THE MRWA AND VEOLIA COMMUNITY FUND
The Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund invests in great projects that will benefit communities across the Liverpool City Region, and which have the potential to recycle, upcycle and prevent waste, save money and avoid landfill.
The funding benefits individuals and communities by providing training opportunities, making environmental improvements, supporting isolated or vulnerable people and helping households struggling on low income.
All of the projects we support represent a real range of great ideas and show just how creative people can be when it comes to thinking of new ways of encouraging people to change their waste disposal habits.
To see previous successful Community Fund projects CLICK HERE
To see previous Community Fund projects in action take a look at our YouTube page
Community Fund 2023/24
Thirteen community groups have been awarded a share of £165,000 to help the Liverpool City Region reduce, reuse and recycle more.
Programmes include a tool lending library, cookery lessons to reduce food waste, clothes repair clubs, upcycling and restoration of unwanted furniture, food growing and community composting, amongst other things.
Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, Lesley Worswick, said: “Our Community Fund – which has been running annually since 2006 – gives groups the opportunity to look after the environment, bringing benefits to all of us. I think in this day and age people appreciate items as valuable resources rather than something which might be just thrown away.
“We’re always impressed with the ideas that come in and the creativity of the region’s grassroots organisations – this year we received 59 applications. Lots of the projects we have previously funded continue to deliver benefits beyond the first year, through their legacy and have an ongoing impact on participants’ behaviour, in many cases through new or continuing activities.
“I wish all our projects the best and look forward to seeing the impact they have.”
The successful organisations have got until March 2024 to deliver their projects.
The successful projects:
| Organisation | Project | Details |
| Ascent College (part of the Remarkable Group) | The Preloved Project | A food, furniture and textiles project, giving college students the opportunity for workshops and work experience in hospitality, retail, woodwork and horticulture. |
| Baltic Triangle Area C.I.C. | Baltic Swap Shop | A clothes reuse and recycling initiative promoting a sustainable and ethical approach to fashion consumption, hosting several swap shop clothes exchange events and collaborate with local businesses, schools and community organisations. |
| Bee Wirral C.I.C | Refresh pre loved furniture project | This project will take unwanted furniture left in empty Housing Association properties for reuse. There will also be volunteer training in furniture repair, restoration, and upcycling. |
| British Dietetic Association | Waste Warriors | A food skills project which will look to engage with over 3000 people, focussing on cookery, food-growing and composting. |
| Fierce Futures C.I.C. | Style Swap Social | A sustainable fashion initiative promoting second-hand style, saving money, and reducing waste, reaching over 600 people. |
| Global Feedback LTD | The Alchemic Kitchen | A food/cookery skills project delivering events and workshops to help people reduce food waste. |
| Kindfulness Coffee Club | Baby Kind | Baby Kind will aim to reuse nursery equipment (e.g. prams, cots) by donating to low income families, as well as holding a weekly Knit and Knatter group. |
| Liverpool Tool Library C.I.C. | Volunteer Co-ordination | This tool reuse/lending library will clean, de-rust, maintain and fix tools inhouse for a lending inventory, as well as run several textiles and furniture upcycling/repair workshops. |
| Liverpool World Centre | Re-think: the waste revolution | This project will tie in with schools and other education providers to look at waste in the food, electricals and textiles industries. |
| Squash C.I.C. | Waste Not…Food For Thought | Will encourage integrated working and peer learning to help reduce food waste. 40 family cooking sessions will teach all about recycling and reuse, swap sessions, composting and clothes repair. |
| St Mary’s Church | St Mary’s Eco Garden | A food growing and cooking project at St Mary’s Eco Community Garden in Wirral, hosting weekly cookery sessions, recycling craft clubs and growing/composting classes. |
| Valley Community Theatre | Valley Vegheads | A food growing/cookery skills project which will also look to create a community kitchen garden, run gardening activities and six community swap shops. |
| Venus | The Repurpose Project: Breathing New Life into Old Textiles and Furniture | Furniture and textiles project which will host several upcycling workshops, a local pop-up shop, and work with local charities to reduce waste. |