This summer is all about the UK’s native wild flowers and Grow Wild is working hard to inspire communities, friends, neighbours and individuals across the UK to come together to transform local spaces by sowing, growing and enjoying native wild flowers.
Supported by the Big Lottery Fund and led by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Grow Wild believes that this simple act of creativity can turn spaces into beautiful, inspiring and colourful wildlife havens; encouraging people to care for and delight in the nature around them. Any space can be transformed – from balconies to old boots, streets to shared spaces, boxes to buckets. Anything that will hold soil, water and seeds will do: just let your imagination grow wild.
Grow Wild aims to reach 30 million people including 4 million young people aged 12 to 25 by funding projects and offering free seeds.
Four high-profile flagship sites are being created; one in each UK country voted for by the public. Each receives £120,000 to create a site that leaves a lasting footprint of the Grow Wild programme. Votes in autumn 2015 will decide which Wales and Northern Ireland flagships sites will join the winning flagships in England (Tale Of Two Cities in Liverpool/Manchester) and Scotland (Water Works in Barrhead).
In addition, Grow Wild awards funding of £1,000 to £4,000 to community groups that bring people together to transform communal spaces. With a focus on bonding people and places, 300 of these projects will launch around the UK over the course of Grow Wild. The current network of projects includes transformative spaces at public loos, sports grounds, community centres, schools, hospitals and much more.
Thousands more are encouraged to transform unloved spaces into colourful wild flower havens with Grow Wild: 2 million seed packets will be distributed to groups and individuals over Grow Wild’s lifetime – which equates to over 6.6 billion seeds.
Throughout summer 2015, the Grow Wild roadshow is travelling the length and breadth of the UK to inspire even more people to sow and grow native wild flowers.
The 13 and 14 June sees the team join Bristol’s Festival of Nature, where Grow Wild’s stage will be located at Anchor Square. Festival goers can:
• See Grow Wild’s amazing street art shed, decorated by Louis Masai Michel and ATM, who was recently named in BBC Wildlife’s Power List of Britain’s top 50 conservation heroes.
• Meet the Grow Wild team and pick up wild flower growing tips.
• Be inspired by wild flower containers by designer, upcycler and TV presenter Max McMurdo and Grow Wild-funded artist Adele Howitt, who has created Surrealist-inspired planters especially for the roadshow.
• Enter Grow Wild’s exclusive summer competition to win a short UK break.
Be sure to come by and say hello!
For more information about Grow Wild visit growwilduk.com
