Wythenshawe’s wild about new eco garden
05/10/2010
A new eco learning zone for children was officially opened on Friday 1st October at the Addy in Wythenshawe – and it’s already home for hedgehogs, insect colonies and other wildlife in custom-built nests.
The eco garden is attached to The Addy in Sharston, and has been designed for children from the age of 5, where they can grow fruit, vegetables, herbs and study wildlife.
Prior to the work, the land had become an area for fly-tipping, dog-fouling and general misuse.
Now, after funding from seven organisations and help with the design from the Wythenshawe Regeneration Team at Manchester City Council, the garden is blooming with mature trees, rows of plants, recycling bays, sensory ‘scent’ paths, hedgehog houses, bird boxes and even an insect hotel.
Work on the project was carried out by Community Payback teams who completed more than 2,000 hours work on the garden.
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said: “The area has been transformed from an unattractive piece of land into a beautiful outdoor facility, so that children can get vital outdoor exercise and also have the chance to observe wildlife and grow their own plants and herbs.”
Suzanne Cere from Manchester Young Lives said: “The tremendous support we received for this project means that we can continue to develop environmental play, which has been a huge success through our Parktastic programme across Manchester. We aim to encourage local primary schools to use the zone to support their curriculum development.”
Funding and support for the eco garden project came from Manchester City Council, Carbon Innovation Fund, Greening Greater Manchester, Play England, Friends of the Addy, Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund and Willow Park Housing Trust.