halton’s environment. The funding has already seen 17,000m2 of Public Space and 20,712m2 of Green Space improved and over 100 seed bombs planted!

Over £18,000 in total was awarded to 10 community groups to support projects including the creation of raised beds, greenhouses, and wildlife habitats.

Groups such as St. John and St. Paul’s Transform Widnes and Clifton Road Allotment Association have transformed local areas into thriving hubs for social interaction and sustainable gardening.

Following installation of a new accessible path and raised beds to create a community hub for gardening and socialising, a spokesperson for Clifton Road Allotment Association said,

‘We now have an accessible path, making the garden welcoming for everyone. This grant has been vital in creating a space where people can come together to share skills and knowledge.

A St Paul’s spokesperson added,

‘Our grant has enabled us to move our project on so much further; we now have a number of raised beds that already have veg planted in them. These will be used in our Long Loaf community café and given out to local people and the trees and bushes create a new haven for wildlife and birds. This project has really brought the community together and generated so much interest; we are thrilled with how it went and are so grateful for the grant.’

Other projects funded through the Green Grants include:

• Four Estates who hosted a popular wildflower seed planting event, praised for bringing together young people for litter picking and environmental action said: ‘The wildflower seed planting event was an extremely popular activity and brought all the community together. It was really encouraging to see how many young people asked to get involved in the litter picking and clean up prior to the seed planting activity.
• Angela Hayler, Chair of Wonky Garden who developed a greenhouse and workshop space, allowing community activities to continue year-round noted, ‘The greenhouse has been invaluable, giving us a place to work, teach, and connect even in colder months. It’s made a lasting difference to our community.’
• Purchasing essential tools helped volunteers at Halton Village Millennium Green maintain the much-loved community green space, ‘Since 1997 volunteers have maintained this green space for the whole community to enjoy. Obviously to do this we need various bits of equipment, much of which had come to the end of useful/safe life or we found we needed additional pieces due to the physical capabilities of our volunteers, so we’ve been able to make purchases. This grant enables us to continue caring for this green space for many years to come and hopefully enable us to expand our volunteer base due to the additional smaller hand tools that can be kept on site. 

Meanwhile Friends of Hale Village and Grangeway Community Forum launched projects that will enhance local green spaces and bring people together; Forget-Me-Not Garden shared, ‘We now have a blank canvas to bring our ideas to life. The grant has been transformative and will help us attract new volunteers and boost local pride.’ And Greenfingers Gardening commented, ‘It’s just helped so much that we can crack on with the fruit growing without having to worry about the birds! Hopefully the season will be more successful and will encourage the volunteers rather than them get fed up when crops fail’

Finally, Preston Brook Pre-School highlighted, ‘The greenhouse and propagator have given us a real chance to engage children with growing plants, helping them learn about sustainability in a practical way’.

Wesley Rourke, Executive Director for Environment and Regeneration said,

‘These projects exemplify the power of local action in creating a greener, more sustainable future. They have strengthened community bonds, improved access to nature, and delivered real environmental benefits’.

Looking ahead, Halton Borough Council will continue working closely with the community to deliver projects that benefit residents, enhance biodiversity, and promote sustainability. With further initiatives planned for 2024 and 2025, including the development of Riddings Lane in Runcorn, the installation of solar panels on Hazlehurst Studios and an energy efficiency masterclass to support community groups and businesses to make their buildings warmer and more cost effective.  Halton’s green legacy is set to grow even stronger.

For more information contact Steph Davies, Programmes Manager at Halton Borough Council by emailing funding@halton.gov.uk