The Toro Company Foundation say they are dedicated to revitalising outdoor spaces in the communities where their employees live and work - and as such have announced that the Canal and River Trust and Thorn Grove Primary School are each receiving a grant as part of their Greenspace Enhancement Grant Program.

Toro UK's sales and marketing manager, Craig Hoare with headteacher of Thorn Grove Primary School, Peter Luck

Each year through Foundation’s philanthropic initiative, Land. Water. Thrive., the company supports non-profits and public agencies worldwide by providing financial grants to revitalise parks and green spaces, enrich outdoor environments of local neighbourhoods and schools, educate on the efficient use of water, and support sustainable agriculture through community gardens and other projects.

Thorn Grove Primary School plans to utilise the grant to build an outdoor learning centre for students to enhance their understanding of the environment and engage in real-world learning opportunities. The project involves installing a canopy to cover an outdoor area of the school grounds where elements of the environment can be incorporated directly into curriculum teaching and students can foster an appreciation for the outdoors.

“The creation of an outdoor learning space will provide opportunities for the children at Thorn Grove to embrace a love of the outdoors,” said Peter Luck, headteacher at Thorn Grove Primary School. “The space will help improve child development, support mental health and wellbeing and promote more inclusive and engaging learning. It will give children experiences that they haven’t had previously and will bring learning to life.”

Responsible for enhancing the greenspaces in and around local waterways, Canal and River Trust creates spaces for people to engage with the outdoors while ensuring wildlife habitats remain protected. The grant will go towards Grow Green Spaces Stortford, a community involvement movement dedicated to clearing weeds and planting native species to neglected outdoor areas around the River Stort and increasing biodiversity throughout the community.  

“The Toro Company’s funding will allow Grow Green Spaces Stortford to grow our project in the community, benefiting both human residents and local wildlife,” said Wendy Gordon with Grow Green Spaces Stortford. “This generosity will allow us, through Canal and River Trust, to purchase a range of native bulbs and wildflowers and construct a variety of species habitats to further enhance the biodiversity of the area. We can’t thank The Toro Company enough and we can’t wait to start gardening.”

“We are so excited to support Thorn Grove Primary School and Canal and River Trust to revitalise these outdoor spaces for our community members to enjoy,” said Linda Eldon, Toro human resources manager in Spellbrook. “The project reflects our purpose to enrich the beauty, productivity and sustainability of the land while creating safe, functional spaces where our communities can thrive.”