"I was very impressed with the project and am keen to look at ways in which we can build on it next year."
Karen Mitchell, Chief Executive, Southway Housing Trust
Two thousand new growers
Southway Housing Trust manages 6,000 properties across five wards of Manchester in the south of the city. A large number of these areas are socially and economically deprived, poverty and poor health affect these communities.
Many of the houses were built with large gardens – the perfect location for growing fruit and vegetables! We saw this as a great opportunity to encourage people to get their hands dirty and grow their own produce.
Tenants in the area received a propagator and easy to grow vegetable seeds of their choice, and were invited to join local food growing workshops and in their area. They were provided with the support and advice they needed to transform their own gardens into flourishing allotments.
Between 2013 and 2016 we provided seed growing kits and individual support to over 2000 Southway tenants, delivered over 30 fruit and vegetable growing workshops, ran talks and walks on more advanced topics such as plant propagation and beekeeping, and organised community events with over 600 attendees.
