GROUNDWORKNews

Inside this edition:

Photograph of Bierley Woods, Bradford. One of the 100 M&S Greener Living Spaces projects

New green spaces

Support for new community groups

Birthday celebrations

SUMMER

2012

Places changed in 2012

Winter is the obvious time to think about saving energy and money on our fuel bills, so our clever Green Doctor team has launched a campaign to get people thinking about it all year round.

Touting the slogan ‘energy saving is for life – not just for winter’ the team will be handing out free summer energy saving tips as well as providing their usual free home energy assessment and advice service to residents. Green Doctor Assessor Gemma Tilley (pictured right) says:

“The warmer months are the best time for referrals to be made to our service, as winter can get a little hectic. Any energy saving measures fitted to your home now will start saving you money immediately, and you’ll have peace of mind that your home is going to be warmer come the winter”.

The service is available across Leeds and Calderdale and is completely free. If you know of any individuals or groups you think would benefit from a visit or a talk by the team please contact: Mat Roberts or Gemma Tilley on 0113 238 0601 / greendoctorleeds@groundwork.org.uk or to find out more visit www.thegreendoctors.org

Keep cool, keep green

The last few months have been a busy time for our Landscape Architects who have seen the completion of projects with a combined value of over £1 Million. Working tirelessly - alongside numerous partners and community members - the reward has been a host of beautifully re-vamped public green spaces across Leeds and other parts of West Yorkshire, including:

Bierley Woods, BradfordAn M&S Greener Living Spaces project. Several local groups were keen to improve access and facilities to encourage more people to use the woods for leisure and recreation. The resulting work has included new gateways, paths, name posts and way markers, interpretation boards, benches and a picnic area.

Bierley Woods, Bradford (also pictured on the front cover)

Bramham Diamond Jubilee Garden

Bramham Diamond Jubilee GardenWe use the ‘t’ word quite a lot at GROUNDWORK, however land at the corner of Lyndon Avenue in Bramham literally has been transformed from a bare patch of grass into a stunning community garden, with copious plants (aimed at attracting wildlife), recycled benches, and new surfacing.

Cottingley Sphinx Square (Phase 1)Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP and Cllr Angela Gabriel were delighted to officially open the new improved Sphinx Square, which has been tastefully landscaped and given an identity that local residents can be proud of. Phase 2 is now underway.

Farnley Village GreenLocal residents were keen to make this large, featureless area a place where people would want to spend time. A new pergola provides a focal point, while new pathways encourage people to use the space for leisure activities. Local children created designs which have been incorporated into an eye-catching entrance feature.

Gledhow Valley Woods, Three Entrances Gledhow Valley Woods are a bit of a hidden gem, so the fact that all three main entrances now make more of a statement will hopefully encourage more local people to explore them.

Micklefield Diamond Jubilee Play AreaPossibly the longest slide in West Yorkshire (unconfirmed), a zip wire, a climbing ball, and lots of natural grassy mounds. What more could you want?

Farnley Village Green

Gledhow Valley Woods

MicklefieldDiamond Jubilee PlayArea

For further details on any of these projects please contact Mark Topping on: 0113 238 0601 / mark.topping@groundwork.org.uk

Love your local green space?

Add it to the Urban Oasis map:

www.groundwork.org.uk/

urbanoasis

Welcome to our summer newsletter!At the time of writing the weather really hasn’t been that summery, although that hasn’t put

us off all our usual outdoor work.

As you can see from the opposite page, a significant number of land improvement projects have recently been completed, many funded by the Big Lottery Community Spaces programme.

Improved spaces need people to use them, and we also report on our latest partnership with M&S which encourages people to get out exploring and getting actively involved with their

local green spaces.

We also continue to celebrate our 25th year in Leeds - catch up with the latest on the back page!

Adrian Curtis - Executive Director

@myurbangreen is a campaign by GROUNDWORK and Marks & Spencer to help local communities shape the future development, maintenance and management of their local green spaces. It builds on the success of Greener Living Spaces.

Green Space Co-ordinators Becky Houlding and Nickie Ramsden have seen the impact such a programme can have, having already supported around 25 community groups and 23 schools. At the Lyn Royd Sheltered Housing complex in Huddersfield, residents were keen to clean up their communal garden, and through @myurbangreen Groundwork drafted in the local primary school to help out. The school wish to maintain their link with the complex and will continue to help the residents develop their garden. Meanwhile, Meanwood locals took part in a snowdrop planting and clean up event at Sugarwell Hill earlier in the year. The event attracted around 30 people, including a group of children from Mill Field Primary School, members of the Potternewton Tenants & Residents Association, plus a group from voluntary organisation Real Life Options which supports people with learning disabilities, autism and intellectual impairments.

There are a wealth of similar fantastic stories across Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees. The programme continues until October.

@m

yurb

ang

reen

Cottingley Sphinx Square

Places changed in 2012

Winter is the obvious time to think about saving energy and money on our fuel bills, so our clever Green Doctor team has launched a campaign to get people thinking about it all year round.

