Grant funding


successful. (The system has since changed to a computerised draw.) We started September 2017 with


£10,000 and a new headteacher who was passionate about Growing Together. Working parties of parents helped clear the ground for the polytunnel, and we were able to use a little of our funding to pay for professional help in preparing the grounds. The polytunnel was built and fitted with an irrigation system and raised beds the following spring. Things didn’t stop there however.


A couple of the teachers had been trained in delivering Forest School lessons, so plans were put in place for improving other spaces for outdoor learning, particularly the wooded and pond areas. Gardening parties of parents, teachers and supervised children were held during the holidays to cut back undergrowth, take down trees and prepare den uilding and firelighting areas. In the second half of 2018, we


discovered the added enefits o having an ongoing project with widespread local support. We ran a campaign on Ralloo (a micro


‘The idea behind Growing Together is


to involve children, parents, teachers and the wider community in making the best use of the school’s outdoor area’


sponsorship platform) to win a planter for one of the garden areas. The whole school community rallied round, and by clicking, sharing, subscribing and viewing promotional videos, we gained enough points on Ralloo to get the planter within ten days! We also submitted a grant


application to the Aviva Community Fund, requesting £10,000 for phase two of Growing Together. This was to cover further clearing and improvement of the garden areas, the purchase of Forest School equipment and resources, and additional teacher training in outdoor learning. Parents, friends of the school, and even our local MP supported the project by voting for it online. We received more than 6,000 votes, taking the project to third


place in Aviva’s Skills for Life category. Having such an engaged supporter base made our application very persuasive and we were awarded the full £10,000. And the momentum has continued. Late last year the Nineveh Charitable Trust granted Growing Together £4,000 for additional resources and equipment. Our experience is that grant


funders like to see that a project has ongoing support and that money is being raised in a variety of ways. Being able to show that effort and investment (monetary or otherwise) has already been put into a project is important. So too is the ability to demonstrate a genuine need and valuable outcomes. Finally, having local support is key, especially if the funder uses a public vote to assist them in their decisionmaking.


FundEd AUTUMN 2019 47


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