After successfully awarding nearly £85,000 of grant funding to 18 organisations in 2023, the Pots of Possibility launched the second round of Community Pots grants in March 2024.
The £300,000 Pots of Possibility fund provides grants to help organisations start projects that protect and restore the environment, build healthier communities and improve people’s well-being. Projects need to fit into one of the following themes:
- Reusing, re-purposing and repairing materials currently going to waste (e.g. textiles, electronics, packaging, surplus food, etc)
- Sharing resources (e.g. tools, materials, skills, etc) or re-purposing unused space for community benefit
- Inspiring people to use and buy things more sustainably and to produce less waste
- Growing, cooking and eating food that’s local, seasonal and sustainably produced
Organisations from across Lancaster District responded to these themes by submitting an inspiring range of project applications, from food growing and reducing waste to community building and well-being. Unlike the larger Your Pots grants, which are awarded following a public vote, these smaller Community Pots grants are decided by a panel made up of people representing different groups across our region.
This year’s panel had some particularly challenging decisions to make, as there were many well-deserving applications but only a limited amount of funding to award this time around.
After some deliberation, the panel have awarded the 2024 Community Pots grants to:
Ambleside Road Allotment Association: ‘Can We Fix It? – Yes, We Can!’ (£3,550)
Can we fix it ? Yes, we can – with materials and tools to help our volunteers improve their community allotment.
Citizens Advice North Lancashire: ‘Strengthening the Lancaster Food Network through Data’ (£4,109)
Aims to strengthen and support Lancaster’s food network by providing food clubs with a data collection and sharing system.
Deliberate: ‘Community Conversations’ (£5,000)
Deliberate designs and facilitates community discussions and participatory processes to equip citizens with the tools to make change.
Lancashire Youth Challenge: ‘Time to Breathe – Planting & Growing Programme’ (£3,990)
Supporting a team of young people to create a community orchard, and fruit growing space for the community.
Lancaster Music Festival CIC: Lancaster Music Festival Banner Recycling’ (£1,500)
Lancaster Music Festival is exploring options around reuse and recycling publicity banners and sharing findings with other organisations.
Morecambe Community Riso Press: ‘Cuisine Zines’ (£2,164)
Creating DIY Zines together, cooking up a rich cultural exchange of recipes and food stories to share across our communities.
The Marsh Community Centre: ‘The Marsh Community Centre Club’ (£3,550)
Bringing community members into the outdoors, promoting health and well-being through gardening. Encouraging community members to eat healthier.
To stay in the loop and get updates about the Pots of Possibility fund, sign up to the FoodFutures mailing list.
Closing Loops is a five-year £1.5 million project led by the FoodFutures partnership, and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, it will support community-led action and local initiatives to transform waste into a valuable resource, aiming to stimulate a zero-waste, circular and regenerative local economy. As part of this, £300,000 in small grants will be available through the Pots of Possibility Fund.
