Caerphilly Miners Centre for the Community has received a £5,000 windfall to support a new project to promote year-round sustainable growing and eating in the area.
The centre, which is a charitable organisation based in the former Caerphilly Miners Hospital, was nominated by Thomas Carroll to receive funding from the Aviva Broker Community Fund, which allows insurance brokers to nominate charitable causes they feel need extra support and funding.
The centre has used the money to build a greenhouse in its Climate Change Garden for the Future. This will help the community to cultivate its own seeds and grow a variety of plants and vegetables for a longer season, promoting a more sustainable way of sourcing food. The greenhouse will also enable the gardening group to propagate their own seeds and make it possible to grow a wider variety of crops over a longer growing season.
The move is part of the centre’s climate change garden project, which aims to educate the community on sustainable practices and how small actions in growing can reduce carbon, promote biodiversity and improve people’s health and wellbeing by cooking and eating better.
Sarah Edwards, Group Financial Director at Thomas Carroll, said: “Caerphilly Miners Centre is a cause close to our hearts. Not only do we insure them, but we’ve been fundraising for them and providing them with advice since 2014. The centre is such an important part of our community, tackling social isolation and health and wellbeing issues, and providing a vital education resource for local children and adults. Their climate change garden project is already having a big impact and, with the new greenhouse now within reach, we know that they can continue inspiring and motivating the community whatever the season or weather.”
Katherine Hughes is secretary at the Caerphilly Miners Centre. She said: “We are so grateful to Thomas Carroll for its help and belief in our climate change project. We would never have had access to a fund like this if we were not supported by them. We’ve already made great progress with the garden, introducing composting, water harvesting, a pond, a sensory garden and seating areas, but the greenhouse will open up so many more opportunities for year-round teaching and gardening activities, and produce like herbs and vegetables, which we will offer in our new community kitchen and café when it opens.”
Caerphilly Miners Centre for the Community was established in 2008 as a sustainable facility to support the wellbeing of the community. It became a charity in 2012, and in 2014, the trustees signed a 99 year lease with United Welsh and set to work to restore the building, which was part of the former Caerphilly Miners Hospital. The refurbished ground floor was opened in September 2015 and it now offers classes and activities for adults and children in the local area.