TULLIBODY Community Garden can continue to flourish, after it was announced the project will receive more than £90,000 in funding.

The cash injection will allow it to take on additional employees, along with supporting the development of more activities and volunteering opportunities.

Overseen by the Tullibody Healthy Living Initiative (THL), the garden provides space for local people to enjoy and produce for sale at the fruit barra at Tron Court.

The £94,298 due from the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) – announced last week – will help with its aim to create a carbon reducing community, amongst other things.

The news has been welcomed by community development worker at the voluntary organisation THL, Tracy Gibson, who said it was fantastic and the money will see them through to March 2018.

She said: "The community gardener, Sarah Watts, she is going to be here for another 12 months with us full-time and she's going to be assisted now with two new members of staff – this is because we are responding to community demand.

"So we're looking at having a part-time education assistant to work primarily with primary school kids and secondary school children as well.

"We've already made links with Lornshill Academy, they designed the logo for the garden.

"We're looking at groups of school children coming to the garden during school time, but also the new worker will be able to do activities in the evening or weekends – for children to come and take part in garden activities.

"We will also have a community development assistant which will be a new employee and they will be there to develop the community – by increasing volunteering opportunities, managing the building and getting more groups coming in and using the building."

Along with a beautiful array of flowers, a variety of fruit and vegetables are grown in the garden – cauliflower, cabbage, beans, peas, carrots, rhubarb, leeks, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, strawberries and more.

The site – which also houses a small building – is situated between Paterson Place and Carseview.

The Clackmannanshire project is one of 113 in Scotland that will benefit from the £9.97 million to be handed out in the twenty-third round of grants from the CCF.

Tracy outlined her thanks to the CFF – managed and administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful – for the financial support.

The investment will allow it to continue growing its food production, run at least three events a year, offer more educational opportunities and support to those in the community who need it most.

Tracy said: "It's a community garden, therefore we want to grow local produce for local people and that would reduce food miles.

"We want to grow local gardeners as well, so local people can come along either to the garden or Tullibody Healthy Living office to sign up for garden workshops, cooking workshops or just volunteering in the garden.

"We're also going to have events – at least three events a year – big balloon events so that the community can come and enjoy the space."