£1.2 million investment in the Medlock Valley

Groundwork Greater Manchester are pleased to announce a £1.2 million Species Survival Fund grant for a partnership project working in the Medlock Valley.

Working alongside TCV, Canal & Rivers Trust, City of Trees and Mersey Rivers Trust and in partnership with Manchester City Council, Oldham Council and Tameside Council, the project will enhance habitats at seven sites across the Medlock Valley, covering almost 30ha.

Habitat improvement

The projects core focus is to halt and reverse the decline in species abundance by preserving and restoring vital habitats. The project will deliver a number of habitat improvements including:

  • Restoration work across the Aston and Rochdale canal network.
  • Naturalising the riverbank at Lees Brook Nature Park.
  • Grassland and wetland restoration and creation.
  • Active woodland management.
  • Invasive Non Native Species management and control.
  • Planting of approx. 5000 trees and understory planting.

These habitats will become home to species including water voles, waxcap mushrooms and the Great Crested Newt.

Connecting people with nature

Groundwork and other project partners will coordinate a number of community events and activities which help connect local people with nature, focusing primarily on unemployed people and those experiencing poor health and wellbeing.

Teaching green skills & creating green jobs

The project will create six new green job roles and includes complimentary training programmes leading to an upskilled workforce more able to respond to the climate emergency.

The project is currently recruiting for the following roles:

Project Manager
Ranger Supervisor

We are excited to be leading this project in the Medlock Valley and working with some of Greater Manchester’s leading environmental organisations. Together, we will create a thriving nature corridor throughout the Valley, restoring habitats to drive species recovery and connecting people with the nature on their doorstep. We are excited to deliver our ever expanding green skills programme to partners and volunteers, ensuring local people have the skills to respond to the climate and nature emergencies.

Michaella Howell, Head of Communities, Groundwork Greater Manchester

This project is funded by the Government’s Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm’s-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.