One of the largest allotments in Walsall has been handed a £4,900 grant from Severn Trent to harvest rainwater and make improvements to a nearby wetland. 

Lane Avenue and Moorside Community Allotments applied for funding from the water company’s Community Fund to collect more than half of their yearly water usage in a sustainable way. 

An adjoining piece of land is a Site of Local Importance to Nature Conservation (SLINC), and the community group aims to make safety improvements to the space, including bringing into use a toe path that had previously been deemed unsafe to use. It is hoped the improvements will pave the way for local schools to use and enjoy the area again, and help the Canal and River Trust to have access to the canal running through the space. 

As part of the group’s five year plan, they hope to also make the land friendlier to wildlife by improving the pools and wetland nearby over a five year plan, hoping to attract wildlife such as herons, ducks and kingfishers.  

Ray Ledsam-Smith, Committee Member at Lane Avenue & Moorside Community Allotments, said: “We’re really grateful for the grant from Severn Trent that will allow us to harvest water at three areas across our site – it will have a great impact environmentally as water is a valuable resource and will hopefully benefit 100 plots. The Moorside SLINC had seen better days, we call it Jurassic Park, so the improvements that will be made to the area will benefit everyone from a safety perspective, as well as local wildlife.” 

Natalie Cunningham, Severn Trent Community Fund Officer, said: “This is a wonderful project that will have huge environmental benefits – from rainwater harvesting that will benefit plot owners to improvements to a nearby wetland that will attract local wildlife, there’s so many aspects of this work that the group should be really proud of. 

“As a company that looks to take care of one of life’s essentials whilst making a positive difference to the communities we live and work in, this is exactly the type of project we love to help through our Community Fund. If you would like to apply for funding, we’d love to hear from you.” 

Severn Trent’s Community Fund was created for community groups and projects that aim to improve community wellbeing:  

• People: Projects that help people to lead a healthier life and gain new skills. 

• Places: Projects that help to create better places to live in and use. 

• Environment: Projects that will help look after our natural environment. 

To find out more about the fund, and what projects have been awarded, please visit stwater.co.uk/communityfund