Pots of Possibility

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Pots of Possibility grants help regenerate North Lancashire’s environment and build healthy, thriving communities across our district.

The Pots of Possibility fund

The Pots of Possibility fund supports ideas for developing a zero-waste, circular and regenerative economy in North Lancashire. It is part of Closing Loops, a five-year £1.5 million project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund to support community-led action and local initiatives to stimulate a thriving, regenerative local economy.

A regenerative economy is where local enterprises, organisations and people live and work in a way that protects and restores the environment, builds healthier communities and improves people’s wellbeing.

There are two types of Pots of Possibility grants available each year until 2026:

Community Pots:

  • Up to £5,000
  • Decided by a grant panel
  • No further funding available

Your Pots:

  • £5,000–£10,000
  • Organisations present their idea at a public voting event; the people attending vote for who should get the money
  • The September 2026 funding window is now closed.

For both types of grant, we’re looking for ideas that fit into any of the Closing Loops project themes:

  • Repair: Reusing, re-purposing and repairing materials currently going to waste (e.g. textiles, electronics, packaging, surplus food, etc)
  • Shared resources and community space: Sharing resources (e.g. tools, materials, skills, etc) or re-purposing unused space for community benefit 
  • Communication, arts and festivals: Inspiring people to use and buy things more sustainably and to produce less waste
  • Food-related projects: Growing, cooking and eating food that’s local, seasonal and sustainably produced. Projects that are focused on composting may be able to benefit from alternative funding as part of the Closing Loops project. Before applying for a grant for a composting project, contact Jo Stocking (jo_cl@lessuk.org) to discuss your ideas.

We want this funding to make a difference across the whole of the Lancaster City Council district. We welcome all applications but we particularly welcome applications from areas such as Carnforth, Heysham, Silverdale and rural communities in North Lancashire that haven’t yet received funding.

We’re also keen to see ideas relating to regenerative activities that haven’t yet been funded, including community renewable energy, sustainable community transport and community-led housing initiatives.

Save the Date for 9th November 2026 when Your Pots 2026 registration opens for the in-person community voting event as well as online voting.

Find out how to apply
Meet the projects funded so far

What is a regenerative economy?

The Closing Loops project aims to create a regenerative economy in North Lancashire. A regenerative economy is a network of local people, organisations and businesses who live and work in a way that protects and restores the environment, builds healthier communities and improves people’s wellbeing.

A regenerative economy is made up of different regenerative enterprises. These could be community initiatives or groups, charities, social entrepreneurs and other types of not-for-profit business. Some examples might include:

  • A market garden that grows and distributes seasonal, organic veg locally and trains new growers who want to produce local food
  • A village stall for swapping surplus veg, plants and seeds
  • A small business that makes use of a material currently going to waste (food, textiles, plastic, etc)
  • Workshops to learn about refurbishing, fixing and repairing
  • A shared community building that is affordable for startups, community groups and regenerative enterprises to use.

‘Your Pots – Your Say’ Community Voting Day

5 December 2026 at The Platform, Morecambe

The Pots of Possibility ‘Your Pots’ fund is giving grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 to local projects that can help regenerate North Lancashire’s environment and build healthy thriving communities across our district.

The projects applying for Your Pots funding will need YOUR VOTE to turn their ideas into reality.

Check back here on 9 November to register for the in-person voting event on 5 December 2026 or to vote online.

To stay in the loop and get updates about this and other events, sign up to the FoodFutures mailing list.

What types of projects can be funded by Pots of Possibility?

The Pots of Possibility fund is looking to fund a diversity of projects that put the health and well-being of people and planet at their core.

Applications around the theme of community renewable energy, sustainable community transport and community-led housing initiatives are particularly welcome. And so are project ideas from areas such as Carnforth, Heysham, Silverdale and rural communities in North Lancashire that haven’t yet received funding.

Find out more about what a Pots of Possibility funded project could look like in this THRIVE article about regenerative enterprise and economy.

Watch a video from the 2024 Your Pots voting day:

What is participatory budgeting?

What if communities could decide together where money is spent to build fairer, more regenerative local economies?

Find out more about how participatory budgeting works and how it will be implemented through Your Pots in North Lancashire in this article by Jez Hall from Shared Future. The article was published in the summer 2023 edition of THRIVE, North Lancashire’s community food magazine.

Download article [pdf]

POTS OF POSSIBILITY THRIVE ARTICLES

North Lancashire’s community food magazine THRIVE has covered many aspects of the Pots of Possibility fund, participatory budgeting and the community voting days over the years. Read them all here:  

A world cafe tour of Lancaster District
You could be a community dragon, too!
Pots of Possibility
And the winners are...
Pots of Possibility: Who were the winners?
Endless possibilities: Introducing the regenerative economy

NEWS AND STORIES FROM THE FUNDED PROJECTS

Read the stories and updates from some of projects funded by Pots of Possibility below. Or see the complete list of projects that have received funding here. 

Himalayan balsam: an unwelcome (but tasty) visitor
Connection through growing in the West End
Ambleside Road allotments
Nature connection through food: wellbeing for the planet and us
Global Village Cafe: Global flavours, local friendships
Lancashire Youth Challenge: Time to Breathe
Morecambe Community Riso Press: The Cuisine Zines
Give and Take Day at the Gregson
Lune Valley Beekeepers: The invaders are coming
Whinney Hill Farm: Step outside, feel better
Mirador Arts: Swift Action

ABOUT CLOSING LOOPS

Closing Loops is a five-year £1.5 million project led by the FoodFutures partnership, and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, it will support community-led action and local initiatives to transform waste into a valuable resource, aiming to stimulate a zero-waste, circular and regenerative local economy. As part of this, £300,000 in small grants is being made available through the Pots of Possibility Fund.

Pots of Possibility fund logo

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