G r e e n   S p a c e s
i n   U r b a n   P l a c e s

Sow the City is a Manchester-based social enterprise on a mission to create greener cities and connect people with nature.

Established in 2009 with a few packets of seeds and some compost, we’re now helping thousands of people to green the city. We transform unused urban spaces into thriving green places and provide activities to connect people in cities with the living world.

Parks allotments, community gardens, woodlands, orchards, green roofs and planters are all valuable. They reduce flooding, tackle climate change and improve air quality. Plus, green spaces support our mental health and wellbeing, strengthen communities and provide us with food.

Want to find out more?

Our vision

These are challenging times for the environment/ cities. Inequality is rising. Climate change is causing heatwaves. Many thousands of people are in food poverty.

And while people are trying to make a difference, we need to do much more to make cities more sustainable.

Imagine a city that is at one with nature. One with green spaces for everyone. We’re working every day to make this happen.

Transform your site

Do you have an unloved or unused outdoor area? We help create greener, healthier and cleaner community spaces.

We don’t just garden

We run events , workshops, research, provide consultancy services and more.

We provide projects for the public, private and voluntary sector.

Contact us today to find out how we can work together.

We’re a social enterprise

Find out more about who we are and why we do it here.

Our impact

Since we were founded, we have provided courses and workshops for over 20,000 people, facilitated over 15,000 volunteering hours, and transformed almost 15,000 m² of unused and derelict land into useful community green space and green infrastructure.

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Get involved

Sow the City provides a range of projects for local authorities, the health sector, housing providers, schools, businesses and the voluntary sector.

Getting involved in urban greening projects is a great promotional tool for your business, a fun and engaging team building activity and a positive way to demonstrate your corporate social responsibility.

Our corporate volunteering days that not only develop teamwork and communication skills, but that also make a positive impact on the environment. Activities include planting trees, building community gardens, or even constructing a wildlife pond.

We provide corporate sponsorship opportunities with tangible benefits. Your company will earn great PR from working with Sow the City and your support will result in clear and measurable project outcomes such as reduction in food poverty and environmental impact.

Would you benefit from an innovative Sow the City event or installation too? Food growing and nature are a creative way to enhance your brand and we have worked with restaurants and commercial customers to help demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, while generating good publicity.

Sow the City delivers efficient and cost-effective projects that strengthen the local economy, provide health benefits to residents and help to make neighbourhoods cleaner and greener.

We have experience of working with disengaged residents, including those who are long term unemployed, socially isolated or who may be living in socio-economically deprived neighbourhoods.

Our projects encourage community members to take collective action, to grow food together and to improve the quality of life in their local area

Research shows that spending time in green spaces can significantly improve people’s health and wellbeing, as green spaces facilitate social interaction, exercise, and boosts wellbeing.

Sow the City has worked in various health settings offering social and therapeutic horticulture activities to benefit service users’ health and wellbeing.

Our gardening and ecotherapy programmes have been used by organisations within the health sector to treat people experiencing early-stage dementia, mental illness, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

As a VCSE organisation, nature-based programmes are a great way to engage with a wide range of ages and groups and can be used to support your existing activities.

Encouraging people to grow their own food and get involved in a community garden is one of the best ways to promote healthy eating, improve wellbeing, and to get people outside in nature.

We can help to transform and develop your outdoor areas, into thriving community green spaces. We can also partner on funding applications.

At Sow the City, we have seen the positive impact that green spaces activities have on communities. We love getting involved in neighbourhood projects and encouraging residents to come together, spend time connecting with green spaces, learn new skills, and develop as a community.

We run one-off workshops and events as well as larger strategic programmes, such as food growing projects involving the co-ordination of local champions and multiple partners across your housing area.

Sow the City can initiate and develop community garden projects and community food projects to transform unused land alongside the community.

Let your students get their hands dirty with our fun and educational workshops and Forest School sessions. Not only will they enjoy the fresh air, they will also learn more about the natural environment and their impact on the earth

Our fun and practical workshops are aimed at primary and secondary school children, encouraging an interest in the natural environment, and teaching practical and horticultural   skills. We also run Forest School sessions, provide teacher training and design and build edible and wildlife gardens for schools

There are a variety of ways you can get involved and help us.

You can become a Sow the City volunteer. As a not for profit organisation, volunteers are important for many of our projects. We regularly need help in a variety of ways including constructing or maintaining community gardens and planting fruit and vegetables. These sessions are outdoors, good fun and great exercise. If this sort of hands-on work interests you, we can add you to our pool of volunteers and contact you when we need some help.

You can join community growing projects that are part of our Greater Manchester network. See the good to grow map for projects near you.

You can sign up to receive our newsletter or follow us on social media to stay up to date with new opportunities.

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