Rochdale Environmental Action Group go greener thanks to Greggs grant

Stuart Eccles, branch manager of Greggs, Christine Mathewson along with other group members

Rochdale Environmental Action Group (REAG) has received a grant from the Greggs Foundation Environmental Fund.

The group applied to the fund for assistance in purchasing tools and other equipment to help them tackle troublesome patches of undergrowth and weeds, which were hampering their efforts in supporting residents to clean and improve their areas.

Christine Mathewson, REAG chairwoman, explained: “We had to nominate a specific location as a project in order to qualify for funding, and had initially applied for a grant of £350 to help us buy spades, shears and other gardening tools.

“I was surprised when the Greggs Foundation sent us a cheque for more than double that amount, and had to ring them up to see if it was a mistake.

“They assured me that it was genuine, and that it was because they had been so impressed with the quality of the work that we have done in the town so far and how we intended to progress that they decided to increase it themselves.”

REAG has chosen a piece of land on Cecil Street, in Deeplish, as the project that they will be taking on first. The extra funding means that they will also be able to purchase plants and seeds for the land, turning it into a green space for the residents.

Ms Mathewson added: “Thanks to Greggs generosity, we will be able to extend this project to other parts of the town, especially where we have previously worked with residents to clean their alleyways and streets and who have kept them well maintained after we have gone.

“Our ethos has always been that we are here to help anyone who is struggling to keep their area clean in any part of Rochdale, as long as they are prepared to come out and clean it with us.”