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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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.
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.
Our next steps on the road to Gorgeous Gorse Hill. Come and join us and get involved.
Back in July a couple of my awesome Gorgeous Gorse Hill colleagues took a punt and entered us for the inaugural Manchester Evening News Environment Awards. Continue reading
One of the wonderful John Shuttleworth’s creations pokes gentle fun at those of us who get involved in community activism. Community leader is not one that sits well with me, I see Gorgeous Gorse Hill as a team working to improve our area with the consensus and support of our fellow residents. One of my greatest fears is that our gorgeous vision is not one of the majority of the community.
