PIER community garden celebrates a bumper year

Petrus Incredible Edibles Rochdale (PIER) celebrated an action-packed year with a special Winter Wonderland event to thank service users, volunteers and partners for their hard work and dedication.

Petrus provides housing services and day-to-day support to people who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness. PIER is their award-winning community allotment that provides ‘gardening on prescription’ for the local community.

2023 has been a bumper year for PIER – from achieving a Level 5 Rochdale in Bloom award and scooping a silver medal at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, to redeveloping and rewilding the allotment and hosting a range of events to bring the community together in PIER’s green outdoor space.

The Winter Wonderland event was made extra special thanks to a special wreath making workshop delivered by RHS Garden Bridgewater and delicious hot food served up by Cracking Good Food.

Friends and supporters of Petrus came down to mark the end of a great year, including J. Parker’s who first supported Petrus at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, and continue to support with deliveries of bulbs, plants and trees.

Edward Doherty, offline marketing manager at J. Parkers, said: “We were delighted to see such a great turnout at the Winter Wonderland event, with so many people there to celebrate the amazing work that Petrus are doing to reduce homelessness in Rochdale.

 

 

“We’re proud to support the team who work tirelessly and passionately to support people in our community.”

PIER uses community gardening to bring together people from all walks of life, to enjoy the therapeutic and physical benefits of plants and gardens.

Their powerful social prescribing model has not gone unnoticed – students from the University of Salford visited this year to learn more about the project, and BBC Radio Manchester paid a visit to interview staff, service users and volunteers as part of a feature on Greater Manchester’s NHS Nature for Health Green Social Prescribing Program.

PIER is open to the public as a place to volunteer and learn new skills or relax and enjoy the community garden.

Find out more and get involved with PIER at: www.petrus.org.uk/pier