Photo by Andre Pattenden

 

Chiswick House & Gardens are delighted to share the news that they have been awarded a grant of £180,000 from The Linbury Trust to support its Community Participation Programme over the next three years.  

The Community Participation Programme includes a range of inclusive activities for the local community of Hounslow and West London: from learning about growing plants and identifying insects and wildlife with young children and their families, to music workshops with adults with disabilities, cooking, arts, crafts and much more. All activities will be designed with the participants of the Programme to ensure that it is relevant and meaningful to all. 

 The proposed activities have been designed specifically to respond to the needs of the local community and many will take place in the Kitchen Garden – which has been a vital community space for many years. This includes helping to increase knowledge about food cultivation, nutrition and horticulture, and improving mental and physical health and wellbeing and opportunities to build skills with our experienced Kitchen Gardener and volunteers. There will be a particular focus on supporting a diverse mix of participants in terms of age, ethnicity and ability.  The programme will be led by our Community Participation Manager and Kitchen Gardener as well as a new Kitchen Gardener apprentice, all funded by the grant.  

Through the Programme, Chiswick House & Gardens will also be working towards ambitious biodiversity outcomes: a ‘no dig’ approach to gardening, zero use of herbicides, improving composting and water capture, 100% reuse of plastic containers and pots on the Estate, 100% reuse of natural materials arising from coppicing for fencing, supporting vegetable cultivation, creating dead hedge habitats and a 90% reduction of peat use.  

‘We are delighted that The Linbury Trust are supporting our community programme. We’re absolutely committed to ensuring we shape the programme with and for our local communities and this is now possible with the support of The Linbury Trust grant’ says Xanthe Arvanitakis, Director of Chiswick House & Gardens.  

Chiswick House and Gardens are keen to hear from community groups who would like to use our Gardens and work alongside the Trust to deliver these Programme goals. Contact Harvinder Bahra Community Participation Manager at community@chgt.org.uk for more information. 

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