Vintage Worx extends successful green volunteering project

Vintage Worx volunteers

A successful green volunteering project by Community Development Trust Vintage Worx is being extended across the borough.

Funded through the Greater Manchester Wellbeing Fund, the green restoration project was launched earlier this year at Falinge Park, Rochdale, designed to provide outdoor activity for people coming out of Covid restrictions, helping them to re-engage with each other in a safe way, get involved with their community and improve their mental health.

Litter picking and gardening opportunities have been held every week at the park and the project has grown well with people of all age groups and from across the borough taking part.

The project has been so successful it is now being extended to bring green volunteers together across the borough as the Green Network Forum.

Vintage Worx director Samantha Powers, the project lead, said: “This has been one of my favourite projects, climbing out of the last 18 months to meet fabulous people who wanted to help us make the park a nicer place was lovely.

“Hearing all the wonderful stories from everyone about how they were also doing the same in their own neighbourhoods and seeing how everyone was enjoying meeting up each week was inspiring and this gave us the idea to maybe grow something from this.

“We planned to celebrate the success of this project with an event in the new Arts and Crafts Café in the park, but we have now decided to extend the celebration to launch a green network forum where anyone or any group with an interest in gardening, litter-picking, or other environmental activities can meet bi-monthly enjoy some refreshments, share ideas, discuss problems and generally support each other.”

Anyone interested in green volunteering who would like to know more about the new network is invited to visit Falinge Park on Monday 11 October between 4pm and 7pm, enjoy some refreshments and have a chat with some like-minded people.