This week is the last chance for people in Wales to vote for the wild flower community project that they feel most deserves to receive £120,000 funding. Thousands have already cast their vote, but each project needs as much support as it can get to help realise its vision.
The UK’s biggest ever seed sowing campaign, Grow Wild, will award the funding to one of three projects throughout Wales when voting closes at midnight on Sunday 1st November. Grow Wild is supported by the Big Lottery Fund and led by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Vote now online at votewales.growwilduk.com or by phone: Cwbran’s URBANBuzzz, Cwmbran 0808 228 7201; Discover the Diff, Cardiff 0808 228 7202; Furnace to Flowers, Ebbw Vale 0808 228 7203.
Maria Golightly, Grow Wild’s Wales Partnership Manager, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for people in Wales to make a real difference to a community in their country. This funding will not only create a flagship celebrating and growing Welsh native wild flowers, but also many wonderful opportunities for local people to engage with nature and with one another. Each project has its own unique plan for achieving this, and I urge people to find out more, pick their favourite, and get voting!”
Voters can choose from the following projects:
Cwmbran’s URBANBuzzz, Cwmbran
Cwmbran’s Urban Buzzz will take people on a journey between the Northville and Southville areas of the town, exploring the history of Cwmbran’s transformation from pre-industrial farmland to a thriving town centre and residential community, using UK native wild flowers to tell the story.This project is led by Cwmbran’s UrbanBuzzz Partnership (a Cwmbran Shopping, Bron Afon, Communities First, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, Torfaen Biodiversity Partnership, Torfaen County Council and other stakeholders). To vote for Cwymbrans URBANBuzz call 0808 228 7201
Discover the Diff, Cardiff
From transforming the boardwalk alongside the iconic Millennium Stadium by creating public artwork and shared spaces filled with wild flowers, to planting strategic entrances to Cardiff and novel ways to engage with and interpret nature, the project will use wild flowers as a start point to bring to life nature in the city and how we can all benefit. This project is led by RSPB Cymru, with City of Cardiff Council, St David’s Cardiff and the Prince’s Trust To vote for Discover the Diff call 0808 228 7202
Furnace to Flowers, Ebbw Vale
Furnace to Flowers want to transform a former steelworks site into a post-industrial paradise that respects the past, celebrates the present beauty and helps people to imagine and create a brighter, flowery future. A programme of events, activities and workshops will allow local people to get involved with growing wild flowers, including activities with local artists. This project is led by Gwent Wildlife Trust. To vote for Furnace to Flowers call 0808 228 7203
The Welsh flagship project will run alongside a flagship project for Northern Ireland, following the successes of the English and Scottish flagships in 2015. The flagship projects are just one part of the overall campaign that is inspiring three million people to get together and take direct action to benefit their communities and support native wild flowers.
One of the particular aims of the project is to reach young people and audiences who wouldn’t usually engage with environmental or community projects. Over the life of the programme, which runs until 2017, 250,000 seed-sowing kits and over 750,000 individual packs of wild flower seeds will be distributed through Grow Wild and its partners.
For more information please contact:
Deian Creunant on 01970 636419 / 07855 276740
