Youth and Philanthropy Initiative winners' £3000 donation for Thurso Grows
The Thurso Grows project has received a £3000 donation after being selected by this year's Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Scotland winners at Thurso High School as their chosen charity.
YPI is a citizenship programme that focuses on empowering young people to make a difference in their communities while developing a range of skills.
Thurso Grows is led by Thurso Community Development Trust (TCDT) with the aim of improving the town's green spaces and raising awareness of the importance of locally grown fruit and vegetables.
Senior development officer Sharon Dismore said: “We were absolutely blown away by the level of kindness we saw from this group, and it means the world to all of us up at the gardens that we’ve been offered such a brilliant amount of money to really make a difference.”
The group was made up of Natasha Lafferty, Lois Omand, Faith Charlton, Kirsty Bartlett and Chelsea Bennet, who delivered their idea to 150 people over two rounds at the school and were judged by a panel.
They visited the gardens several times to meet volunteers, chat about the project and get an insight into what Thurso Grows would use the funds for.
TCDT has been the recipient of the YPI award before, though not specifically for the Thurso Grows project.
Development manager Joan Lawrie said: “The YPI is an incredible endeavour to support third-sector organisations like us. We appreciate any and all support, especially coming from our Thurso community.”
TCDT says it is keen to make sure that the money donated to Thurso Grows continues to help improve Thurso for the benefit of those who live and travel to the town.