On the 3rd June, Bury hosted the 5th Greater Manchester Green and Blue Spaces Action Network meeting at the Barn in Philips Park. The network, organised by Sow the City connects residents, organisations and community groups who are working to improve access to nature across the city region. The Bury event was facilitated by the Right to Grow working group who is made up of Bury Council staff, Bury VCFA, The Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Incredible Edible Prestwich and District. Hosting the event in Bury provided an opportunity to showcase our progress with the Right to Grow and spotlight some of our new Right to Grow sites.
The meeting was attended by 40 delegates from across Greater Manchester. Katherine, our Capacity Building Development Officer presented on the role of Bury VCFA in supporting the Right to Grow. Our two new Right to Grow groups- Lancaster Roots Community Garden and Abingdon Green Community Garden also spoke about how they set up their sites. Faye from the Big Balsam Bash also spoke about their plans to expand out of Bury into other parts of Greater Manchester to help stop the spread of Himalayan Balsam.
The event successfully strengthened connections between organisations and community groups across Greater Manchester, enabling knowledge sharing and collaboration around improving access to green and blue spaces. Attendees left with practical insight into how to establish and sustain Right to Grow sites and begin the process in to adopting the Right to Grow their areas. Hosting the network in Bury helped raise the profile of the borough’s Right to Grow initiative and the successes of local green groups. Increased awareness of the Big Balsam Bash’s expansion plans created opportunities for cross-borough collaboration on tackling Himalayan Balsam.
Find out more about the Right to Grow in Bury and apply to take on a growing site via the
