[Scpg] UK Grants being given to ecotherapy projects

[LBUZZELL at aol.com]

_http://www.hc2d.co.uk/content.php?contentId=12638_ 
(http://www.hc2d.co.uk/content.php?contentId=12638) 
 
 
Ecominds gives £1.25m boost to national eco-projects
14th September 2009

Today, five environmental organisations have been awarded a maximum 
£250,000  each to deliver flagship projects as part of a national wellbeing and  
environmental campaign. Eco-initiatives given the green light include an 
organic farm offering therapy to disadvantaged young people and an eco-burial 
service which gives people the chance to have an  environmentally friendly send 
off. The organisations fought off tough  competition to receive the money 
from mental health charity Mind's  oversubscribed grant scheme Ecominds, 
funded by the Big Lottery Fund. 
Well-known organisations such as BTCV as well as promising start up  
initiatives were beneficiaries of the grant giving scheme. Just five projects  
were able to receive a flagship grant, yet hundreds of applications for funding 
 have been received by the scheme.  The successful projects were seen to  
offer the best benefit to the environment while giving people with mental 
health  problems the natural therapy of working outdoors. 
Successful projects include: 
    *   Charity Hill Holt Wood will be developing an eco-burial service 
offering  natural and environmentally-friendly burials to help sustain an 
ancient  woodland.  Once established, the service will fund a variety of  
activities that will provide opportunities for green exercise to people with  
mental health experience.  
    *   British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) will launch a 
project  that will provide 450 volunteers to help resource 28 community 
conservation  groups around the country. The groups will give volunteers, who have 
experience of mental distress, a  rewarding project to work on, providing 
support, teaching skills and  developing prospects for future employment.  
    *   World-wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) are setting up a  
biodynamic organic farm to provide therapy and mental health recovery for  
disadvantaged young people leaving care. The farm will help rural  
regeneration, build the skills base and self-esteem of participants and break  down 
the stigma surrounding mental health problems. There are hundreds of 
successful care farms across Europe and  Britain lags far behind, leading to 
increased interest from health and social  care professionals and prison service.
Barry Watts, Grants Manager of Ecominds said "The huge number of applicants 
 for the flagship grants made our decision very difficult, especially given 
the  quality of the projects that applied.  The successful projects best 
showed  how they would directly benefit the future of people with mental 
health problems  on a long-term basis, as well as providing significant 
improvements to local  environments. We wish them the very best of  luck!"

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