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Community Spaces in the picture

Posted on 28th February 2013 by

 

 

Two Community Spaces projects were among the finalists in a Big Lottery photography competition.

Communities in Focus launched last November and ran on Local World’s This is and localpeople websites for four weeks.

The competition had two categories, one for inspiring images of community life and the other for photos of Big Lottery funded projects making a difference. Entries were made via Cam360, designed by Media Trust as a place to share and publish images.

The Community Spaces projects are the Whitemoss Community Multi-Use Games Area in Manchester (above left) and the Leechwell Garden Development in Totnes, Devon (right).

All the shortlisted entries are featured on the Big Lottery website and give a fabulous snapshot of communities in action across the country.

BIG’s England Director Dharmendra Kanani said: “The number and range of entries to the Communities in Focus competition is a reminder of the goodness that resides in communities across England; the images paint a picture of hope, ambition and communities driving change.”

Posted on 28th February 2013 by
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Posted in Awards, North West, Parks, Play, South West | No Comments »

Hope Street Park Friends on the BBC

Posted on 19th December 2012 by
Pam and Ian with mystery windfall

Pam Curtis and Ian Roberts with their mystery windall. Picture/Lytham St Annes Express

Their fame is spreading… You may remember a story from earlier in 2012 about how Pam Curtis and Ian Roberts from the Friends of Hope Street Park in St Anne’s on Sea, Lancashire, found a shopping bag containing  over £20,000 on their doorstep, money they are now using to further improve their local park.

Pam and Ian now feature in a BBC News report about the importance of urban parks, a message we at Groundwork are keen to promote. Pam and Ian are filmed in their park, talking about the work they have already done and their plans for the future… and giving Community Spaces a most welcome name-check!

The Friends of Hope Street Park received a £49,880 Community Spaces grant.

To read the BBC report and see the video, click here

 

Posted on 19th December 2012 by
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Posted in North West, Parks | No Comments »

Whitemoss Sports Day

Posted on 24th October 2012 by

Fun and games in store at Whitemoss Club for Young People in Blackley, Manchester on November 3 as the group holds a sports day to promote its new multi-use games area, funded by Community Spaces.

Why not get along and test your skills?

More information on the group’s Facebook page

Posted on 24th October 2012 by
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Posted in Events, Information, North West, Play | No Comments »

Making a Bold statement

Posted on 13th July 2012 by

The sun – remember that?! – shone for the launch of the Heritage Trail at Bold Venture Park in Darwen.

The Friends of Bold Venture Park commissioned local sculptor Marjan Wouda to create a series of artworks – most of them suspended from trees – to commemorate a flood that swept through the area’s slums in 1848, killing 12 people.

Marjan says: “There was such a sadness about the story. Creating the sculptures has been quite a challenge. I wanted to make a series of sculptures unique to the park and I looked to the town’s history for inspiration.”

A BBC gallery of pictures gives a good impression of what Marjan and the group have created.

Posted on 13th July 2012 by
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Hyde Park Orchard is really taking root

Posted on 4th July 2012 by

The Hyde Park Community Orchard project in Tameside, Manchester, has produced a film telling the story of how local people have been involved in the creation of a fantastic resource.
The new facilities in the orchard will be launched on Wednesday July 11 at 1.30pm. Features include an entrance sculpture and wildlife trail, outdoor classroom, wildflower meadow, soft fruits, information boards as well as seats and a banqueting-style picnic table.
The film was made by Boz Heyward and Phil Korbel.
A group of local supporters has been formed to help organise community activities in the orchard – please contact hydeparkorchard@gmail.com if you are interested in getting involved.
You can read more about the project on the Operation Farm blog

Posted on 4th July 2012 by
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Bollington Skate Park launches

Posted on 22nd June 2012 by

Here’s a short film featuring the opening day of the revamped and improved skate park at Bollington, near Macclesfield.

The Friends of Bollington Rec worked hard to secure a grant from Community Spaces along with funding from other sources to enable the £75,000 project to go ahead.

The young skaters of Bollington now have a challenging state of the art park to hone their skills.

Posted on 22nd June 2012 by
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Playground takes off

Posted on 22nd June 2012 by

mossvale launch

Plenty of smiling faces in Manchester as Beverley Slater, secretary of Moss Vale Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, cuts the ribbon to launch a new play area for the community.

More than 180 residents attended the opening event at the playground in Silver Street, Irlam.

The association, which secured a £49,999 Community Spaces grant to fund the playground, has just been awarded a further grant to ensure the sustainability of the project.

The new money will pay for activities including a teddy bears’ picnic, Hallowe’en events, a pirate party, planting sessions and  Christingle service, as well as equipment for maintenance.

Beverley says: “We are really excited about the extra work that can be done. We have had a fantastic response from local parents and children alike at how much the new play area is making a huge difference.”

