With the support and encouragement of Portsmouth City Council, FRSG resolved in late 2023 to plan a project to highlight the critical importance of pollinators to the life cycle of plants and crops. It was ultimately decided to create a nature rubbing trail in the Rock Garden and with the award in October 2024 of a National Lottery Community Fund grant (see Press Release below), FSRG’s plan can be made a reality. Project progress reports will be posted here.
Press Release: Wednesday 23 October 2024
Friends of Southsea Rock Garden celebrate after receiving £1950 of National Lottery funding to create a nature rubbing trail in Southsea Rock Garden
Local community group Friends of Southsea Rock Garden (FSRG) is today celebrating after being awarded nearly £2000 in National Lottery funding. The group based in Southsea, Hampshire, will use the money to support a special project to promote understanding of the importance of pollinators & biodiversity in the historic garden.
FSRG has been running since 2012 and is staffed by volunteers. The group meets weekly to work alongside the two Portsmouth City Council gardeners.
The group’s Chair says: “ We are delighted that the National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to press on with our plans to bring this new feature to fruition.”
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National GB Lottery funding by 2030.
As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects to turn their great ideas into reality.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
December 2024 Update
The positions of the 10 rubbing posts which comprise the nature trail have been plotted by resident gardener Steve Knott and will form the basis of a map to be sited at the Clarence Esplanade entrance to the Rock Garden. We remain in close collaboration with Portsmouth City Council and our prospective product supplier, while we continue to refine details.