Growing Confidence Outdoors: The Medlock Valley Project at the Oasis Community Hub
The Oasis Hub in Oldham is a vibrant, community-led initiative, working in one of the most deprived areas of the borough. Although based within a school, the Hub supports local residents of all ages by organising events and sessions that promote mental health, wellbeing, and empowerment. Many of the women involved in the Hub’s activities are Muslim women who have traditionally had limited access to natural spaces, with cultural norms, confidence, and safety concerns contributing to this disconnect.
The aim was to strengthen participants’ connection to nature and to create inclusive, welcoming outdoor experiences that felt safe, social, and meaningful.
Community Garden Development
Our team began working with the hub in January 2025, with the creation of a community garden. The vision was to develop a safe, accessible outdoor space that could be enjoyed by both adults and children, a place to grow food and flowers, spend time together, and enjoy fresh air close to home.
With support from Community Projects Lead Fran, a team of volunteers from the University of Manchester came together in early spring to clear the space, install raised beds, donate soil, and provide seating. Hub users were actively involved throughout the process, helping to shape, plant, and care for the garden. This hands-on involvement helped foster a strong sense of ownership and confidence in engaging with nature.
“We wanted to create a safe outdoor space that our users could enjoy, somewhere to grow produce and flowers, and a place for children and adults to enjoy being together outside. Over the spring and summer period the outdoor area has been a huge success and has fulfilled all the aims we had.”
As the garden developed, participants grew a wide range of fruit, vegetables, and herbs, including strawberries, peas, carrots, potatoes, and herbs. These were harvested and used in community cooking sessions, creating a full cycle from growing to preparing food together.
“We have grown a variety of vegetables and fruit which have been used and enjoyed by our hub members. As well as this, it’s been a place of sanctuary, with wildflowers, a bench to sit on, and a calm space enjoyed by both the community and staff.”
The garden also became a safe place for children to play and explore nature, helping families feel more confident about spending time outdoors.
Guided Nature Walks
Building on the success of the garden, a programme of guided walks was introduced. These walks started at the Oasis Clarksfield Hub and gradually extended into nearby green spaces, offering a supported and confidence-building way for participants to explore the wider natural environment.
Walks included visits to the Medlock Valley and Lees Brook Nature Reserve, places that many local residents were unaware existed. The group have planned more walks later on in the year independently, having been inspired to continue discovering local areas.
“Fran took us around the Lees Brook nature reserve, which lots of residents didn’t know existed. We enjoyed a picnic in the summer months, and both children and adults discovered a new local play area.”
The walks were designed to be inclusive and social, encouraging conversation, shared experiences, and gentle physical activity. Participants reported feeling more confident, healthier, and more connected to their local area as a result.
“All adults and children enjoyed the walk and felt that it helped them to get exercise and improve their health and wellbeing.”
Wider Nature Engagement
In addition to the garden and walks, Fran supported a range of other nature-based activities. These included working with students on balsam removal at Lees Brook, introducing young people to conservation and helping them understand how invasive species impact local ecosystems.
“Most of these students had never been out into nature before. It was a new learning experience for them to understand how balsam can destroy our local area.”
Family days at the Hub were also enriched through planting activities, with families taking plants and seeds home, learning how to care for them, and enjoying watching them grow.
The project has had a wide-ranging positive impact on individuals and the wider community, including:
- Increased confidence and interest in accessing natural spaces
- Improved mental health and wellbeing through time spent outdoors
- Stronger social connections and peer support
- Greater awareness of local green spaces and how to access them
- A deeper sense of belonging and pride in shared community spaces
“Fran has been an asset to both the Hub and our local community. She has supported our residents to appreciate nature and how to take care of it, helped with their mental health and wellbeing by being outside, and enabled them to benefit from nature through short walks and shared activities.”
Find out more about how we connected other local groups with nature: