Latest News & Blogs
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BLOG – Growing Community Pride: Reflections from Brinnington
In the latest episode of the Big Local’s Community Pride Podcast, host Kayla Jones explores a simple but powerful question: why do green spaces matter for community pride? Joining the conversation is Nina Burns, Strategic Lead for Youth and Communities here at Groundwork Greater Manchester and Community Support Lead at Brinnington Big Local; a 10-year…
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BLOG – Youth Unemployment: What Young People Really Need
Groundwork has delivered employment and skills programmes across the UK since the 1980s and continues to support thousands of young people each year. That’s why rising youth unemployment figures are of particular concern to us. In late 2025, we engaged with young people we support across the country through 121 discussions, group conversations, and facilitated…
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BLOG – How Live Well Hubs set in nature are transforming lives
This is the second post in our series on Groundwork Greater Manchester’s role in the Live Well movement, click here to read part one. Last time, we described what a Live Well offer rooted in a green space looks like. We established that our Green Community Hubs are not “extras” or beautiful add-ons, but essential…
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BLOG – Rochdale resident’s concerns about a changing climate
As part of the Rochdale Communities Prepared project, Groundwork’s Community Climate Resilience Lead, Amy Wright, has been leading conversations within the community about people’s experiences of changing and extreme weather. In December 2025, a series of events were hosted in partnership with Your Trust leisure centres in Middleton, Rochdale, Littleborough and Heywood, aimed to engage…
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NEWS – New Community-led Canal Regeneration Project
A new community development project focused on the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal has been launched following the award of funding from Bolton CVS. The 12-month pilot project will bring together residents, community organisations and landowners to begin restoring and reimagining the canal corridor through Darcy Lever, Little Lever, Kearsley and surrounding areas of Bolton.…
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NEWS – New Mersey River Way Walk Enhancement Project Announced
We are delighted that Groundwork Greater Manchester will be involved in a new National River Walk, stretching 21 kilometres – the length of a half marathon – along the River Mersey from Stockport to Manchester. The Mersey Valley Way is the first National River Walk to be announced and marks the start of the government’s…
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BLOG – Why Waged Work Placements are Effective Pathways into Employment
Background to youth unemployment This month, youth unemployment has taken centre stage, with every major political party recognising it as a challenge that can no longer be overlooked with Rachel Reeves pledging a new waged work placement initative. The current rate of 16–24-year-olds who are jobless is 15.3% (this is nearly 1 million young people)…
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BLOG – Alarming Findings on Home Energy Efficiency Installations
The recently published National Audit Office (NAO) report into the delivery of ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation) and Great British Insulation Scheme made for deeply concerning reading for Phil Treaton, Strategic Lead for Fuel Poverty, Retrofit & Homes at Groundwork Greater Manchester. According to the report, DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) and…
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BLOG – Inspiring Young Minds with Groundwork’s Workplace Safari
A Day of Discovery The day began with a warm welcome and meet-and-greet from Kelly, Green Skills Manager at Groundwork, who outlined the plan for the day. Students quickly settled in, ready for a packed schedule of interactive sessions designed to give them a taste of different careers within the green economy. Kelly also provided…
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BLOG – A Just Transition Needs Just Jobs: Protecting Retrofit Careers at the Frontline
The need for Retrofit Jobs & Careers As Greater Manchester moves forward with its ambitious Housing Strategy for 2025-2035, we’re entering a crucial moment for the region’s transition to a greener, fairer future. The vision is clear: warmer, more energy-efficient homes; lower carbon emissions; and local jobs that create real social value. Already, more than…
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BLOG – Green Careers Week: Creating Pathways to a Greener Future
At Groundwork Greater Manchester, one of our core goals as a charity is to help people improve their life chances, and one of the most powerful ways we do this is through training and employment. As part of our 2023-2026 strategy, we committed to expanding our green skills provision, building on our existing activities. Our…
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BLOG – Youth Unemployment: Stories from the Front Line
Youth unemployment has made headlines this month, with all the major political parties discussing the issue at their annual conferences as the challenge becomes too big to ignore. As a charity that has supported young people into employment for over 30 years, we’ve created this blog to share our observations, experiences, and recommendations. “When workplaces…