Belfast social enterprise Keen 2B Green will use a £300 donation from Poer NI to simplify access to its popular garden site for people of all ages.

Otherwise known as ‘the Wild Shed’, the project encourages people to connect with the environment around them through wildlife, the food they eat and sustainability initiatives.

The Wild Shed plays an instrumental role in the community, hosting adults with learning disabilities. However, in recent times, members of this group have identified accessibility as a key priority to allow visitors to engage more fully and independently with the garden.

The funding is going to be used to install grab rails at the entrances to two sheds and lay gravel along the pathways to ensure safer and easier access. These practical upgrades are also intended to create a more inclusive – and welcoming – environment for everyone.

Power NI employee, Mick O’Reilly, nominated the organisation to receive funding through the company’s ‘Helping Hands’ – a long-standing scheme that encourages employees to give something back to those organisations that make a lasting and positive difference. “Keen 2B Green connects people to their environment through wildlife and food,” he said.

“We have a holistic and systems-based approach which has led us to be involved across a diverse range of community groups and activities. My friends Rory and Sean share a deep passion for sustainability and understanding how human activity affects the natural environment. They launched Keen 2B Green to inspire awareness of environmental issues and to offer meaningful, hands-on ways for people to reconnect with nature.”

Since 2024, Keen 2B Green has been involved in many community-based environmental projects such as supporting other community groups to introduce recycling systems and greener habits. Their work also includes food education and events that promote small-scale growers as well as their produce which is locally sourced and grown sustainably.

Power NI is proud to support projects like the Wild Shed, where small grants can make a big difference in improving accessibility and supporting community wellbeing.