Almost £800,000 has been awarded to community-led schemes throughout Greater Manchester – all of which will improve or create local green spaces.
It has now been confirmed that there are 31 successful projects – at least two in each of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs – from Round Two of the Green Spaces Fund.
The news follows on from the successful first round of the scheme announced at the Green Summit in October 2022, which saw almost £400,000 allocated to 21 projects that are making a real difference to their local area. The fund makes small and large grants available for community groups wanting to create new, spaces or improve existing ones in their local area, particularly where there is currently a lack of good quality green space.
Successful bids in Round Two range from community gardens and growing spaces to educational and nature recovery schemes, including:
The Secret Garden Allotment in Rochdale, which will see raised beds and an orchard planted to create a community space for all people, helping them work together to grow their own food.
The Stretford Tree Trail in Trafford, which aims to combat social isolation whilst enhancing greenspaces across the area.
GROW with the FLOW in Wigan, which looks to focus on wildlife and woodland enhancement alongside a strong commitment to engaging the local community.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “The Green Spaces Fund continues to give communities the support to improve their local areas, in turn helping to make Greater Manchester a greener and fairer place.
“The variety of schemes we’ve been able to support through the second round of the fund really demonstrates the vast benefits that green space can have, from physical and mental health wellbeing to community togetherness and the biodiversity of our city-region. This is why it’s so important that everyone has access to some form of green space wherever they live.
“The next round of funding is due to open very soon, so if you think you can make a difference to your community, I’d really encourage you to consider making an application and helping turn your local area green.”
The Green Spaces Fund is managed by the Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF). A pioneering body created in partnership with the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, GMEF brings together communities and funding bodies keen to channel their resources into addressing environmental problems.
It is not too late to apply for funding through the Green Spaces Fund, with round 3 opening on Monday 27th March 2023. There are two types of grants available: small grants up to £15,000 and large grants between £15,000 and £40,000. For more information and support with your application visit the Greater Manchester Environmental Fund website.
The full list of funding recipients from Round Two is as follows:
| Bury | Greenspace Community Champion | A project to improve Chapelfield Nature Reserve area for use by the local community. |
| Stockport | Canal Street Community Garden | The Community Garden aims to provide a much-needed accessible green space for residents and workers in a forgotten corner of industrial Stockport. |
| Multi-district | Forest School Laudato Si Centre | The Forest School will enable local people to take effective action on the biodiversity emergency. |
| Bolton | Community Garden on Cricket Boundary | This is a community-led environmental improvement project. The idea is to transform the overgrown area around the cricket ground. |
| Wigan | Wigan Warriors Community Garden | This project will further develop the Community Garden in creating a safe and accessible outdoor space for all generations of life to enjoy. |
| Multi-district | Highfield Habitats | Highfield Habitats will increase accessibly by offering training and nature walks to those in greatest need living adjacent to and within the wider catchment of the park. |
| Multi-district | Heathlands Village Green (Space) Project | The plan is to expand and develop established areas of green space in the village to improve access to safe, secure, enclosed green areas for vulnerable people of all ages living across Greater Manchester. |
| Rochdale | The Secret Garden Allotment | The project plan is to add raised beds and an orchard to create a community space for all people, so they can work together to grow their own food. |
| Salford | Friends of Irlam Library Secret Garden | The project is to clear the land near the library, make it safe and accessible and create an eco-friendly, biodiverse space to be used by library visitors and members of the community. |
| Trafford | New Wilds in Lostock Park | The project aims to improve additional areas within and without the park to support a greater biodiversity whilst improving the visual attractiveness of the park for visitors. |
| Manchester | Brotherhood Peace Garden | A new highly visible and accessible community garden for food growing, therapy and education into the climate crisis, created in the heart of one of Manchester. |
| Tameside | Reach Community Garden | The project involves the regeneration of disused land into a sustainable/multifunctional community garden. |
| Salford | A Bogs Life | Creation of new green space that will double as an educational resource for visitors as they discover the different stages in the life of a peat bog. |
| Manchester | St Wilfrid’s Home Garden | Development of a garden for the benefit of the local community including the diverse group of people who access services at the Centre. |
| Rochdale | Deeplish Community Space & Garden | The promotion of climate change activities, develop green spaces and engage participants and residents in transforming the outdoor space into a community garden. |
| Manchester | The Whitemoss Falls Pond Action Team | The project seeks to introduce high quality and accessible ponds, streams, and bog gardens to the youth centre within the heart of Blackley, North Manchester. |
| Manchester | Green Collyhurst | Transformation of several unused pieces of land in the centre of Collyhurst into an openly accessible community garden and growing space. |
| Salford | Blackleach Allotments Community Garden & Community Starter Plots | Utilising unused space to build a wellbeing wildlife garden. |
| Salford | Seed, Sow, Grow | Developing the unused exterior land of a former council building so that the community can make use of the green spaces surrounding it. |
| Oldham | Little Green Social Spaces | Development of neglected alleyways in the Coldhurst area into vibrant green social spaces where the local residents can get involved in planting and environmental initiatives. |
| Multi-district | Green Hub | Co-creation of an inspiring community growing and wildlife space; an accessible hub of climate friendly activity. |
| Wigan | GROW with the FLOW | The project will focus on wildlife and woodland enhancement and also have a strong commitment to engage with the community. |
| Bury | Peace Garden (Cateaton Street) | Project plan is to work with the residents of Moorside community to develop a green space that is community friendly for those who have little/ no access to greenery. |
| Oldham | GROWE Project | Development of a derelict community orchard into an accessible, inclusive, public space for gardening, habitat creation, supporting mental health/wellbeing, and connecting Oldham residents to nature. |
| Trafford | The Stretford Tree Trail | The project aims to combat social isolation whilst enhancing greenspaces in Stretford. |
| Stockport | Seeding the Change | Running weekly gardening sessions and community events for local residents. |
| Manchester | Manchester green pathway | The project will transform an abandoned concrete slip road into a dynamic and thriving green pathway. |
| Manchester | Sustainable Northmoor by Urban Greening (SNUG) | Along term programme to provide accessible, quality, green spaces through orchard planting, renovation and greening. |
| Tameside | Vitality Gardens | Turning abandoned, overgrown & fly tipped allotment space situated behind residential housing into a usable growing area and peace garden for local community use. |
| Oldham | Garden Gateway to Northern Roots | Creation of a new garden, seating area, wildlife pond, community orchard and wildflower area at the entrance to the Northern Roots site. |
| Bolton | The Roost at Bright Meadows | Regeneration of a former council depot site into a community forest garden, to be used as a space for forest school programmes. |
