General News

Tudor and Cashel enter contest for their Community Garden Project

June 6, 2023

By Mike Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tudor and Cashel Township entered and received votes in the McDougall Community Contest through the month of May to realize their Community Garden Project. Councillor Elain Holloway comments further on this garden project, what the funding would mean for Tudor and Cashel’s Community Garden Project and the township’s plans going forward with the news on June 2 that they didn’t receive funding with the contest.
The McDougall Community Contest was open to non-profit organizations and community groups across Ontario. Now in their tenth year, they welcomed all types of community projects to the contest, including things like; playground equipment, backpacks for youth, animal rescue centre, community gardens and more. For more information or questions on the contest for next year, please email Caley Weese at cweese@mcdougallinsurance.com.
According to the McDougall Community Contest website, Tudor and Cashel’s Community Garden Project plans to make underused areas of land available for families and individuals to grow fresh healthy produce, reduce isolation and interact with their neighbours. The township would further like to develop the community gardens by collaborating with community partners to develop gardening workshops to teach other how to grow their own produce. With the funds from the McDougall Community Contest, they would like to purchase fruit trees, vegetables, build vegetable boxes and perhaps procure gardening tools to tend the gardens.
Holloway says that the township’s Community and Communications Advisory Committee with the help of Nancy Carrol, the clerk and treasurer, decided to enter the contest to raise money to expand usage of underused land at the community centre.
“Contest entry deadline was May 23 at 11:59 p.m. and eligible video submissions (maximum two minutes) explaining our project were made open to the public to view and vote during the voting period from May 24 to May 31, at which time voters were able to vote once per day every day for their favourite community project. We have been encouraging residents, friends and neighbours to support our project by remembering to vote daily during the voting period,” she says.
Entrants to the McDougall Community Contest like Tudor and Cashel Township can win three prizes; first place prize of $5,000, second place prize of $3,000 or third place prize of $2,000. The prize winners were announced on June 2 and a cheque will be presented to the winning project at some time in June.
According to a Facebook posting on the McDougall Insurance page on June 2, they received over 115 entries this year. The winning entries were Kaawaate East City Public School for a new play structure ($5,000), Kente Public School for a new sun shelter ($3,000) and Trenton High School for an outer limits program ($2,000).
While Tudor and Cashel Township unfortunately did not place in the top three and get any funding, Holloway told Bancroft This Week that while they’re disappointed, the contest rules and opportunity were based on voting support.
“We congratulate the three winners and certainly wish them all the success with their projects. In the past, donations for the garden have been received through past township initiatives, local community gardeners and those interested in gardening,” she says. “We will continue to consider other options with our plan to make these underused areas available for gardening moving forward.”



         

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