Spectra is very happy to share that we have been successful in our application for a Community Green Grant from West Midlands Combined Authority to build a beautiful and biodiverse garden at Sandwell General Hospital. Situated directly outside the entrance to the hospital, the Buzz Stop garden will provide a place for rest, reflection and nature connection for staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.
The WMCA Community Green Grant fund seeks to support projects that will tackle green deprivation whilst also improving the local environment. WMCA has committed £725,000 to support regional organisations and community groups in delivering projects associated with widening access to nature and green space, specifically focusing on projects that improve access to
- Increase or improve green spaces close to where people live (e.g., within ten-minute walk)
- Connect people to nature, especially communities experiencing green deprivation
- Enhance the local environment, with things like tree planting and increasing biodiversity
Buzz Stop will be an island of wildlife friendly plants, a treat for the senses of insects and humans! Visitors will be pleasantly surprised by the wealth of colour, textures, smells and sounds found within a previously unloved patch of grass. The garden will encourage people to stop and look, rest or chat, alongside butterflies basking in the sun, and bees foraging for food.
We’re currently in the design process for Buzz Stop, working with artists and communities to bring together ideas. Watch this space for more updates as we begin to build and create this bountiful new garden!
We are grateful for the funding and support from Arts Council England, Your Trust Charity, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, West Midlands Combined Authority and Heart of England Community Foundation which has made this project possible.