Kettering Town Council's Love Wildlife competition has now awarded the winning grants.

The competition offered funding for projects which help boost wildlife in Kettering.

Charities, CIOs, community and voluntary groups, clubs, not for profit organisations School Parent Teacher Associations, Friends of groups, religious bodies and health charities are all some of the examples of groups were eligible to apply.

The cash can go towards funding programme or activity costs which are directly relevant to the application, hire or purchase of equipment for meeting project needs and technical assistance. The project must also happen within Kettering town.

The following projects are the winning entries...

£200
To develop a wellbeing garden, creating a habitat of plants and wildflowers where biodiversity would be a focus.

Love the World Project Report

Event Overview: The "Love the World" project was a resounding success, promoting our collective responsibility to conserve nature. The event, which saw over 100 enthusiastic participants, centered around the theme of pledging a change through a fingerprint. This symbolic gesture represented each individual's commitment to making a positive impact on the environment.

Activities and Learning: Participants engaged in a variety of educational and hands-on activities designed to foster a deeper connection with nature. These included:

• Creating Wildlife Lagoons: Attendees learned the importance of wildlife lagoons in supporting local ecosystems and how to construct them.
• Building Hedgehog Homes: Instructions were provided on creating safe habitats for hedgehogs, highlighting their role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
• Planting Seeds: Participants were taught the basics of planting and nurturing seeds, emphasizing the significance of plant life in sustaining the environment.
• Understanding the Importance of Bees: Educational sessions focused on the crucial role bees play in pollination and maintaining biodiversity.

To further inspire a lasting commitment to environmental stewardship, all pupils were gifted wildflower seeds. This gesture aimed to encourage the growth of wildflowers, supporting local wildlife and enhancing natural beauty.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Love Wildlife for their generous funding, which made this event possible.

Headteacher Diane Wright said: "Our 'Love the World' project is more than just an event; it's a movement towards creating a lasting legacy of caring for our environment. By engaging our pupils and community in these meaningful activities, we are planting the seeds of change that will grow into a sustainable future. It's crucial that we all take responsibility and make small changes that collectively have a significant impact."

The "Love the World" project successfully brought together the community to learn, engage, and commit to environmental conservation. Through education and hands-on activities, participants left with a renewed sense of responsibility and the tools to make a difference. This event not only educated but also inspired a generation to cherish and protect our environment.

Kettering pupils show their love for the world with community event

£1,000
Project to teach children how to grow vegetables in order to promote sustainability and life skills for students with special educational needs.

"We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Kettering Town Council for their generous funding towards the purchase of gardening equipment for our school. This support has made a tremendous impact, enabling our students to engage in hands-on learning, develop valuable skills, and take pride in enhancing our school environment. The new tools have been put to great use, helping us cultivate and maintain a beautiful garden that serves as both an educational resource and a relaxing space for everyone to enjoy. Pupils have been able to: grow cress; beans; tomatoes, and create bug hotels which are among some of the things the grant from Kettering Town Council has enabled the school to do. We look forward to continuing this into the summer months.
"Your contribution has not only enriched our curriculum but also fostered a sense of community and environmental stewardship among our students as local, national, and international citizens. Thank you for making this possible!"
Kettering Science Academy

£200
To set up a Gardening Society to develop an area of eco garden at the school, focusing on project days in June with groups of year 8 students taking on the work as a super curricular activity.

"Our sites team kindly built us a few planters out of old pallets which we planted up. Since then, we have given our garden an official name as chosen by our students (The Secret Garden) and we have a lunchtime Wednesday group: Gardening Gang. This week we plan to lay some more bark on top of the path we made. We are planning to create and build a labyrinth/maze this summer which will be to aid contemplation and reflection." Victoria Hutchinson

£1,000
To set up an Eco Club so children can grow their own produce and install bug houses, bird boxes and a wildflower area.

Last year we created an eco council within the school comprising of students throughout the school year groups and a member of staff leading it. That staff member left on maternity leave and a new member of staff has taken it on so that the eco group can get up and running. The group has put ideas forward and drawings are being made of how they want the space to look. We are aiming, once the nice weather returns after Easter, to turn these plans into reality. Here are the "before" pictures.

£400
Kettering Bats Rock! Tour – a series of free guided bat walks with cash going towards purchasing bat detectors.

• The grant enabled us to purchase additional bat detectors, expanding our stock by four units, which has allowed us to accommodate up to 32 extra people per walk.

• Bat Walks: Since adding the bat detectors, we have welcomed over 600 people on our bat walks. These events have proven very popular and are an excellent way to engage the local community with wildlife.

Find out more about the tours on Kettering Nature Group's Facebook page.

£200
To further develop the pond habitat area, to encourage more wildlife to the area by putting up bat boxes, hedgehog homes and a bee barn.