Incline Community Orchard and Garden, Dorset

We caught up with Rebecca Kemp from the Portland-based community garden to see how our grant has helped them increase their rainwater capacity and improve biodiversity.

What challenges do the gardeners face from the weather?

Rebbeca: "We're on an exposed hillside that gets battered by heavy rain and wind. Tall plants can be flattened and leaves burned by salty winds blowing in from the sea.

"We also run out of water in the summer. We have no mains water supply and, during long summer droughts, our water tanks have often run dry. Therefore, it has been a huge priority to increase our rainwater-harvesting capacity."

How has our grant helped with your water supply problem?

Rebbeca: "Thanks to the £1,000 grant, we've approximately doubled our rainwater capacity. We've been able to invest in four IBC tanks (holding 4,000 litres of water).

"We've also bought three large 350-litre water butts and covered a stony area covered in PVC, which catches rain and directs it into a row of connected sunken bins. The new water butts give us an extra 1,050 litres of capacity in this key area.

"150 terracotta pots and saucers were also purchased to be used as 'olla pots'. We stopper the pots with corks, sink them in the ground, fill them with water and put the saucer on top - the water then slowly releases through the sides of the pot."

How have you increased wildlife in the garden?

Rebbeca: "The funding also allowed us to buy native plants for our network of ponds, which will keep the water clean and attract species such as newts and dragonflies.

"We now have enough rainwater-harvesting capacity to keep multiple ponds topped up, but we wanted to improve their biodiversity value by adding aquatic plants."