Latest recipient of Dougie's Grant announced

Sunday 05 January 2025

The legacy of former Guernsey entrepreneur Dougie Le Huquet lives on with the announcement of the latest charitable project to receive £10,000 from an annual grant established in his memory.

Mr Le Huquet was a grower, who also owned a chain of chip shops and developed commercial and residential property in Guernsey, Jersey and the United States.

He died, aged 99, in 2021 and it was his wish that “Dougie’s Grant” should be established to benefit Guernsey-based projects.

The successful applicant for this year's grant was Grow Limited, one of 19, which will use the money to fund five flood benches in the glasshouses.

Grow supports adults with learning disabilities to develop self-confidence and skills by providing occupational training and mentoring. They grow and sell their own produce, operate a training cafe and retail shop which sells crafts made by charity members.

Having secured the £10,000 grant, the flood benches will enable more efficient and effective watering of Grow's plants that are averse to being watered from above.

In its inaugural year in 2022, Dougie's Grant was awarded to Mill Street Community Café and last year it went to the Guille-Allès Library where it was used to fund six new desktop PCs providing IT and Internet access to hundreds of islanders who may otherwise be digitally excluded.

General Manager of Grow Limited Mandy Mackelworth said they were "thrilled" to be awarded this year's funding.

“I have read that Dougie was a grower who also liked woodwork and liked to cook. He would have loved the new Grow.”

Dougie’s daughter Michelle Knowles added that her dad would have "entirely approved" of the charity's decision to invest in flood benches to improve crops.

“Grow Limited has an affinity with my Dad in many ways," she said. "He was a grower who was always very forward-looking and innovative in embracing technology.

“He would have entirely approved of their adoption of flood benches to help improve the quality of their crop.”

 Ms Knowles added that the quality of this year's applications were "again extremely high" and encouraged the unsuccessful charities to reapply in 2025.