Establishing a Green Community Hub in Stoneyfield Park, Rochdale
Background
Groundwork have been supporting the newly formed Friends of Stoneyfield Park to achieve their vision for the park as a thriving community space, along with local partners Your Trust and Deeplish Community Centre. We started working in the park in 2022, as part of the Bounce Back & Grow project, making use of the previously underutilised space through building raised beds and creating a wildflower meadow.
Since then, we’ve run several community events in the area including youth play schemes. In 2024, local volunteers (some from the Friends Group, others we’ve connected with at events) joined the Northern Network initiative, with an ambition to develop a Green Community Hub in Rochdale. Members signed the Northern Network Charter– agreement to ensure that the expectations of committee were clear.
What do the community want to see?
Community Engagement
Groundwork got to work, running events where they could better understand residents’ interest in a Green Community Hub in Rochdale and what services they’d like to see as part of it.
Initial engagement activities have highlighted that the community would like to see:
- More local planters: The community want to take part in food and herb growing.
- Local ownership: Our team will be supporting the creation of a Rochdale Steering Group. These volunteers will support the enhancement of the hub through running activities and listening to residents about their wants and needs.
- Benches: Currently there are limited places for resting and sitting down in the park with only a few benches. The park is well used by elderly people but there should be more sociable spaces/places to rest. No seating near where the new planters are however there is a desire for this, with people perching on the edges.
- Water butts: there is no source of water for watering the beds currently and the beds success relies on those living nearby to bring over watering cans, a water butt would help relieve this pressure.
- Circular path: it’s a really good park to walk around but not as inclusive and accessible as it could be for wheelchair/pushchairs. The users want to be able to walk a figure of 8 as a form of exercise.
The committee are currently developing a year 1 plan to give them direction for these ambitions. The group’s overall aim to be self sufficient by summer 2026, with the knowledge that Groundwork will continue to support them where needed.
Our work so far
Our team recently hosted gardening sessions at Stoneyfield Park in Deeplish, where 12 participants removed weeds and replanted the existing planters with seeds and bulbs. The Friends of Stoneyfield Park team learned vital skills during these sessions to be able to maintain the planters themselves!
Community volunteers who make up the Steering Group got together to discuss what they want to achieve for the park. They agreed on running two events – one for Eid and one for Easter – and also a monthly gardening workshop where volunteers can plant up the park’s raised beds with fruit, vegetables and herbs!
Our team and the Steering Group hosted an event for Eid in the park, bringing local families together with 53 young people creating colourful designs to take home with them!
Alongside the Steering Group, we hosted an event over the Easter break, creating Easter themed crafts with young people and gathering more ideas for the future of the park!
The volunteers had a steering group meeting, followed by plant shopping and adding to their first full planter. Each planter will also have it’s own colour theme, starting with purple!
Outcomes so far
- Kids really enjoy the planting events and people seem happy to take part.
- People have come out and gotten involved in the community, which might not have happened before.
- People value having an improved quality green space.
- Volunteers feel rewarded as the space appears to be being used more because of their efforts.
- Neighbors are talking to each other that wouldn’t have before, leading to improved community cohesion.
- The GCH is an excuse for people to come together and talk/work on something that matters to them.
What is a Green Community Hub?
Made possible thanks to funding and support from:
