Go Green – Guerrilla Gardening at Polperro Walk in Hattersley, Tameside

Background

The residents of Polperro Walk in Hattersley had been frustrated for years about an overgrown green space and derelict brick planter in their neighbourhood. Residents from the 14 properties had asked for help from Tameside Council and Onward Homes however, due to some challenges in ownership, the problem wasn’t easy to resolve.

As well as being an eyesore, there were health and safety issues for the space to; bricks were falling out of the planter wall and there were overgrown plants on the steps, footpath and fences.

Community Action

The residents decided to take the matter into their own hands. They wanted a greenspace which was nice to look at, free of litter and a space which could be used by local people.

In 2019 they started their work by making the brick planter safe and clearing out the overgrown weeds. In July 2020, Groundwork provided advice and guidance to a now formed group of 12 volunteers. Groundwork was working in the area, delivering the Go Green project with Onward Homes, which sought to deliver activities which improved the wellbeing of local residents, develop skills and maintain community spaces. The work the residents of Polperro Walk were undertaking embodied all of these objectives, making it an exemplar community project which could inspire others in Hattersley.

In June 2022, Polperro Walk residents worked with Groundwork to source funding from the Tameside Community Recovery Fund. Together, £2,000 was secured, some of which was to be used to further improvements at Polperro Walk.

In August 2022, volunteers worked with Groundwork and independently, on various site improvements, including:

  • Using woodworking skills to build raised beds
  • Planting a mixture of vegetable and herb
  • Planting fruit trees
  • Creating edging and planting borders
  • Constructed benches and a pergola

Enjoying the space

The space is now enjoyed by Polperro Walk residents and the wider community from neighbouring streets. In the past few years volunteers have run a MacMillan Coffee Morning in the space, a Halloween event, a Christmas event and several food sharing events, where blackberry and apple pies were enjoyed, grown from the site itself.

The transformed green space has now become a destination, with regular visitors popping in to enjoy the connection with nature and other people. Comments from residents have included:

  • “It’s nice to look out in the morning and see how it’s progressed and grown. It’s therapeutic.”
  • “We’ve heard children passing saying “can we come here one day” to their parents”
  • “It’s nice to get out and mingle with neighbours”
  • “It’s good to see what we have achieved as a team”

Award winning

To celebrate the communities great work, the greenspace has won several awards. In 2021 and 2022 the residents won first place at the Onward Homes Garden Competition and in 2021 they were awarded Level 3 for the RHS’s It’s Your Neighbourhood award, progressing to Level 4 in 2022.

But the residents aren’t stopping there! Planned improvements for 2023 include:

  • Building insect and bug houses
  • Creating a feeding station for the foxes and badgers
  • Painting a mural
  • Planting pumpkins and hosting a pumpkin competition in Autumn 2023

Thanks to support from