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 initiate where the community were awarded £1 million pounds to invest in local projects which matter to them.

Brinnington’s story isn’t just about gardens and planting beds, it’s about what happens when people come together, share skills, and build something that improves wellbeing, connection and belonging, as Nina explains.

Green Spaces Begin with People

Nina reflected on the roots of the Green Thumbs allotment project and its impact:

“It started… because so many locals just wanted to have a garden to potter around in… but it’s more than that. There’s a flexibility in this work, there’s a real encouragement for people to lead it themselves, to feel engaged and enthused.”

Her words captured how access to green spaces, becomes a room for connection and community energy.

A Focus on Wellbeing

For Nina, green space isn’t just environmental, it’s deeply social and emotional:

“Wellbeing and mental health is, I would say, one of the priorities for the area, because if we don’t get the wellbeing and we don’t lay the foundations for people’s health, that obviously impacts everything else.”

A growing understanding across community work is vital, and shared spaces can be important for better life outcomes, from fitness to confidence and motivation.

Collaboration Powers Action

Brinnington’s green journey took shape through partnership and creativity, something Nina emphasised strongly:

“We couldn’t have done what we’ve done without our specialist partners, but the specialist partners couldn’t have done what they’ve achieved without our committee and without our volunteers within the community.”

This highlights how local insights and broader support systems can co-create resilient community initiatives.

Pride Grows from Belonging

Nina spoke about what community pride means in Brinnington:

“Community pride is when someone, not just one person, regularly comes to Brinnington and says, ‘if you could bottle that community spirit, you’d make a fortune.’ That’s about pride.”

A reminder that community pride isn’t just about achievements, it’s the feeling people carry with them, a sense of belonging and possibility.

The discussion in the Community Pride Podcast demonstrates how green spaces can cultivate community wellbeing, connection, and pride. Resident-led projects, backed by thoughtful collaboration, can create spaces where people don’t just grow plants, they grow relationships and ownership over their community.

If you’re passionate about community development, this episode is a testament to the power of listening, and growing, one shared space at a time!