Fermanagh and Omagh District Council: PEACE IV: Cross-Community Garden Improvement Scheme

Overview

The PEACE IV Cross Community Garden Improvement Scheme "Growing Communities" is a small-scale capital investment and activity programme to enhance the provision of community gardens and allotments in the district. The aim of the programme is to make these shared spaces more open and inclusive, improving crosscommunity relations and community cohesion.

The programme is aimed at groups and organisations within the community and voluntary sector.

Up to 10 community gardens/allotments within the Fermanagh and Omagh district will participate in the programme. Groups will benefit from a £2,000 small-scale capital investment, gardening equipment, gardening skills training, and best practice visits.

The selection will be based on assessment at the Expression of Interest stage and the 10 community gardens/allotments deemed most suitable will go forward (assuming it passes a minimum threshold).

This initiative is supported by the EU PEACE IV Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. For further information on the PEACE IV Programme please visit www.seupb.eu

Support Available

• Community garden and allotment groups will take part in a series of workshops and training events to develop their gardening and community garden management skills. The workshops and training events will be developed in consultation with the participating groups. These events will provide participants with the opportunity to interact with and share best practices with other individuals in their community and other participating groups.
• Community groups will have the opportunity to avail of up to £2,000 small-scale capital investment, as well as up to £300 for investment in gardening equipment, to enhance their community garden space and provisions. Each community group will work with the Council’s Community Garden Project Officer and an externally contracted Good Relations team to develop a suitable capital investment proposal. The aim of the capital investment is to help address sensitive topics and issues (e.g. around sectarianism and racism) in their area, by improving the provision of their shared horticultural space.
• Community Groups can avail of up to four best practice visits during the programme. These visits will take place in community gardens across Northern Ireland and in the border counties. These visits will be in addition to ‘pair and skills share’ events, aimed at providing learning opportunities through interaction with other participating groups. Where it is deemed applicable, the opportunity to attend relevant gardening/horticultural events will be offered, to educate participants and to promote the gardening groups participating in the programme.