Overview
- National Grid Electricity Distribution is offering Community Matters Fund grants to towns and villages in West Dorset to create or improve public parks, gardens and other green areas.
- The programme sets grant caps at up to £5,000 for registered charities and up to £2,000 for unregistered community groups, with a regional pool of £250,000 covering the South West, the Midlands and South Wales.
- Eligible work includes paths, ramps and seating to improve access, raised beds and living walls, and nature-focused projects such as ponds, bee hives, tree and wildflower planting.
- Applications are open via the Local Giving website with a firm submission deadline of 5pm on Friday, June 26, and the fund gives priority to projects that help underserved or vulnerable people use green spaces.
- National Grid frames the fund as part of its environment and sustainability efforts, saying local projects could boost biodiversity, climate resilience and community health while strengthening everyday access to nature.