Community groups across Greater Manchester are amongst twelve across the North West who have received funding from a £1.5 million prize pot to create ‘Pocket Parks’ in their area.
Groups in Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, and Tameside have been successful in their bids for funding.
Pocket Parks are small green spaces, sometimes as small as a tennis court, created in urbanscapes to bring the green spaces to all communities. Having access to a green spot in your neighbourhood has proven benefits to health and helps to bring communities together.
St Barnabas Pocket Park & Forest Garden in Openshaw, Victoria Street Pocket Park, Oldham, Petrus Community Park, Rochdale, Ashton West Doorstep Garden and St. Andrews Pocket Park, in Droylsden are included in the twelve community groups in the North West, who will have a share of over £120 thousand to create their own ‘dream’ pocket parks, developing small parcels of land sometimes as small as the size of a tennis court.
Making the announcement, Communities Secretary, Greg Clark, said:
“Parks and green spaces provide valuable space for communities to socialise, relax, take part in exercise and for children to play.” adding
“Our funding will benefit urban areas with few green spaces, delivering on the Government’s manifesto commitment to deliver pocket parks across our country.The successful bids in the North West all have a strong community heart at the core of their ideas and they thought up creative ways to involve everyone in the area to turn unloved spaces into green lungs for their communities.”
