Barrow BID supporting a greener future through Grow in Furness

Barrow BID is proud to play a leading role in the development of Grow in Furness, an ambitious community growing project that will help create a greener, more sustainable and vibrant Barrow for years to come.

Based at Mardale Grove Allotments, Grow in Furness is transforming a previously overgrown area into a thriving community growing space where volunteers, community groups and local organisations will come together to grow flowers, plants and fresh produce while creating new friendships and learning valuable skills.

Working in partnership with Furness Multi Cultural Community Forum, Barrow Town Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, alongside a number of local organisations and generous local businesses, Grow in Furness is still in its early stages, but it's already encouraging to see the project beginning to take shape. 

Over recent months, volunteers from Furness Multi Cultural Community Forum have dedicated hundreds of hours to clearing and preparing the site, laying the foundations for its transformation. At the same time, local businesses have generously donated materials, machinery and expertise, helping prepare the site for the next stage while funding applications are being considered.

The vision for Grow in Furness includes purpose-built greenhouses capable of producing thousands of flowers for Barrow town centre each year, alongside fruit, vegetables and plants for the wider community. A new learning building will provide a welcoming space for workshops, school visits, volunteer training and community activities, while welfare facilities will ensure volunteers have access to essential amenities including toilets and refreshment facilities during regular sessions.

The plans also include composting facilities that will recycle food waste, green waste, and spent plants into nutrient-rich compost, rainwater harvesting systems to reduce reliance on mains water, and accessible growing areas designed so people of all ages and abilities can take part.

Together, this infrastructure will create a sustainable community resource that not only supports Barrow BID's town centre planting programme but also improves wellbeing, reduces social isolation, enhances biodiversity, encourages environmental education and inspires greater pride in our local area.

For Barrow BID, the project marks an exciting step towards making our annual planting programme far more sustainable. Each year we maintain and refresh more than 100 planters, that help brighten the town centre and create a welcoming environment for residents, visitors and businesses.

In the future, many of the flowers and plants used throughout the town centre will be grown locally at Grow in Furness. Producing plants on our doorstep will reduce the need to purchase and transport thousands of plants from elsewhere, helping lower long-term costs while significantly reducing the environmental impact of the planting programme.

The introduction of on-site composting will further strengthen the project's sustainability. Food waste, green waste and spent plants will be recycled into high-quality compost, creating a circular growing system that reduces waste, improves soil health and decreases the need to purchase compost each year.

The benefits extend well beyond the environment. Grow in Furness will provide opportunities for local people to gain new skills, improve their physical and mental wellbeing, meet new people and play an active role in enhancing Barrow's public spaces. Volunteers will help grow flowers destined for the town centre while also producing food, supporting wildlife and creating an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome.

As Grow in Furness continues to develop, it will become a key part of Barrow BID's environmental ambitions, demonstrating how partnership working and community collaboration can create meaningful, long-term change.

Matt Blackburn, Operations Supervisor at Barrow BID, said:

"I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported Grow in Furness so far. From our incredible volunteers and community organisations to the local businesses such as R D Gardening & Landscapes and JT Atkinson Builders Merchants, who have donated their time, materials, equipment and expertise, every contribution has helped bring this vision closer to becoming a reality.

We're currently awaiting a funding decision that will allow us to install a welfare unit on site. This will be a hugely important first step, providing much-needed toilet and brew-making facilities so we can begin running regular volunteer sessions and welcome even more people to get involved in transforming the site.

We're also keeping everything crossed that our larger funding applications are successful, as they will enable us to create the greenhouses, learning facilities and other infrastructure needed to unlock the full potential of the project. 

I can't wait to see Grow in Furness become a place where flowers, food and friendships flourish, creating lasting benefits for our community and helping make Barrow greener and more sustainable for years to come."

Together, we're not simply growing flowers, we're growing stronger communities, protecting our environment and creating a greener future for Barrow.

For more information and updates, please visit the Grow in Furness facebook page: www.facebook.com/growinfurness