Exciting new projects

Taking climate action together is #InOurNature 

Click on the buttons below to take a look at some of the brilliant projects happening all across Manchester and find out how to get involved.

• Curious about Community Fridges? Click here.
• Want to dig into how we're creating greener, wilder homes? Click here.
• Ready to be inspired by amazing community projects? Click here.
• Want to some innovative projects helping to make Manchester a greener city? Click here. 

Did you know that the average family of four wastes £720 of food a year? Enter the Community Fridge; an easy way to make good food go further.

Would you like to make Manchester a greener place to live? It starts with your home and your community! Growing plants with other people not only creates better outdoor spaces for us to enjoy. We grow new connections in the community, we save money on fruit and veg, we protect local wildlife, and we create a neighbourhood to be proud of.

Over the past few months, eight beginner gardeners in Newton Heath teamed up with five gardening enthusiasts to help them get growing at home, regardless of their skills or space.  With the help of social enterprise Sow The City, the beginners and enthusiasts have improved their skills, made new friends, and helped make Newton Heath a greener, wilder place to live. Head to our Miles Platting and Newton Heath page to learn more and find out about how you can get involved with Newton Heath’s new community garden project.

Curious to know more? Sign up to our newsletter here to receive top tips on how to start growing at home, inspiring stories, as well as upcoming events and volunteering opportunities in your area, directly in your inbox. 

Drumroll please... We’re thrilled to announce the three amazing projects that we’ll be supporting through the #InOurNature Community Grant fund: a Walk in Wardrobe promoting sustainable fashion, Manchester’s first Library of Things and a cook book helping people with learning disabilities and complex needs to take control over their food waste.   

We can’t wait to help bring these projects to life and to see the impact that they have in their communities. Want to get involved or find out more? Sign up to stay in the loop. 

‘Walk in Wardrobe'  

The ‘Walk-in-Wardrobe' will be a pop-up experience for young people who want to find out more about their clothes – from what they’re made from (and who by) to what happens after we get rid of them.
    
There will also be opportunities to discover loads of practical ways they can take action locally to create a more sustainable future for fashion.
    
The Walk In Wardrobe’s first pop up will be in the Rusholme/Hulme/Moss Side area (exact location to be confirmed) in Spring 2022, and Stitched Up are looking for volunteers to help create it! Work will start October 2021 and anyone age 12+ can volunteer to help on the project. Get in touch with hello@stitchedup.coop to get involved. 

Visit www.stitchedup.coop or follow @stitchedupuk on social media to hear more about their amazing projects.  

Manchester’s first ‘Library of Things’  

The Manchester Library of Things will be a community shed bursting with things people need, but don’t want to buy. Working like a normal book library, you’ll be able take out a membership and borrow useful items at very low costs. Borrowing from the Library of Things will help people borrow more, save money and protect the planet.  

The Library will be situated at the Old Library in Levenshulme and will open its doors in spring / summer 2022. 

Have your say on what you want to borrow by filling out this short survey. 

Find out more about the Library of Things on their website here.

‘Good for you, Good for the Planet’ Cookbook 

Future Directions CIC will work with people with learning disabilities and autistic people to develop an easy-read cookbook filled with healthy recipes and practical tips to help reduce food waste. They hope that this will inspire and empower people to gain confidence and learn new skills so they can eat well and waste less.  

The project is kicking off in October and the book will be launched in spring 2022. Sign up for updates here.  

Visit www.futuredirectionscic.co.uk/ to find out more about their work.  

More drumroll please... We’re thrilled to announce another four amazing projects get off-the ground through #InOurNature funding and impact measurement support. Our ambition: break down some of the barriers preventing target communities, including school kids, the Kurdish community, Muslim women and young ex-offenders from engaging with environmental issues, using nature to inspire climate action.   

We can’t wait to help bring these projects to life and to see the impact that they have in their communities. Want to get involved or find out more? Don’t forget to sign up for updates to stay in the loop.   

‘Play and Grow’ project by Mothers Against Violence 

Providing opportunities for young ex-offenders to discover alternative ways to make a positive contribution to their local community, building green skills and spending time in nature, while receiving mentoring support.     

The Play & Grow Project was developed in consultation with local services and local people, looking at the impact of the pandemic on local communities. As MAV UK begins to open services again, we will use our newly fitted outside terrace to expand outside areas of our community hall, and create a living moving garden space, where we have naturally grown vegetation.  Young people will lead the project with the help of our volunteers. The funding secured for this project will allow our young people to visit local green spaces and outdoor areas, to learn, see and feel the values of a clean, safe outdoor spaces.  

The aim is for young people to bring these experiences back to our local community, creating a green outdoor play and learn space which will support the learning of nursery aged children.     

Find out more about Mothers Against Violence’s work at https://www.mavuk.org/

Community Garden at St Chad’s Primary School

St. Chad’s RC Primary School is located in inner city Manchester with limited outdoor space, in an area with only 3% occupied by trees.  

There is green space within the school grounds, but it is currently overgrown, so this project is about turning neglected land into outdoor learning opportunities, encouraging children and families to take part in activities to welcome wildlife back by revamping the ponds and natural habitats, plant trees and an organic garden maintained by a gardening class, as well as upcycle materials to encourage recycling and reusing.  

In addition, we have a piece of land next door to school that we wish to develop to encourage our families to grow fruit and vegetables by adding raised beds and a greenhouse. This will be accessed after school and during the holidays and would encourage community involvement in sustainable living.   

As this is a huge project that we are undertaking, we are aiming to start the gated garden project in autumn 2021 and the community garden in spring 2021 ready for the planting season.  

Visit http://www.st-chads.manchester.sch.uk/ for more information about the school.  

‘Garden of Love’ project by the Flowhesion Foundation

Growing food is an impactful action for the climate, and a powerful way to celebrate the myriad cultures living in an area.  

The ‘Garden of Love’ project will help local Pakistani women and residents to create a publicly accessible communal herb and fruit garden in the grounds of the British Muslim heritage centre. The women will create the garden in memory of lost ones during Covid-19 but also learn key gardening, planting skills.  

We will also deliver a range of free education sessions in Urdu and Punjabi where women will learn how to grow vegetables and fruits at home on a shoestring budget.  

Visit https://flowhesionfoundation.org.uk/ for more information about their work.  

‘Plot to Plate’ by Manchester Urban Diggers

Taking part in greening activities can tackle social isolation and build a stronger sense of community.  The ‘Plot to Plate’ project, in partnership with Manchester Urban Diggers, will bring the local Kurdish community together to produce culturally appropriate crops affordably and sustainably, while serving as a testing ground for a new approach to creating growing spaces which reflect the diversity of Manchester communities.  

In Spring 2022, we will be providing a space for the Kurdish community living around Platt Fields Park to get involved with their local community by growing and cooking their own food on Platt Fields Market Garden. We're really excited to exchange cultural knowledge around plant varieties, growing techniques and especially excited to taste some yummy Kurdish food! 

Visit https://www.wearemud.org/ for more information about their work.