6:00pm Tuesday 23rd June 2009
By Ben Perrin
A SWINDON charity has reached the semi-final stage in a bid to win National Lottery Award cash.
Twigs (Therapeutic Work in Gardening in Swindon) is competing against nine other projects from across the country for a £2,000 grand prize.
The organisation, based at Manor Garden Centre in Cheney Manor, is now hoping to win people’s votes.
The National Lottery Awards is an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.
“We’re very excited by this,” said project manager Alan Holland.
“We hope people will want to vote for us.
“It’s a great chance for us to get recognition on a national level.”
On Sunday Twigs held an open day to inform people of the work it carries out in the community. Face painting, children’s sunset lantern making, bee keeping, a chicken pen and ironwork making were just some of the attractions.
Hundreds of people came along to the event to support the charity, which aims to give people recovering from mental health problems the chance to regain confidence, self-esteem and learn new skills.
Julian Holland, 45, of Ramleaze Drive, Ramleaze, said: “It was nice to see so many people.”
Ironmonger Dave Bindon, 70, of West Way in Lechlade, added: “Twigs is a wonderful charity and its is always worthwhile coming along.”
You can register your vote for Twigs until midday on July 10. Call 0844 686 5383 or go online by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards.
Also if you log onto www.sharebritain.com and register your “favourite place” each hit will result in a £5 donation to Twigs from Great British Gardens.
For more information about the charity log on to the website at www.richmondfellowship.org.uk/twigs.
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