EMA ECO-GARDEN – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

We’re looking for eco-garden designs that incorporate clever and innovative ways to make any space available more environmentally friendly and provide lasting benefit to communities. The guidance below was written with schools in mind but can be adapted to suit community gardens.

You can consider:

• A garden that uses materials that are sustainably sourced.

• Create or improve a forest school or outdoor space which can provide a beneficial learning experience for young people and improve wellbeing. Please see our Guidance to Outdoor Classrooms.

• Greening a small or previously urban space including creating vertical gardens.

• A garden that can adapt to a changing climate. Children could research areas of the world which already experience weather similar to what we expect in the UK, what plants grow there, and look at introducing plant types that are more resilient to higher temperatures, more intense rainfall, creating shade, and help prevent flooding.

Bids will be judged against these criteria:

1. Creative design - clever, innovative design

2. Fun and inspiring - making protecting the environment and improving biodiversity fun and engaging

3. Making best use of available space – designing a garden which uses whatever space you have. 

4. Climate positive – considering what climate change means in our places, leaving a positive footprint.  This could include climate change (considering the impact of future climate change on choices of plant, water runoff and water harvesting etc) and carbon footprint (how this has influenced the design and choice of materials such as peat-free, quality long lasting materials, locally sourced)

5. Championing biodiversity - designing with a positive impact on biodiversity.

6. Welcoming wildlife – considering how wildlife can use your garden, and what this means.

7. Leaving a legacy – designing a space that will benefit tomorrow’s students.

8. Student impact – demonstrating the involvement of and educational benefit of students in designing their eco-garden and preparing the submission.

9. Wellbeing - demonstrating that the design will have a positive impact on the wellbeing of those using the space.

10. Community impact – delivering meaningful impact for the school, and potentially wider, community. The school community could include pupils and staff as well as their family members, local groups and clubs, and could also include those that live or work around or near the school.

Any school or not-for-profit community group or charity within the East Midlands Airport Community Fund’s ‘area of benefit’ can submit a bid to the EMA Eco-Garden Fund. Please see a map of our area of benefit with eligible post codes.

We have created some short films for inspiration, which include an 'introduction to our competition', more information about 'what we're looking for' as well as 'top tips for designing a garden' which includes common sense tips, information about climate change, biodiversity, and the benefits of green space to health and wellbeing

Links to resources from our partner, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust:

• School Grounds Habitat Audit

• Wild at Home 12-month Toolkit

• Wilder Communities Toolkit

Also try:

• Woodland Trust’s Nature Detectives and other resources on their ‘Tree Tools for Schools’ free online learning hub.

• RHS - Gardening in a Changing World and Gardening in a Changing Climate.