Designing the Brinnington Memorial Garden with the local community
In the heart of Brinnington, Stockport, a once-barren patch of land has blossomed into a vibrant community space now known as the Brinnington Memorial Garden. Born from a shared vision in the local community, this garden stands as a symbol of hope and healing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Vision
Julie, Chair of Green Thumbs and Brinnington Big Local, recalls an early dream for the grey space outside of the Brinnington Community Hub:
We always said we wanted a greener Brinnington, and we wanted more areas for people to use.
That dream started to become a reality when the community expressed a desire to commemorate those they lost during the pandemic. What began as a vision for greener spaces evolved into something deeper, a place for reflection, connection, and growth.
Community at it’s Core
The pandemic brought the community in Brinnington closer together. As Julie shared:
People think we were helping them, but we weren’t. They were helping us; it gave us a real purpose.
Brinnington Big Local Hub and the Green Thumbs Garden became essential spaces in the community during the pandemic. Volunteers worked hard to keep community spaces open and safe, ensuring vulnerable people avoided becoming isolated.
From Idea to Reality
The idea for the Memorial Garden was discussed at Brinnington Big Local’s committee in 2022 and soon, local partners joined the journey and showed their support:
- Groundwork Greater Manchester’s landscape architects helped design the greenspace, running co-design session with the local community on key features.
- Stockport Council supported the development of the park, contributing through the Covid Commemoration Fund.
- The Manchester Mayor’s Green Spaces Fund funded the second phase of the park’s development.
Doug Holland, a Project Manager from Stockport Council, reflected on the project, adding:
It’s always a pleasure to work with energised, enthusiastic and capable people. There’s a great body of goodwill behind this.
A Living Memorial
The garden is more than a green space, it’s a place where people can share and reflect on memories. During the planting of the garden, community members were invited to plant flowers that would bloom each year, turning grief into hope. As Councillor Grace Baynham noted:
The amount that people really value this space is going to show in the next few years.
Beyond remembrance, the local community see the garden as a new space where local people can learn more about nature. The Green Thumbs volunteers will lead workshops in this central space, teaching residents how to grow their own plants and vegetables.
It’s not only a Covid memorial space, but it’s also a learning space.
The Brinnington Memorial Garden is a testament to what’s possible when people come together with a vision. It’s a story of transformation, community, and spirit!
This project was made possible thanks to funding from Stockport Council, Brinnington Big Local and the Greater Manchester Environment Fund.
