Morley Glass offers grants to organisations with a green vision

Some of the funding has been used to provide havens for "mini beasts"

Leeds-based blinds manufacturer, Morley Glass & Glazing, has created the Green Vision fund and is calling for local groups to apply for donations of up to £500 to create sustainable projects such as nature reserves, edible beds, wildflower gardens, sensory gardens and allotments.

All applications will be considered as long as they improve and sustain the local environment.

The fund will be financed by the privately owned company’s own green credentials. Products made by Morley Glass & Glazing are used in residential and commercial windows and doors to provide privacy and shade.

When new windows and doors are installed, the old glass would previously go to landfill. Now Morley Glass crushes and returns the old glass to its supplier, Saint-Gobain Glass near Selby, which re-uses the old glass to manufacture new glass in an energy efficient process.

All of the money Morley receives for the old glass goes into the Green Vision fund. Since the CRUSH scheme started in early 2020, 550 tonnes of glass have been recycled, saving energy to power a home for 264 years, preventing 158,000kg of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere and saving 450,000kg of sand.

So far, the fund has had 10 beneficiaries, including CATCH Harehills, Incredible Edible Halton, Garforth in Bloom, Yorkshire Trench, Roundhay High School, Longroyde Primary School and St Chads Broomfield Cricket Club. Each of these received £500 and created meaningful environmental projects that also benefit the community.

Ian Short, managing director at Morley Glass & Glazing, said: “This is a long term initiative and the funds will continue to be created so it’s important that local groups come forward with their ideas and projects that we can support.

"We are proud to have created this fund that can really benefit the local community and the environment. We hope to help many more initiatives realise their green

goals and would urge people to come forward with their proposals.”

The company is also encouraging local tradespeople and individuals to recycle glass from old windows and doors free of charge, at its CRUSH facility in Morley.

To apply for a grant from the Green Vision fund, email your application to [email protected] outlining the project, the requirements and the benefits it will

achieve.