Funding secured for phase two of Darnford Moors Ecology Park
Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust, has secured a £250,000 grant from Biffa Award; a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK, as part of the Government's Landfill Communities Fund.
The project, which was awarded funding under Biffa Award Partnership Grants natural environment theme, will restore the canal channel from Darnford Lane to the lift-bridge, providing habitat improvements with wetland margins and hedgerow corridors.
Phase one of the project under separate grants is already underway but this largest funding from Biffa Award will form Phase two, taking the canal another step forward in water from Darnford Lane, connecting at a later stage with Huddlesford Junction on the Coventry Canal.
Whilst LHCRT’s volunteers have been preparing the site, Onsite Central Limited has been awarded the contract to carry out the work with Bluetech Waterfront Solutions Ltd overseeing the contract. The work is scheduled to start in the Spring 2023 and be completed, with the canal in water, by the end of the year.
Carole Mills, Chair of LHCRT, said: “This is excellent news for the Trust and our volunteers! The grant from Biffa Award will have a huge impact towards getting another 250 metres of canal into water, creating a vital space for wildlife and community enjoyment of the natural environment. “As a volunteer-led charity with minimal regular income, funding like this is vital for us to achieve our aim of restoring the canal and create a green and blue corridor for the benefit of the community and then, ultimately, make the Lichfield Canal available for navigation.”
Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award Grants Manager said: “Biffa Award is extremely privileged to be able to support the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust’s project to restore the canal channel from Darnford Lane to the lift-bridge. We can’t wait to see the impact bringing the canal back to the city has, improving its environmental, economic and social impact, benefitting wildlife and the local community. Through our Partnership Grants Scheme we are able to make significant grants to projects that introduce, conserve or protect our wildlife, paving the way for nature’s recovery on a large scale.”
Biffa Award
Since 1997, Biffa Award has awarded grants totalling more than £189million
to thousands of worthwhile community and environmental projects across
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The programme administers
money donated by Biffa Group Ltd through the Government's Landfill
Communities Fund.
https://www.biffa-award.org/
Landfill Communities Fund
The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is an innovative tax credit scheme enabling operators (LOs) to contribute money to organisations enrolled with ENTRUST as Environmental Bodies (EBs). EBs use this funding for a wide range of community and environmental projects in the vicinity of landfill sites. LOs are able to claim a credit against their landfill tax liability for 90% of the contributions they make together with 10% from an independent sponsor. Since its inception in 1996, over £1.4 billion has been spent on more than 51,000 projects across the UK. For further information please visit www.entrust.org.uk or see HMRC’s general guide to landfill tax.
