North West of England

The Northern Network

Groundwork has successfully secured over £341,000 of National Lottery funding for the creation of the ‘Northern Network.’

The project is a collaboration of five Groundwork Trust’s covering the North of England.  The aim is to co-create a vibrant network of green community hubs in partnership with members of the local community.  The hubs will utilise existing assets providing a broad range of services that build resilience and improve health outcomes in the local community.  Communities will be at the heart of the decision-making, sharing their ideas and aspirations.  Some of the types of activities that could be offered at the hubs include:  volunteering opportunities, educational workshops, community gardening and wellbeing sessions, food growing and conservation projects.   The Northern network will aim to reach communities most in need in locations that services have previously failed to reach.

The benefits of green spaces

The project has been designed based on the growing evidence of the benefits of green spaces and community hubs.  A report produced by Groundwork UK on ‘Growing Spaces- Community hubs and their role in recovery’ referenced the growing body of evidence which points to the importance of ‘social infrastructure’ in making neighbourhoods good places to live, in providing the networks and services that keep people well and in helping communities cope with adversity.  With 87% of adults, reporting an increase in their cost of living there will be an increasing number of individuals who will seek additional support to deal with the financial, social and health effects this will create. The outdoor spaces and green aspects of the hubs will be help build community resilience and provide a welcoming and safe space for individuals and their families.

Groundwork are in the process of recruiting a suitability-qualified team to spearhead this new project.  Further information on the vacancies can be found here

Tender Opportunity

We are also looking to appoint a suitably qualified organisation to undertake a robust evaluation of Groundwork in the North’s (GiN) Green Community Hubs pilot programme between August 2022 and January 2024.   The evaluation will include the requirement of participatory appraisal to produce reliable and strong Return on Investment (ROI) and Social ROI.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity please see tender opportunity

Get involved

If you are interested in getting involved in this project or want to learn more please contact northernnetwork@groundwork.org.uk