Almost £2m has now gone towards nature recovery projects driven by local people right across Greater Manchester thanks to the Mayor’s Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund.
A further 18 successful projects have been confirmed as receiving backing in the final round of the fund, enabling community groups to improve their local green space to benefit people from across the area. The schemes – all of which will be accessible to local people – will also encourage residents to get involved in nature recovery, from volunteering opportunities to building green skills.
Successful projects being backed in the final round include:
- Stretford Community Dye Garden in Trafford aims to create a permanent community dye garden within Victoria Park, increasing local people’s access to quality green space and provide an opportunity to learn about growing and using plants to dye fabric and other materials.
- Daisy Roots and Welly Boots in Rochdale will turn an unused, overgrown, former tip area of a public park into a functional community growing space for residents who live in an environment of multi-story flats and terraced housing, mostly devoid of private gardens.
- Ash Pit Growers in Bolton aims to improve and enhance a site with native trees and hedging, fruit trees, and shrubs to benefit to both wildlife and people.
Five of the latest successful projects are being backed by over £96,000 from Auto Trader, as part of their ongoing partnership with the Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF). GMEF is a pioneering body created in partnership with the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, bringing together communities and funding bodies keen to channel their resources into addressing environmental problems.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “The natural environment is critical to the health of Greater Manchester’s communities and the prosperity of our economy. That’s why we put the environment at the heart of our Greater Manchester Strategy – our vision for a greener, fairer, more prosperous city-region.
“The projects backed by the Green Spaces Fund over the last year and a half are always brilliant and demonstrate the creativity and passion of residents across the city-region wanting to make Greater Manchester a better, and crucially, greener, place to live. These projects ensure everyone can access the benefits of green spaces, for both individuals and communities, and I look forward to these latest projects taking shape.”
