Dollar Community Development Trust receives lottery funding

Dollar Community Development Trust has received a grant of £19,939 from National Lottery Awards for All to further its work in the area of sustainability while bringing people together.

The trust already runs a successful monthly repair café and has planted nearly 10,000 trees in the past three years with the help of the community and Harviestoun Estate.

Thanks to previous lottery funding, the trust has also drawn up detailed plans to establish Harviestoun Community Garden, a place where residents can come together to share and extend their knowledge about nature and the environment while building a community resource together.

The funding will support the ongoing work with the community garden identified as one of the key projects.

It lies on a 6.5ha site on certified organic land to the south of the town and will be leased for half a century from Harviestoun Estate, free of charge.

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Nick Poett, of Harviestoun Estate, said: “We are delighted to support the development of the community garden where sound environmental and growing practice can be demonstrated and which will provide opportunity for hands on experience of working with nature for young and old alike.”

It is an exciting opportunity for the trust, founded in 2017, and the community alike with a focus on bringing people together to enjoy nature.

Helen Costin, project officer, will be leading the development.

She said: “Already this year, as part of the Dollar Nature Festival, an exploratory Hügelkultur bed was created at the site which will continue to be used for growing and I am really looking forward now to bringing more people together to experience the joy of the outdoors; exploring and monitoring wildlife; developing the garden and producing home grown fruit, flowers and vegetables.”