The second ‘Your Pots – Your Say’ community voting day was held at the Storey in Lancaster on 16th November, and it was an energising event full of enthusiasm, great connections and hope.
Eleven local charities and community organisations were there bidding for a Your Pots grant of £5,000 to £10,000. The grants are intended to help them carry out projects that will positively impact the environment and people of North Lancashire.
After taking their seats, the audience watched a collection of short films that each organisation had made to explain what they wanted to do and how their project would help local communities and the environment. If you missed the voting day, you can still watch the short video clips on the CVS website.
Once all the films were shown, the ‘Your Pots – Your Say’ marketplace opened. Each organisation had a marketplace stall to pitch their project and win over the attending people to vote for their project so they could be awarded a grant. Voters could also go round and ask questions before deciding how to cast their vote.
Apart from a chance to get funding, the projects said what a great networking opportunity it was for different organisations to explore possible collaborations and ways to support each other. The marketplace felt like the bustling hub of a local regenerative economy ecosystem. People were also impressed with how much hard work and dedication was already happening and enjoyed finding out about organisations they hadn’t heard of before.
The final results are provisional until full application checks of the winning projects have been completed. However, here are the projects selected through the public vote for the 2024 Your Pots grants:
1 The Tara Centre: Wellbeing Cafe for Asylum Seekers & Refugees (£6,528)
A weekly Wellbeing Cafe for Asylum Seekers and Refugees to foster friendship & connection, distribute surplus food & offer nourishing meals.
2 Wise Up Workshops: Creative Saturdays (£7,014)
Creative Saturdays will invite young people to create, learn & grow together using recycled materials and imaginative storytelling.
3 The Bay: A Blueprint for Recovery: Foraging, Outdoor Cooking & Nature Connection (£8,850)
Foraging workshops and outdoor cooking sessions using nature connection to build community resilience and inspire healthy and sustainable food choices.
4 Queer By Gum: Sustainable Queer Craft (£8,750)
Deliver sustainable craft workshops and events, building community knowledge about reusing, repurposing and repairing materials, alongside empowering the LGBTQ+ community.
5 The Gregson: Grassroots Sustainable Action! (£5015)
Grassroots community events to stop things going to landfill and encourage all ages to think about the planet.
6 West End Impact: Restoration (£10,000)
Restoring lives through restoring furniture!
7 Lancaster & Morecambe Repair Cafe (£4,344.70)
Encourage reuse and repair of everyday items, sharing, learning new skills and increasing knowledge of our social and environmental impact.
It will be exciting to follow the progress of these projects over the coming year. Keep following the FoodFutures newsletter and blog to stay in the loop about what they achieve.
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