West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is urging Walsall community groups to get involved in a grant scheme which has already seen £500,000 given out to fund projects that improve the natural environment in local neighbourhoods.
Mr Street, who head the West Midlands Combined Authority, said the Community Green Grants had already provided funds to 17 groups across the region, from Walsall to Coventry.
He said: “The Community Green Grants scheme is making a very real and practical difference at the local level - empowering people to bring about tangible improvements to their neighbourhoods.
“Whether it’s creating wildflower meadows, planting trees or encouraging children to engage with nature, it’s brilliant to see how the Green Grants we’ve been able to award are driving change for the better in communities right across our region.
“Together, we’re helping to improve and preserve our natural environment. It’s great to be able to say thank you to all those local heroes doing such fantastic work.”
Three Walsall projects have already benefited. Old Hall People’s Partnership, Bentley, received £18,650 to create a pocket park with wildflower areas, wildlife shelters, and raised beds to grow herbs and vegetables.
At Caldmore Community Garden, £17,692 will be used to create a boggy area, new building, installing bat boxes, and run weekly ‘garden Saturdays’ for local families.
And The Froglife Trust, in Reedswood Park, will see £68,718 used to restore two derelict ponds and create two new ones to increase the amphibian population in the area, and establish two wildlife corridors running from central to west Walsall.
The WMCA Community Green Grants fund was established as part of the Natural Environment Plan, which sets out the actions the WMCA and its partners will take to enhance the region's biodiversity, protect endangered species, and improve access to green spaces and waterways for residents.
Applications can still be made for small grants of between £3,000 and £25,000 or large grants of up to £100,000 with priority given to projects in communities where there is green deprivation.
The WMCA is working in partnership with the Heart of England Community Foundation, which is managing the online portal and supporting the application and appraisal process.
Mr Street added: “The Community Green Grants scheme has given local organisations the resources to make a real difference to their local environment and enjoy their green spaces.
“If you have a project, or a cherished space in your neighbourhood that could benefit, I’d urge you to take a look at the grants scheme – and get involved.”
To apply or to see what else the WMCA is doing to protect the environment visit www.wmca.org.uk