Squire’s Welcomes Community Gardening Programme Applications for 2025
Squire’s Garden Centres is delighted to announce the return of its highly successful community gardening programme, ‘Love Where You Live’, which offers a £5,000 total fund* to support vital local projects that promote education, wellbeing and community connection through horticulture.
Following the overwhelming success of last year’s programme and the fantastic feedback received from participants, ‘Love Where You Live’ returns for 2025 to make a difference to community gardening initiatives and empower local groups to make a positive difference through gardening. The initiative is designed to help community projects flourish, with financial support and expert guidance from Squire’s. Awards (with individual awards of up to £500) will be provided in the form of Squire’s vouchers, redeemed for plants, tools and other essential gardening supplies to help projects grow and thrive. Award recipients will be announced in mid-March, with projects running throughout spring and summer, culminating at the end of July 2025.
Projects within a 10-mile radius of a Squire’s Garden Centre are invited to apply via Squire’s website with submissions received by 20 February 2025. To be considered, initiatives should demonstrate a clear benefit to the local community and make a notable difference between April and July and show how they will be maintained beyond the award period. Preference will be given to accessible, inclusive projects and those supporting groups with specific needs are also encouraged to apply. Submissions can be made from 31 December, to complete an application form please click here.
Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, Comments: “Last year’s ‘Love Where You Live’ programme was an incredible success, and we were delighted by the positive impact the projects had on local communities. It’s inspiring to see how gardening continues to bring people together and create spaces that promote health, wellbeing and connection, making a real difference to people’s lives.
“Supporting our communities is at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud to continue empowering these fantastic local projects with our ‘Love Where You Live’ awards, which celebrate the benefits gardening brings to both individuals and communities alike.”
The ‘Love Where You Live’ programme complements Squire’s long-standing ‘Charity of the Year’ initiative, where each of Squire’s 16 centres partners with a local charity for a year, raising funds and building meaningful community relationships.
Caroline Hughes, Project Co-ordinator from Horsell Residents’ Association, comments: ”We were really delighted to be a recipient of a Squire’s ‘Love Where You Live’ award in 2024. It enabled us to set up a community gardening scheme in the small local park, previously looked after by Woking Borough Council.
“Volunteer groups including local schools, Guides, Linkable charity as well as an allotment group, with ages ranging from 5 to 75, were able to buy plants and tools to get the project started. The flower beds not only benefit and give pleasure to the volunteers but also to local residents and the many children and their carers who visit the adjacent playground. The award from Squire’s made all the difference”.
Stella Diamond, General Manager Normandy Community Therapy Garden, comments: “We were really delighted to be a recipient of an award last year. It enabled us to fund project work that provided horticultural opportunities for our clients, volunteers and importantly, benefit the wider community.”
Notes
* Squire’s Love Where You Live’ programme 2025 offers a total fund of £5,000 with individual awards available of up to £500 each.
