Tuesday 29th March 2016, 6.30 – 8.00pm sees the gorgeous Brenda Smith from Bud Garden Centre, getting Stretford’s beginner gardeners growing their own from seed!
Come along to the Gorse Hill Scout Hut on Beresford Rd, and kick off your summer of scrumptious, home-grown grub. Compost, pots and seeds are provided, but feel free to bring your own.
Places are limited, so email gorgeousgorsehill@gmail.com to book a space.
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.
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.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.
Friday 31st July – Thurs 6th August sees central Manchester flooded with gorgeousness as 2015’s summer gardening festival Dig the City kicks off – complete with a show garden by yours truly, Gorgeous Gorse Hill!
Our theme is “A Garden on Every Street Corner“, as we try to reflect the random patches of colour appearing in Gorse Hill, through the tree pits, the Avondale planters, the roller shutters and the bollards, and inspire the rest of Manchester! Continue reading
The meeting and event dates for the second half of 2015 – spread far and wide!
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
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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