An Islington based community garden, providing a local hub for vulnerable and disadvantaged people, has received a £101,273 cash boost.

City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charitable arm, awarded the money to Culpeper Community Garden to run the project.

Culpeper provides a sustainable garden where people of all ages and abilities can learn about horticulture and the environment through a range of social and educational activities.

The grant will help 140 Londoners benefit from reduced social isolation, increased community involvement and improved physical and mental wellbeing.

Half of Culpeper’s users have physical or mental health needs with many experiencing social isolation are on low income jobs or unemployed.

 Dhruv Patel, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee, said:

“This project will help bring the local community together and provide a beautiful open space that is essential to support the mental wellbeing of local residents.

“Not only does the grant support Culpeper’s aim to provide a free and open access green space for the local community, but it will help provide a range of social activities benefitting some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

“City Bridge Trust is committed to tackling disadvantage and inequality in London, and we will continue to support charities making the capital a better place in which to live.”

Margaret Pitt, Culpeper Trustee, said:

“We are thrilled to have been awarded this funding for our work with vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

“This grant will be a wonderful bedrock for our future.

“We know that providing a beautiful, friendly and supportive green space where users can be actively involved, makes a big contribution to improving their physical and mental well-being as well as reducing social isolation.”

City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of the City of London Corporation’s charity, Bridge House Estates.

It is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital.

The Trust has awarded around 8,000 grants totalling over £400 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the City Corporation’s aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

ENDS

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07710860884 / 020 7332 1125

Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK.

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

About City Bridge Trust

City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of Bridge House Estates, a Registered Charity, with its primary aim the maintenance and support of five Thames bridges: Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark, Blackfriars and the Millennium footbridge.

City Bridge Trust was established in 1995 to make use of funds surplus to bridge requirements and provides grants totalling around £20m per year towards charitable activity benefitting Greater London. The City of London Corporation is the sole trustee of the Bridge House Estates.