Planting grants for community groups

Community Groups across the borough were invited to apply for up to £2,500 from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing’s Communities First programme to carry out a planting scheme to improve the look of their estate.  Any voluntary group with members who were tenants and/or residents on a local Council estate were eligible. The successful schemes have now been announced and are as follows:

Pennines: 

• Saxon House and West View Flats Tenants and Residents’ Association (TRA) Hanging baskets around the scheme and lavender plants.
• Halliday Court TRA - Creating a new flower bed at the back of the scheme.
• Friends of Smithybridge Library - Re-planting flower bed at the front of the library and fitting hanging baskets.

Rochdale

• Derrick Walker Court TRA - Hanging baskets and containers at the scheme.
• Arnold Bagnall Court TRA - Containers and hanging baskets in garden area.
• Tenants and Residents around Kirkholt - Hanging baskets on properties that don't have gardens.
• Brimrod TRA - Planting up grassed area at junction with Roch Valley Way.
• Turf Hill TRA - Planting vegetables and bulbs at the community base.
• Stoneyvale TRA - Fitting wall mounted planters at the side of each doorway.
• Yew Court TRA - Containers and hanging baskets at the scheme.
• Ravendale Residents - Containers and a hanging basket near the main entrance.
• Freehold Community Centre - Creating gardens for ground floor flats and putting containers on top decks.
• Mountside View TRA - Containers and hanging baskets at the scheme.
• Smallbridge TRA - Hanging baskets at the front of bungalows.
• Bellshill TRA - Creating a wildflower site on the estate.

Heywood

• Heywood Blind Welfare Centre - Planting scented roses and shrubs at the centre.

Middleton

• Top of Middleton Tenants and Resident - Hanging baskets and containers at Norman Weall Court.  Also containers and hanging baskets at entrance to St Stephen's church.
• Moorclose, Junction amp; Baytree TRA - Containers and a tree on a grassed area on Baytree Lane.
• Alkrington Moss TRA - Creating flower beds at the entrance to Brookside Community Centre.
• Boarshaw TRA - After the group have cleared the overgrown brambles and bushes, the grant will fund replanting the area with shrubs and plants.

Sue Kershaw, Communities First Co-ordinator is pleased with the interest the grants have generated, she said: “We were able to award 20 grants across the borough and these will fund plants, bulbs, containers, compost and equipment. But, it's the commitment and hard work of tenants and residents who are volunteering to carry out the planting and maintenance which will result in more colourful and pleasant surroundings and encourage everyone to respect their estates a little more. I wish them all well with their schemes.”