The Watford Women’s Centre have used £10,985 in funding from Watford Borough Council's Neighbourhood Grant to enhance the beauty and accessibility of the Watford Women’s Centre garden...
Watford Women’s Centre, founded in 1989, is a charity dedicated to empowering women and addressing gender inequality through support services, education, and advocacy. Led by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers, the centre operates as a safe space, offering low-cost, high-quality services shaped by the needs of those they support.
Initially established to aid victims of sexual violence, the organisation has since expanded to provide a broad range of needs-led services, including Domestic Abuse Support, Relationship Counselling, Legal Advice, Careers and Personal Development, Skills and Education and support for Wellbeing and Mental Health.
The Garden Restoration Project has improved accessibility by levelling out the area, adding steps and a pathway, and a moveable ramp will be provided for visitors with disabilities and/or mobility issues. The fences will be treated so that users can paint a mural, and the garden space will be used for sessions/activities and enjoyed by everyone visiting the centre.
Watford Women’s Centre CEO, Lucy Martin, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to transform our outside space. Only a year ago, the site was an unwelcoming space, overgrown with weeds and brambles and now it’s a wonderful garden for everyone at the centre to enjoy. We would not have been able to achieve this without Watford Borough Council’s generous support.”
The Neighbourhood Grant is currently closed to applications, but the next funding round will open in June. The programme, funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) from developers of new housing, operates annually to mitigate the effects of development and enhance the local community's sustainable growth.
