Manchester residents have celebrated the launch of two new community gardening projects in West Gorton and Wythenshawe.
Friends of the Earth and The Co-operative Bank have been working with local delivery partners, Groundwork and Sow the City, to bring nature back into Manchester communities.
The launch event on Wednesday introduced two new ‘postcode gardeners’ – Wardeh Al Nasir and Catherine Clarke – to West Gorton and Wythenshawe respectively, to work with people to encourage nature back into the area and support the community and wildlife to thrive.
The new roles have been secured as part of a nationwide scheme which seeks to rejuvenate 1,000 neglected spaces across the country and bring communities with little access to nature closer to the health and wellbeing benefits provided by access to green spaces.
The University of Manchester will monitor the progress and benefits for local communities in West Gorton.
Research from Friends of the Earth shows that one in five people in England live in nature-deprived areas, including a staggering 1.6 million children under the age of 12.
Moreover, people of colour are disproportionately affected by nature loss, and are nearly three times more likely to live in areas with limited access to green or wild spaces. Both Wythenshawe and West Gorton were identified as areas where the community would greatly benefit from a greener environment.
Wardeh Al Nasir, postcode gardener for West Gorton, said: “I’m so proud to be taking on this role at West Gorton, which is already a glowing example of a community garden that has implemented innovative ways to bring back nature, such as ‘bio-swales’ that help to collect rain run-off and a gorgeous wildflower meadow to improve biodiversity. I look forward to continuing this important work and supporting the University of Manchester’s monitoring of how our project progresses.
“After feeling isolated and alone when I first moved to the UK three years ago, it was gardening and volunteering that helped me grow in my language, interpersonal skills and confidence. I want everyone to know that the garden is a place where it doesn’t matter what background you are from or qualifications you have, you can always add something beautiful and unique to the world around you.”
Maria Cearns, chief operating officer at The Co-operative Bank, said she was thrilled to work with Friends of the Earth in order to take positive steps to reverse the decline in biodiversity in communities across the country.
Rianna Gargiulo, postcode gardener programme lead at Friends of the Earth, said: “We’re thrilled to see our pioneering Postcode Gardeners programme expanding to new locations around the country with support from The Co-operative Bank, and to West Gorton and Wythenshawe with our local delivery partners, Groundwork and Sow the City.”
