Our green fingered North City team create new community garden

Our team at North City Family and Fitness Centre are always up for a challenge. 

The centre’s location alongside a shopping centre car park brings an ongoing littering issue.

Not content with just reinstating litter bins in the car park the team decided it would be a great opportunity to try and discourage the littering in the first place and what better way to do that than improve the appearance of the area in general.

On reaching out to Manchester City Council's Parks team for some planters, the team were encouraged to apply for some Neighbourhood Improvement funding.

An application was made for £2,000 with GLL contributing a further £500 to complete the works. 

The funding awarded was used to purchase planters, soil, tools, equipment and plants to create four raised planting beds which flank the centre entrance, and the immediate entrance to the car park. 

Following the Ameresco carbon reduction works, there were three raised curbs previously with stones inside which often littered the car park. Ameresco provided the machines to dig out these areas, and top soil to bring level. 

As part of the funding, a few hundred wild flower bulbs were purchased and lots of grass seeds to generate an area of interest for the birds and bees in the car park. 

The funding application was completed in partnership with June Kelly from Abraham Moss Warriors, who are users of both North City and Abraham Moss and they provided a number of volunteers to help with a gardening day on Sunday 22nd May. As a customer of the centre June also facilitated the funding to allow us greater buying power from local suppliers such as Harpurhey Market Plant Stall, Kennedys Garden Supplies and Daisy Nook Garden Centre. 

The funding application was submitted and approved on the basis of hitting three of the four requirements for this funding pot:  

- Improving the environment (aesthetics)

- Carbon reduction 

- Community Groups and Organisations  

Our General Manager Callum and his team loved delivering this community project and are looking forward to seeing it all grow! The nursery kids love it too and are planning a visit to look at the bees and bugs once it starts growing.