In August 2020, we granted over £7,000 of core funding to the Hammersmith Community Gardens Association as part of our Covid-19 emergency response. Through the pandemic, the Association has stayed active, using grant funds towards coordinating 29 volunteer gardening sessions in their glasshouses at Ravenscourt Park; 3 workshops with the Red Cross Young Refugees group; 6 virtual bee-keeping sessions with Bees for Refugees; 4 photography courses; and 4 photography walks to Kew Gardens, Chiswick House, Fulham Palace and Holland Park. These activities reached over 200 participants.
As corporate away-days were cancelled and income from these activities dropped away, the Association put some of these emergency funds towards management-time and strategy, keeping relationships with corporate partners active, leading to renewed interest in corporate volunteering days now that restrictions have eased.
We would like to congratulate the Hammersmith Community Gardens Association for their agility and commitment to their people during a difficult time.