Community Grant Scheme

Grant: £3,729

The Watercress Way Charity is a volunteer-led organisation focused on managing a 27-mile walking trail called the Watercress Way. Regular activities include access improvements, guided walks, maintenance work, and biodiversity monitoring.

This project will offer a programme of events ranging from guided walks to art activities. Each will create opportunities to explore, enjoy, and learn about the River Arle, its wildlife, and its heritage. The project will also allow the charity to develop further by establishing a community steering group and a volunteering programme.

Learn more about the Watercress Way

Grant £2,340

Whitchurch Children's Festival is a family-friendly event held annually in the town of Whitchurch. Over a weekend of crafts, theatre, dance, storytelling, poetry, and live music, it aims to engage young children with the history, heritage, landscape, and wildlife of the area.

This project will make the Upper Test chalk stream, which flows through the heart of Whitchurch, the theme of the 2025 festival. Visitors will learn about this special habitat through a programme of activities and workshops, such as willow weaving and mural painting.

Learn more about Whitchurch Children's Festival

Grant: £1,622

The Pillhill Brook Association is a group of landowners and volunteers who aim to coordinate community efforts to protect the Pillhill Brook - a chalk stream that runs through a number of villages to the south of Andover. Their activities include conducting species surveys, promoting good habitat management, assessing groundwater levels, and monitoring water quality. 

This project will expand several areas of the Association's work. An increased presence at public events will support landowner engagement and wider awareness-raising around key issues. Additional equipment will result in more accurate water quality and quantity data. Finally, trail cameras will provide proof of animals like otters and water voles, which can be used in efforts to ensure their protection.

Learn more about the Pillhill Brook Association

Grant: £3,969

Whitchurch Folk Festival is an annual celebration of folk music and dance. Held in the picturesque town of Whitchurch, the festival showcases incredible musicians and Morris dancers, as well as workshops and a Jack in the Green parade. There are special activities for younger attendees, usually including crafts, storytelling, and sensory sessions.

This project will focus on the chalk stream that runs through the heart of Whitchurch - the Upper Test. In a series of workshops, the local community will create a set of "Morris beast" costumes inspired by chalk stream wildlife. Young residents will learn about the stream through storytelling and craft activities. A new musical composition will further bring the stream to life for festival visitors.

Learn more about Whitchurch Folk Festival

Grant: £4,000

The Upper Itchen Restoration CIC is a not-for-profit company dedicated to improving our understanding of the pressures on the Upper Itchen catchment. Through citizen science and academic collaboration, it aims to inform restoration measures that can be taken forward by individual change and stakeholder action.

This project is a collaboration with Brighton University, and will focus on microplastic pollution in the Candover Brook and River Arle - two upper tributaries of the River Itchen. Volunteer citizen scientists will collect water samples, which the University will analyse with the aim of identifying likely sources for particulate pollution. The findings will be used to engage land managers and local communities with this issue.

Grant: £1,000

Laverstoke and Freefolk Millennium Green was created in 2000, in order to secure a green space for these two village communities. Today, it includes a children's play area, an ornamental garden, a field and woodland area, and a large pond that is connected to the Upper Test chalk stream.

This project will enhance the area with the creation of a new permissive footpath, which will connect the pond area to a nearby public walking route. By deviating from the busy main road, visitors will have the chance to enjoy a peaceful stroll along the chalk stream. New signage will also enable walkers to learn more this habitat and its wildlife.

Learn more about Laverstoke and Freefolk Millennium Green

Grant: £4,965

Abbotts Ann Primary School welcomes children from several villages to the south of Andover, including the one which shares its name. It aims to provide a friendly environment for its pupils, and uses the extensive school grounds - which include a wildflower meadow, a vegetable garden, and woodland - to foster connections with nature.

This project will further enhance the school by exploring the theme of water with the pupils. New water butts will capture rain, which will be used on the school's gardens and flowerbeds. A "slow flow" planter will illustrate how hard surfaces change the way in which water moves through the landscape. These topics will be explored further, alongside water efficiency, through educational activities.

Learn more about Abbotts Ann Primary School

Grant: £4,488

Attention2Place is a co-operative of education professionals - Helen Clarke and Sharon Witt - who specialise in place-based immersive experiences.

This project will explore the relationship between the village of Bishop's Sutton and the River Arle. As home to the source of this precious chalk stream, the village has a unique connection to its habitats and wildlife. Through walks, talks, creative workshops, publications, and an exhibition, the project will help the community to learn about their chalk stream and consider its significance to the community.

Learn more about the project