Transform Your Community With The Eco-Streets Competition!

Design Your Own Eco-Street is a new and exciting opportunity from Groundwork Greater Manchester giving communities the chance to win £6,000 funding to transform an unused area into an exciting green space.

Two designs will be chosen to receive funding and take part in a programme of activities with Groundwork to bring their design to life.

If you work for a local authority or housing association please share this opportunity with your community and support them in identifying landowners to get consent for their project idea.

Who Can Apply

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Applications are open for Greater Manchester community groups or groups of residents, consisting of at least 3 people from different households. We want to make sure that the project is sustainable, and having a core group of people ensures that different tasks can be shared out and one person isn’t burdened with designing and delivering their project alone.

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Transformable spaces could include Alleyways or ‘Ginnels’, Small Streets, Courtyards, Dis-used Allotments or Abandoned Park areas. If you recognise an area in your neighbourhood like this we encourage you to apply.

How To Apply

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Applications are welcome from all across Greater Manchester, with a particular focus on applications from communities with limited access to high quality green space. Funded through the IGNITION project, Eco-Streets seeks to showcase how Greater Manchester can become greener and more climate resilient. Once you’ve signed up you’ll receive a welcome email from us.

Throughout March 2021 you’ll then receive weekly emails which explain more about nature based solutions and provide inspiring ideas for your space. You can also attend one of our workshops to find out more:

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· 23rd March 2021, 10:00am – 11:00am 

· 25th March 2021, 5:30pm – 6:30pm

· 31st March 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

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Sign up to a workshop by contacting amy.wright@groundwork.org.uk.

Attending one of these isn’t mandatory but may help you with your application.

This project has been funded through IGNITION, which is looking to create a greener, more climate resilient Greater Manchester through finding innovative ways of financing and implementing nature-based solutions in our cities.

It’s Census 2021 weekend! Census will be available in 50 languages online, and community advisors available to support alongside a helpline. For support telephone: 0800 141 2021. Free language helpline: 0800 587 2021. How to help people take part.

There is a dedicated number to call for requesting a paper form 0800 876 6276 (only to be given to people specifically asking for a paper form)

Please share the below amongst your networks and residents as appropriate.

Hyperlinks added to take you direct to further information.

Activity

• Sing Yourself to Better Health (back for Spring!) – free sessions delivered online by Martin Purdy. Sign up via Eventbrite to express interest/get reminders. Otherwise, the videos are posted here every Tuesday at 2pm.

• The Whitworth – Natural Cultural Health Service - Offering a range of activities each day of the week, for a range of ages. Including: Tai Chi, meditation, gardening.

• How To Recycle Right & Reduce Your Waste – free online session. Aimed at adults, open to all ages. Includes virtual tour of Materials Recovery Facility. Email to book on: education@recycleforgreatermanchester.com with Name, Telephone #, Council area, # of children (if applicable).  24th March 2-3.30pm.

• Easter Reuse Crafts & Activities for Children – hosted on Facebook Live. Free event, go onto their Facebook on 6th April 3-3.30pm.

• Get Energy Smart Workshop – all about ways to save money and demonstrating the help that is available for individuals from energy networks and suppliers. Free. 1 hour workshop + Q&A, register via link. Wednesday 7th April 10-11am.

• Hearing Loss Awareness Sessions – for organisations working with older residents. From RNID – National Hearing Loss Charity, supported by buzz. Book your place via Eventbrite on one of two sessions: Tues 20th April 10-11am, Thu 22nd April, 1.30-2.30pm. 15 spaces per workshop.

• Free Food Hygiene Training – from Cracking Good Food. Multiple one-day courses available between March – May. Limited to 6 each course due to restrictions. Flyer attached. To book on contact sam@crackinggoodfood.org or 07394015635

• Stork Support Connections – based in Longsight Church of Nazarene. Peer mentor group for mums to meet each other and make new connections and friendships in the local area. See attached for full information, the group are accepting referrals and self referrals.

• Inequalities in ageing: health disadvantages amongst ethnic minority groups – free webinar via Zoom. Book on via link. 29th April 10am.

Information

• Manchester Community Response Hub –Tel: 0800 234 6123 – E: COVIDSupport@manchester.gov.uk – Text: 078600 22876 (message responded to by next working day).

• COVID-19 Resource Hub – buzz Knowledge Service has compiled a hub of reliable information around COVID-19. This includes links to verified Vaccine information in multiple languages such as, but not limited to: Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Sylheti and Urdu..

• British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) COVID Vaccination Myth Busting – answering questions direct! Shareable pictures and videos. Answers in English, Gujarati, Urdu, Arabic, Malay, Turkish, Tamil and Kurdish.  

• The Better Information Programme – buzz’s free online training programme designed for staff from a wide range of health, social care and community organisations. Two sessions are available – Health Literacy Awareness and Introduction to Misinformation. Booking required on Eventbrite, next session is tackling misinformation on 22nd March.

• Electricity North West Priority Services Register – offering  additional support with customers' power supply including welfare support in the event of a prolonged interruption, password schemes to ensure the safety of vulnerable customers and connection to partner organisations should it be needed.

Citizen’s Advice are supporting residents to get registered and talk them through if their eligible. Organisations can contact Jessica Mellor with any queries about referral process: jessica.mellor@citizensadvicemanchester.org.uk

• GM Walking Daily Mile toolkits – follow the link for toolkits to best suit your need. For individuals, family, employers, groups and more.

o   Manchester Libraries March Children and Families newsletter - Info about lots of fantastic activities and events including reading groups, STEM club and exciting news about the Summer Reading Challenge 2021.

o   Let’s Move More! Suggestions from buzz team for getting moving.

Funding

• Manchester Wellbeing Fund

• The Big Life Group Social Prescribing Development Fund – 3 levels of funding now open (up to £1,000, £10,000 and £10,000+). For community groups supporting people in managing health & wellbeing. To support new and established groups and organisations to build capacity and deliver projects to support social prescribing to Be Well clients. For further information contact Naheed Akhtar on 0742 366 8060 (between 9am-12.30pm), or email: socialprescribing@thebiglifegroup.com See attachments.

• The Women Thrive Fund – grants up to £40,000 for organisations supporting women and girls’ mental health and wellbeing and/or improve their financial resilience. ‘How to apply’ webinar on 18th March.  Deadline 25th March.

• CDL Fund Grants – up to £1,000. For projects that contribute positively to the quality of life, wellbeing and improved health of people and communities. Ongoing applications, see link for full detail.

• Auto Trader Community Fund – awards up to £1,000 for grassroots and community groups. Deadline 26th March.

• Recycle for Greater Manchester Community Fund – applications open 1st April. Up to £10,000 to support projects which prevent, reuse, or recycle household waste, and also reduce contamination, promote sustainable use of waste and resources, and generate wider social benefits for the communities of Greater Manchester. Open to community groups, schools or voluntary sector organisations. Deadline 31st May.

• Neighbourhood Investment Fund - These are funds available to communities to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.

Other

• Suicide Awareness Training – free, 20 mins long. Content Warning: this training will discuss suicide. Please only do this when you are in the headspace.

• Northmoor Community Association Survey – please complete if you’ve accessed a service provided by NCA. Takes 5 mins!

• Send a Digital Postcard – using wonderful positive images of older people. From GM Older Peoples Network.