Christmas joy as community gardening group win funding

Flourish & Nourish are a small group of enthusiastic community gardeners based in Cleobury Mortimer, and are set to receive up to two days of support from up to 30 Severn Trent volunteers each day to help towards their Community Kitchen Garden and Memorial Orchard project as well as up to £2,500 funding for material costs.

The community initiative was launched by the water company to support local causes that matter with practical volunteers, and a squad of local Severn Trent employees have been drafted in to support the project in 2025.

The Flourish and Nourish Volunteer group clearly won the hearts of the public, as they were crowned the Shropshire winners in an online vote - having earlier come through a judging panel of independent local figures, including councillors and journalists.

The team also has the added bonus of receiving £2,500 funding to help towards material costs of the project.

Five local women are leading the creation of a Community Kitchen Garden & Memorial Orchard to benefit local people. Phase 1 includes fencing, groundwork, and orchard planting. They envision a beautiful, healing garden for learning and community bonding. Actions so far include planting raised beds, community consultations, and partnerships with local organizations. They aim to support mental health and well-being through nature and community activities.

Katja Jones, Volunteer Coordinator at Flourish & Nourish, said: "We’re absolutely thrilled to be the local winners of the Severn Trent NeighbourGOOD scheme and want to thank all who voted for us. We have so many exciting plans for this Community Garden and can't wait to get started! 

“The grant and physical support from Severn Trent volunteers is going to give us a huge kick-start to get things off the ground and ready to open the gates to our community in the spring. From there, we’ll start planting and growing edibles, building raised beds, compost areas and benches, as well as planting a colourful floral memorial garden and tending the newly planted orchard.”

Elizabeth Heath, Social Impact Lead at Severn Trent, said: “It’s great to see the Flourish & Nourish team be crowned Shropshire winners. Their project will benefit a number of people across the local community, so it’s no wonder that they received so many of the votes.

“Thousands of people took to our website to have their say and we’re looking forward to working with the team and providing them with the funding and volunteer support they need to complete their project.”

The NeighbourGOOD Scheme is just one of the many community initiatives Severn Trent are doing to support local groups, with their Community Fund also giving £10 million to local organisations across the Severn Trent region in the last five years.

For more information, please visit: stwater.co.uk/neighbourgood-scheme.