A discussion on social media had led to some pretty negative attitudes from a few local residents coming Gorgeous Gorse Hill’s way and it got me thinking about community. What is a community? Margaret Thatcher famously said, there is no such thing as society (a term closely linked to community initiatives). Was she right? There are so many initiatives at the moment that encourage communities to take ownership of what happens to them, to influence this, to drive it and increasingly to do it themselves.
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2016 meeting dates
The Gorgeous Gorse Hill Great Bulb Planting Challenge 2015!
Sticking shiny things onto ugly grey things – Jennie Wadsworth
What feels like, because it was, months ago, I attended a workshop about mosaicking.
The plans have been for ages to mosaic the bollards outside Stretford Leisure Centre on Chester Road. The spanner in the works was the weather. We needed 3 dry days in a row around a weekend. So just after a rainy, end of August bank holiday weekend (yes, I was camping) we got the good news that dry weather was on the way. Everyone’s diaries had to be adjusted so we had a full day to finally get this done. I arrived, with husband, brother and 2 children just after 9am and found lots of other people getting ready to start.Award Winning? Us? GGH’s Adventures at Dig the City
It’s been nearly two months since Dig the City finished, I think it’s taken that long for us all to recover. Those of you who read of blogs will know that Gorgeous Gorse Hill has only been going for two years, a brief moment in the world of community development and barely anything in the life span of tree.
Yes, it’s planting night and the feeling’s right…
One planting night and a Dig the City planning meeting this week, Gorgeous Gorse Hillians!
Loads to do, so if you can pop out even for 10 mins, or to chuck some water on the tree pits, that’d be brilliant!
Weds 24th June, 6.30pm – Avondale/Chester Rd planters
Thurs 15th June, 7.00pm – Dig the City Planning meeting, Community Room, Stretford High Leisure Centre
Tree Pits
One of the abiding beliefs behind the Gorgeous Gorse Hill group, is in the ability of plants and flowers to create a feeling of positivity when you see them – hence why we’re aiming to fill Gorse Hill with fruit, veg, herbs and brightly coloured flowers.
When the group started nearly two years ago, one of the first things we started doing was sticking bulbs, seeds and plants into the tree pits. Most streets have a tree pit or two (and Gorse Street: a whopping 22!), and if seeing a gaudy tulip or a cheeky poppy as you trudge to work, puts a small smile on your face, or even makes your heart skip a little, we’ve done our job.
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Planting, Planting and More Planting
We’ll be planting up a storm over the next few months and we need all the help we can get, come along to one of the days below. We provide tools and warm welcome.
A Leap of Faith
The idea of Gorgeous Gorse Hill came about just under two years ago – two years; can you believe it! We went from an idea – a thought about turning the expanse of grey metal and scruffy grass that populates Gorse Hill into a fully functioning community group with a committee and everything. We’ve even got accounts! Accounts!
Today, I had an interview with the lovely Izzie from Durham University who is doing her thesis on guerrilla gardening. It was lovely talking to her about our project, how it came about, what it means to us and where we fit into the guerrilla gardening movement.
I think we aren’t pure guerrilla gardeners although we do maintain some of their principles and I feel that our planting of the tree pits last year can be perfectly described as guerrilla gardening.
Winter Draws in
Our next steps on the road to Gorgeous Gorse Hill. Come and join us and get involved.