The design of the play park has been based on drawings by the Moss Vale Youth Group of their ideal play area. Children from local schools worked with Irlam and Cadishead Arts Officer Fay Flatt to paint a colourful mural on the concrete fencing which runs the entire length of the play area.

The local community has shown its support for the project through the Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, who have developed a Facebook page to keep local people up to date on developments.

The page has a photographic record of the site being turned from unused grass and overgrown shrubs into an exciting playground. Comments on the page from customers include “It’s great watching this coming together from my living room window” and “Fantastic! Didn’t think it would take so little time to build”.

Posted on 22nd June 2012 by
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Afternoon on the tiles for Cherie

Posted on 22nd February 2012 by
cherie blair at st luke's church, crosby

Jimmy Hill works on the St Luke's mosaic, watched by Cherie Blair, Coun Les Byrom and Joe Benton MP

Cherie Blair visited St Luke’s Church in her native Crosby to see how work is progressing on the Community Spaces project to transform the church grounds.

She looked in on a workshop where local schoolchildren are creating a mosaic that will be placed on pillars in the grounds.

The St Luke’s Breathing Space project, which is being supported by a £49,760 Community Spaces grant, began in October and is due to be completed by April.

mosaic for st luke's church, crosbyThe project aims to transform some of the highly visible parts of St Luke’s church grounds to make them attractive, accessible and welcoming. The church grounds already contain a number of gardens at the fringes of the site, which have been developed over the past four years. 

The latest work will include welcome signs, relaid and new paths, an entrance garden featuring raised beds and a sensory garden, replacement railings and a nature/heritage trail around the bog garden, butterfly garden, bug hotel and wildflower meadow, war graves, solar powered water feature and a cycle shelter.

Project co-ordinator Steve Matthews said: “It was a happy coincidence that on the day Cherie visited we were having our second mosaic workshop so she got the chance to see the work in progress.

”She wasn’t intending to go to look at the pillars to see where the panels
will be placed as she had a function that night and didn’t want to get her
hair wet. Fortunately we were able to supply a brolly!”

Posted on 22nd February 2012 by
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Posted in Garden, Nature & wildlife, North West | No Comments »

Charity on the doorstep

Posted on 17th February 2012 by
Pam and Ian with mystery windfall

Pam Curtis and Ian Roberts with their mystery windall.Picture/Lytham St Annes Express

 If only all fundraising was as easy as this!

The Friends of Hope Street Park in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, have spent countless hours raising money to support their local park – including securing a £49,880 Community Spaces grant to provide play equipment.

They have completed the forms, attended the meetings, conducted the consultations… done all the hard work.

So imagine how secretary Pam Curtis and husband Ian, who is chairman of the Friends, felt when they returned home to find a wicker basket on their doorstep containing £21,480 in used £20 notes – money they are sure is intended to help their work with the Friends of Hope Street Park.

There was nothing to indicate where or who the money had come from.

Pam says: “We did the decent thing and contacted the police. They checked it out and have now returned the money to us. We’ll be handing it over to the Friends so we can continue our work on the park.

“I’m sure our anonymous donor heard about us from the work we did with Community Spaces. It’s thanks to you that we have such a high profile and reputation.”

A police spokesman said: ‘They did the right thing and the money was held to ensure there was no criminal activity related to it. It was returned to them for their donation.”

Pam says the money will help the group to start work on restoring the park pavilion.

The pavilion, which at the moment is used by the local ladies’ bowls club, Police and Community Together and the park friends, needs major work to turn it into a valuable community building.

Once it has new toilets, a properly equipped kitchen and refurbished meeting space, she hopes more community groups will be able to use the building.

“The money we found on our doorstep is just the start. We hope local people will be able to volunteer their time to carry out the work once we have bought the supplies. We have plumbers, builders and electricians who we are hoping to involve.”

Posted on 17th February 2012 by
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A reservoir of talent

Posted on 7th February 2012 by

gosjac presentation coverIt’s always good to report the successful conclusion to a Community Spaces project – and here’s an impressive presentation on the restoration of the Heaton Mersey Reservoir in Stockport.

What was an uninviting – and in places dangerous – former mill reservoir is now an attractive location for anglers and nature lovers.

The freehold of the site is owned by GOSJAC Angling Club, whose secretary Mike Fox was project manager for the restoration project.

Mike’s presentation tells the complete story of the project and is an excellent guide for groups looking to carry out similar work.

The pool has 26 pegs and is an ideal venue for beginners. The reservoir is stocked with, carp, tench, bream, roach, rudd, crucians, perch and golden orfe.

Gosjac Angling Club was founded in 1959 by the then Grants of St-James Angling Club. After several years this name became synonymous with angling in Stockport. When the establishment where the club was founded closed down members decided to keep the club running and abbreviated the name to GOSJAC.

 

Posted on 7th February 2012 by
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Posted in Nature & wildlife, North West, Project Management | No Comments »

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