History
Before
Pre-2019
An abandoned piece of land.
Obtained First Grant & the Garden Design Starts
October 2019
After receiving a grant from Trafford Council, the garden area is bordered and the first planters went in.
Grand opening!
December 2019
The Rye Bank Community Garden was officially opened with a street party. It was attended by Trafford residents, MP Kate Green and the Longford Ward local councillors.
Tiny Library
June 2020
Beautiful tiny library built from reclaimed materials by a local artist. Community-run book-swapping, encouraging reading and literacy development and contributing to circular economy practices.
The Willow Arch
February 2021
We commissioned a local artist, Mez from MAD Sustainable Design, to build a beautiful willow arch as an entrance to Rye Bank Fields. With help from two lovely guys from Tibetan Kitchen, this stunning installation has brought a beautiful new dimension to the garden. Complete with Tibetan prayer flags too!
Totem Poles
April 2021
We commissioned a local artist, Mez from MAD Sustainable Design, to build three totem poles to add a new visual element to the start of the path into Longford Park. Local children painted the birds that appear on the poles.
We think you'll agree that they look stunning!
Asset of Community Garden Status!
May 2021
After the hard work of so many people, our application to Trafford Council to have the garden space listed as an Asset of Community Value was successful.
This means the land cannot be sold without us being notified and given the opportunity to bid for it. We hope this now protects the garden from being bulldozed for an access road to any housing development on Rye Bank Fields as proposed by Manchester Metropolitan University.
We further hope that without this access road any development of Rye Bank Fields is now untenable and it remains as the important open green space which so many of our community love and enjoy daily!
Future Plans
The 'guardians of the garden' have more exciting plans for the garden, including commissioning local artists to create more pieces to catch the eye.
Our fundraising team is working hard too.
Keep your eyes peeled for mosaic steps!
Whilst we have some funding for some of the larger items we have planned, we are in need of donations to cover the general upkeep and stocking of the garden together with admin such as the necessary insurances and website hosting etc.
If you can help in any way, whether by financial donation or volunteering to maintain and develop the garden please get in touch with us.
We welcome all feedback and suggestions so please send them in via our Contact Form.
Find Out More
There's some great photos on the Gallery page, or check out the Voices page to read about how the public feels about the space.
The Supporters page shows the people and businesses who have helped (and continue to help) to make it all happen.
How We Can Stop This
To indicate your support and get notified of all future developments and what we can do as Trafford residents to stop this add your email address in the box on this page and click the orange "Sign Up" button.
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