Help Bideford become greener

15 October, 2018

Crowdfunding campaign launched to make central Bideford 10 x greener

The Bideford Town Centre Partnership and the Bideford Sustainability Group (who've been working on brightening up the Honestone car park for the last year) are working with the Friends of the Earth and Crowdfunder to raise funding for a community gardener and make central Bideford 10 x greener.

Greener streets are better for people, nature and the environment. They boost our physical and mental health and help wildlife to flourish in urban areas. With over half of wild species in the UK having declined in the last sixty years it has never been more important to make space for nature in our communities.

Bideford is one of ten communities selected as part of a nationwide competition to receive a £500 boost and training on how to crowdfund and get a ‘postcode gardener’. The ‘postcode gardener’ will help communities to come together to help nature flourish.

Project leader, and Bideford resident, Chris Fuller said:

“Imagine a Bideford that makes you smile every time you turn into the High Street or wonder what's growing every time you get off your bike or park your car. A place people want to be and to spend time. Bideford and the surrounding area are such beautiful places but we want to see the town centre come alive and make it the little green town!

“A community gardener would be able to support our community to mak the streets healthier, brighter places to be. Little pockets of green and colour will go a long, long way! Especially if they help bring the community together and give people an opportunity to make a difference. Anything people can do to make this happen, whether giving their time or helping us raise funds for a community gardener, plants and trees, would be hugely appreciated.”

Miriam Turner, innovation director at Friends of the Earth, said:

“Friends of the Earth has a long history of working with community groups to support environmental change at a grassroots level. By teaming up with Crowdfunder we’re able to empower a new wave of local projects across the country making a positive change to their community.”

“Giving the streets of Bideford a green makeover will offer a great boost to physical and mental wellbeing and will make more space for nature in the town. We can’t wait to see the whole community getting involved in this project!”

To read more about the project to make Bideford the little green town, and to contribute to the crowdfunding campaign, visit: crowdfunder.co.uk/littlegreentown. Funding closes on 30th October

ENDS

For more information contact the Friends of the Earth press office on 020 7566 1649 / 07718 394786 (out of hours – please do not text this number) or by emailing [email protected].

Notes to editors:

  1. The nationwide project follows a pilot project on London’s Daubeney Road, which has seen the local community empowered to make its streets 10 x greener with vanloads of plants, bughouses, soil and plant pots.
    1. Read more about the pilot 10 x Greener project in Hackney, supported by Friends of the Earth, here: https://10xgreener.org/
    2. Images available to download here.
  2. About Friends of the Earth: For more than 40 years we’ve seen that the wellbeing of people and planet go hand in hand – and it’s been the inspiration for our campaigns. Together with thousands of people like you we’ve secured safer food and water, defended wildlife and natural habitats, championed the move to clean energy and acted to keep our climate stable. Be a Friend of the Earth – see things differently. For more information visit: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/ follow us at @friends_earth, or like our Facebook page.
  3. About Crowdfunder: Alongside the crowd and our extra funding partners, Crowdfunder has raised over £50m for business ideas, charities, community groups, sports clubs, political movements and so much more, activating solutions to the significant problems that society faces along the way. 

To put it simply, our mission is to connect the projects that matter with the supporters who care, because we truly believe that people should feel empowered to turn their great ideas into reality. 

So what are you waiting for? Join our crowd today. Together, we can change the world. For more information visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk, follow us at @crowdfunderuk and like our Facebook page