The Veolia Environmental Trust

We recently visited Newton Aycliffe Sports Club to see the new accessible changing rooms funded by our #TheLCF grant of £55,650. Despite the heavy rain, the club were pleased to show us round and tell us about the positive difference the grant has made for the club's members and the local community. By improving the changing facilities, the club has seen an increase in women and girls participating in sport, and the new accessible ramp means that everyone can access the changing rooms Many thanks to Ian for showing us around 🙂

We really enjoyed talking to Kenneth Bérard at Optimy about our grant-making journey and how the platform has helped us scale-up our support for community and environmental projects over the last decade. We talked about the need for grant-makers to be open, trusting, and transparent whilst also ensuring robust governance and financial stewardship. And we agreed that gathering and analysing data were key to demonstrating and celebrating impact. If you'd like to catch-up with our discussion you can watch the webinar here https://lnkd.in/eCnfX2Tc #TheLCF #CommunityGrants #GrantMaking #Philanthropy #EnvironmentalGrants

We recently visited Hett Village Hall in County Durham to see how our 2021 #TheLCF grant of £14,925 helped transform this World War II ex-army nissen hut into a warm, watertight, and energy-efficient space for the whole community. We want to say a big thank you to Hett Village Hall Association for welcoming us, showing us around, and telling us about all the great activities and events that have been made possible by the grant!

As part of our commitment as a funder, we love seeing the impact of our grants first hand. Last week, we headed back to Leeds to visit five inspiring projects: New playground equipment at Meanwood Park: Bringing new amenities for local families to encourage outdoor play. Roxby Community Garden Space: Turning a disused concrete area, into a vibrant space for residents to connect. Refurbished MUGA and benches at Scholes Sports Pavilion: Providing improved facilities for sports and recreation. Toilet facilities with a green roof at TCV Hollybush: Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and accessibility. Practice fence at Shadwell Tennis Club: Helping aspiring players, of all ages and abilities, hone their skills. These projects are great examples of community fundraising and volunteering. If you're a not-for-profit group seeking funding for a community project, check our criteria and funding dates to see if you qualify! https://lnkd.in/eny72aUc #communityfunding #TheLCF #Leeds #volunteering Veolia UK Entrust

We’ve been using Optimy for 8 years to manage our grantmaking initiatives, and we’re excited to share our experience! Join us on October 22nd for an insightful discussion with Kenneth Bérard, Optimy’s CEO, where we’ll talk about how we’ve designed transparent, fair, and scalable grantmaking programs to effectively engage with our grantees over the years

In order to help reshape our #biodiversity funding programmes we'd like to engage with people who work on, fundraise for, or volunteer at, environmental projects that increase biodiversity and restore natural habitats, We're interested in finding out about your requirements and the barriers to accessing grant funding for biodiversity projects so that we can make our funding more relevant, impactful, and accessible. Please complete our short survey before 31 October here: https://lnkd.in/esj2mWdX You can find out about our existing biodiversity funding programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e2zi9ngh

We were pleased to see the completion of improvements to St Matthews Hall in Stretford, Manchester. The new rainbow garden funded by our £45,927 #TheLCF grant has provided a fun & colourful meeting place for the whole community. As well as a mural, benches and planters, the grant also enabled the community to improve their local environment with bird feeders, bug hotels, hedging, and water butts. STRETFORD CHURCH HALL AND INSTITUTE,LIMITED(THE) #communitygrants #biodiversity Veolia UK

We're thrilled to see the positive impact of our grant to Winstanley Tennis Club. In March 2024, we awarded £51,000 to replace the tennis court fencing, improving the safety and security of players and spectators. Our Trustees are keen to support clubs like Winstanley Tennis Club, who are working hard to provide entry to grassroots sports with the best possible facilities for their members and the local community. The club features six all-weather tennis courts, which are available for hire by members and non-members, and the club offers a range of tennis lessons and coaching programs for players of all ages and abilities including support for players with Downs Syndrome. In addition to tennis, Winstanley Tennis Club also hosts other regular events and activities for members, including tournaments, social gatherings, and charity events. We look forward to seeing the difference it will make for the future of the club and the players and community users. The grant was our first project from our separate Whitemoss Community Fund which is available, via the Landfill Communities Fund, to projects within 5 miles of the Veolia Whitemoss Landfill site in Skelmersdale. #TheLCF #grants #tennis #sports #community #WinstanleyTennisClub #March2024 #LandfillCommunitiesFund #Whitemoss #Skelmersdale #VeoliaWhitemossLandfill #communityfunding

We were pleased to award £74,883 to Bury Council to improve public accessibility and to increase biodiversity at Prestwich Clough and St Mary's Flower Park. Our grant, made through the Landfill Communities Fund, will enable the local authority to make improvements to the park entrance and pathways and to add new site furniture. It will also see invasive plant species removed from the pond, and new bulb, wildflower, and woodland planting. We can't wait to see the park when it's finished! https://lnkd.in/em8teCTD #TheLCF #Biodiversity #GreenSpace #CommunityGrants

We recently visited Camley Street Nature Park in London, a site owned and managed by London Wildlife Trust 🦡 In 2023, via #TheLCF, we awarded £24,837 to replace the rotten boardwalk with a new one made from recycled plastic! Not only is this a low-carbon alternative, but it will also last much longer than timber, reducing the need for additional tree felling. 🌲 This hidden Nature Park is a 0.8-hectare pocket of green in the heart of Central London, just a 5-minute walk from Kings Cross & St Pancras train stations! Once you're there, you'll forget you're in the city, except for the occasional sound of train brakes or glimpse of nearby offices. Camley Street Nature Park is a designated Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), providing a sanctuary for nesting wading birds 🦆, foxes 🦊, and invertebrates 🕷. It's also a great space for the local community and visitors to enjoy. #CamleyStreetNaturePark #LondonWildlifeTrust #Sustainability #NatureReserve #UrbanOasis #GreenSpace #London #KingsCross #StPancras Veolia UK Entrust