Derelict land in three east London boroughs could be transformed into thriving growing spaces under a new scheme being launched by a community charity.
The British Bangla Welfare Trust is looking for potential sites in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge which could be put to use as community gardens or other community spaces.
The Stratford-based charity will also rally volunteers to help residents learn more about growing and cooking their own food, recycling and reducing waste.
The project is being funded with a £57,000 grant from City Bridge Foundation – the owner of five Thames crossings and the capital’s biggest independent charity funder.
City Bridge Foundation chair Paul Martinelli said: “There are huge health benefits to getting out in nature, getting your hands in the soil and growing and cooking your own food.
“This scheme will not only help boost east Londoners physical and mental health, it will turn disused land into thriving community spaces and help improve the environment.”
British Bangla Welfare Trust was founded in 2012 by Khosruzzaman Khosru with the aim of supporting Bengali communities in the UK and in Bangladesh.
Its previous work has included supporting homeless people in east London and providing emergency aid in the aftermath of natural disasters in Bangladesh.
The charity is also using the City Bridge Foundation to distribute seeds to enable members of Bengali communities in east London to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Khosruzzaman Khosru, British Bangla Welfare Trust founder, said: “During lockdown, a lot of people in the community started doing gardening and growing their own food as a way of getting out of the house.
“With this project we hope to encourage more of that by finding spaces which can be improved and providing volunteers who can help transform them and create a nice environment we can all live in and be proud of.”
Anyone who knows of a space in need of transforming, or who would like to volunteer to take part in the scheme, is asked to get in touch with the trust.
It can be contacted by visiting the charity’s shop in The Grove, Stratford, by calling 020 8534 8777 or via its website at www.britishbanglawelfaretrust.org.uk
