Windmill Community Garden Margate received funding from Kent Community Foundation for their composting project.
Thanet based charity Windmill Community Garden Margate received funding of £4,642.00 from Kent Community Foundation in December 2023 for their community compost scheme. This August, Kent Community Foundation visited the initiative to see how the funding has been used.
Now in its twentieth year, Windmill Community Garden Margate comprises of two one-acre sites (a community garden and a market garden) that were transformed from derelict wasteland allotments after local families requested ‘somewhere safe to grow food with their children’. Their vision is to improve the physical and mental health, wellbeing, and community cohesion of their visitors through educational and environmental activities, as well as offering access to locally grown, chemical-free food.
A volunteer with Windmill Community Garden Margate said, “Community composting is needed to preserve soil structure, which is rapidly depleted through conventional growing techniques. Making compost locally recycles nutrients from food waste, improves soil fertility, diverts tonnes of food waste from landfill, reduces methane emissions and mitigates global warming.”
The Windmill Community Garden Margate uses a food waste Ridan Composter which makes food growing more successful as mulching reduces the time spent watering and feeding produce with plant feeds. Their composting project funding application, asked for financial support towards running costs, adding additional composting bays, contributing to staffing costs and providing learning support materials for accessible learning.
Phoebe Pemberton, Team Leader, Windmill Community Garden Margate said, “Our community garden is a truly magical place, featuring a community growing space, accessible pathway, forest garden, poly tunnel, kitchen, wildlife habitats and much more. Our market garden is a chemical-free food growing space that includes no-dig beds, an apiary, vegetable, herb, and edible flower beds which supply a weekly vegetable bag scheme, our market stall, and local restaurants all year round. We were delighted to show Kent Community Foundation around the Garden and explain that we have already produced 3000 litres of compost to mulch our plants.”
Hannah Hayfield, Communications Manager, Kent Community Foundation said, “ It was a pleasure to visit Windmill Community Garden Margate and learn how our funding had supported their community composting service. This project has diverted food waste from landfill, reduced time watering and feeding plants and has helped to deliver a programme which shares the best practices and benefits of community composting.”
Kent Community Foundation awarded the funding for this project from funds that are ring fenced to support environmental projects. They also have money set aside to support projects which benefit children, young people & families, vulnerable adults, the elderly & isolated and employability, skills & enterprise.
To contact Kent Community Foundation about funding for charities and community groups call 01303 814500, email admin@kentcf.org.uk or visit www.kentcf.org.uk/funding
About Windmill Community Garden Margate
Established in 2004, Windmill Community Garden Margate is a community hub located in Margate. The garden includes a community growing space, accessible pathway, forest garden, poly tunnel, kitchen and wildlife habitats. The market garden is a chemical-free food growing space that includes no-dig beds, an apiary, vegetable, herb, and edible flower beds which supply a weekly vegetable bag scheme, a market stall, and local restaurants.
Their vision is to improve the physical and mental health, wellbeing and community cohesion through educational and environmental activities as well as offering access to locally grown, chemical-free food.
www.windmillcommunitygardensmargate.com
About Kent Community Foundation
Experienced grant-maker Kent Community Foundation is the organisation behind the organisations and has been finding, funding, and supporting some of the smallest voluntary groups in the county for over twenty three years. In this time, it has distributed almost £57 million to support thousands of small charities and deserving causes where a modest sum of money can make a significant impact.
Kent Community Foundation is part of a UK wide accredited network of forty-seven Community Foundations who are committed to improving the lives of local people and communities, particularly the most vulnerable, isolated, and disadvantaged by matching those who want to help, with those who need the help.
Responsible for more than ninety philanthropic funds, Kent Community Foundation is unrivalled in its knowledge of local causes and assists individuals, families, and businesses who want to help, to establish and administer their own charitable funds.
Kent Community Foundation funding priorities –
- Children, Young People & Families
Supporting disadvantaged children and young people’s physical and mental health, encouraging positive choices and staying safe. - Vulnerable Adults
Helping those who may need extra care dealing with challenging issues or those at risk of social exclusion or discrimination.
3. Elderly and Isolated
Enabling elderly adults to stay well, healthy, independent and free from social isolation.
4. Employability, Skills & Enterprise
Creating opportunities to develop skills and confidence and have a positive impact in areas and groups of people with high unemployment.
5. Environment
Encouraging community action to improve and protect local spaces with support sustainable ways of living.
