The Green House awarded Breakspear Park’s first Community Sustainability Fund £1000 grant of 2025
Breakspear Park, Hemel Hempstead's leading business campus, is delighted to announce that The Green House—a community eco-hub dedicated to promoting sustainability, protecting biodiversity and reducing the carbon footprint in the St Albans district—has been awarded a £1,000 grant as the first recipient of its 2025 Community Sustainability Fund.
This quarterly fund reflects Breakspear Park's commitment to environmental responsibility and its ambition to foster a greener future for Hertfordshire. The finalists for the first grant were The Green House, Ware Swifts and Welwyn & Hatfield CVS. With over 650 votes cast by the public, all were worthy contenders, but The Green House emerged as the winner.
Tricia Gibbons, Founder and Director of The Green House, was presented with a cheque for £1,000 by Breakspear Park's Marketing Manager, Dina Mistry. The funds will now be used to enhance The Green House's courtyard, support youth groups and expand its 'Library of Things' project, which enables members to borrow items like sewing machines or hedge trimmers for home or garden use, promoting the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle.
On receiving the grant, Tricia commented: "Since opening in April 2024, The Green House has become a thriving eco-hub where people come together to share ideas, learn new skills and take meaningful action towards a greener future. We know many people are concerned about the climate crisis but often feel unsure about what steps they can take—this is where we step in.
"Whether it’s borrowing a tool from our Library of Things, attending a sustainability workshop, or dropping off hard-to-recycle items, we offer practical solutions that make sustainable living more accessible for everyone.
“This generous grant from Breakspear Park will allow us to further enrich our community space—transforming our courtyard into a wildlife-friendly garden, expanding resources for our youth programmes and growing our seed bank to inspire more wildlife-friendly gardening.
"We’re so grateful for this support, which will help us continue empowering the people of St Albans to live more sustainably, strengthen connections and create lasting change for both people and the planet.”
Breakspear Park is now inviting the public to nominate green projects run by charities, initiatives or causes they believe deserve the next £1,000 grant. Eligible projects must be not-for-profit and benefit both the environment and the people of Hertfordshire.
Nominations should be submitted via email to [email protected] by midnight on June 1. Submissions must include details about the specific project or initiative, how the £1,000 grant will be utilised and contact information for both the nominee and the nominator.
Breakspear Park’s management team will select three finalists, who will be featured on the business park’s Facebook page for a public vote. The winning project will receive the second £1,000 grant in June 2025.
Dina Mistry, Marketing Manager at Breakspear Park, remarked: "We are thrilled to announce The Green House as the first recipient of our 2025 Community Sustainability Fund. Their dedication to fostering sustainable living and community engagement aligns perfectly with our own environmental and social governance commitments. Supporting initiatives like The Green House exemplifies how small, community-driven changes can lead to a lasting positive impact."