Touting the slogan ‘energy saving is for life – not just for winter’ the team will be handing out free summer energy saving tips as well as providing their usual free home energy assessment and advice service to residents. Green Doctor Assessor Gemma Tilley (pictured right) says:

“The warmer months are the best time for referrals to be made to our service, as winter can get a little hectic. Any energy saving measures fitted to your home now will start saving you money immediately, and you’ll have peace of mind that your home is going to be warmer come the winter”.

The service is available across Leeds and Calderdale and is completely free. If you know of any individuals or groups you think would benefit from a visit or a talk by the team please contact: Mat Roberts or Gemma Tilley on 0113 238 0601 / greendoctorleeds@groundwork.org.uk or to find out more visit www.thegreendoctors.org

Keep cool, keep green

The last few months have been a busy time for our Landscape Architects who have seen the completion of projects with a combined value of over £1 Million. Working tirelessly - alongside numerous partners and community members - the reward has been a host of beautifully re-vamped public green spaces across Leeds and other parts of West Yorkshire, including:

Bierley Woods, BradfordAn M&S Greener Living Spaces project. Several local groups were keen to improve access and facilities to encourage more people to use the woods for leisure and recreation. The resulting work has included new gateways, paths, name posts and way markers, interpretation boards, benches and a picnic area.

Bierley Woods, Bradford (also pictured on the front cover)

Bramham Diamond Jubilee Garden

Bramham Diamond Jubilee GardenWe use the ‘t’ word quite a lot at GROUNDWORK, however land at the corner of Lyndon Avenue in Bramham literally has been transformed from a bare patch of grass into a stunning community garden, with copious plants (aimed at attracting wildlife), recycled benches, and new surfacing.

Cottingley Sphinx Square (Phase 1)Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP and Cllr Angela Gabriel were delighted to officially open the new improved Sphinx Square, which has been tastefully landscaped and given an identity that local residents can be proud of. Phase 2 is now underway.

Farnley Village GreenLocal residents were keen to make this large, featureless area a place where people would want to spend time. A new pergola provides a focal point, while new pathways encourage people to use the space for leisure activities. Local children created designs which have been incorporated into an eye-catching entrance feature.

Gledhow Valley Woods, Three Entrances Gledhow Valley Woods are a bit of a hidden gem, so the fact that all three main entrances now make more of a statement will hopefully encourage more local people to explore them.

Micklefield Diamond Jubilee Play AreaPossibly the longest slide in West Yorkshire (unconfirmed), a zip wire, a climbing ball, and lots of natural grassy mounds. What more could you want?

Farnley Village Green

Gledhow Valley Woods

MicklefieldDiamond Jubilee PlayArea

For further details on any of these projects please contact Mark Topping on: 0113 238 0601 / mark.topping@groundwork.org.uk

Love your local green space?

Add it to the Urban Oasis map:

www.groundwork.org.uk/

urbanoasis

Welcome to our summer newsletter!At the time of writing the weather really hasn’t been that summery, although that hasn’t put

us off all our usual outdoor work.

As you can see from the opposite page, a significant number of land improvement projects have recently been completed, many funded by the Big Lottery Community Spaces programme.

Improved spaces need people to use them, and we also report on our latest partnership with M&S which encourages people to get out exploring and getting actively involved with their

local green spaces.

We also continue to celebrate our 25th year in Leeds - catch up with the latest on the back page!

Adrian Curtis - Executive Director

@myurbangreen is a campaign by GROUNDWORK and Marks & Spencer to help local communities shape the future development, maintenance and management of their local green spaces. It builds on the success of Greener Living Spaces.

Green Space Co-ordinators Becky Houlding and Nickie Ramsden have seen the impact such a programme can have, having already supported around 25 community groups and 23 schools. At the Lyn Royd Sheltered Housing complex in Huddersfield, residents were keen to clean up their communal garden, and through @myurbangreen Groundwork drafted in the local primary school to help out. The school wish to maintain their link with the complex and will continue to help the residents develop their garden. Meanwhile, Meanwood locals took part in a snowdrop planting and clean up event at Sugarwell Hill earlier in the year. The event attracted around 30 people, including a group of children from Mill Field Primary School, members of the Potternewton Tenants & Residents Association, plus a group from voluntary organisation Real Life Options which supports people with learning disabilities, autism and intellectual impairments.

There are a wealth of similar fantastic stories across Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees. The programme continues until October.

@m

yurb

ang

reen

Cottingley Sphinx Square

-

Printed on 100% recycled paper

GROUNDWORK helps people and organisations make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, to build skills and job prospects and to live and work in a greener way. We create projects and services that benefit both people and the wider environment.

GROUNDWORK LEEDS operates across Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees and we work on hundreds of local projects each year. We focus our activity on disadvantaged communities where we can make most difference.

Groundwork Leeds, Environment & Business Centre, Merlyn-Rees Avenue, Morley, Leeds, LS27 9SL

Tel - 0113 238 0601 www.groundwork.org.uk/leeds

Yes, your friendly neighbourhood environmental charity has been hard at work in Leeds for a whole 25 years! To mark the occasion we’re looking back at a range of projects from the last quarter of a century in a special online retrospective. Amongst other things, you can find out how we began, plus see the incredible transformation of the old Rothwell Collieries into Rothwell Country Park. More past projects will be added throughout the year.

Visit: www.groundworkleeds25.org.uk

Birthday

News in Brief !2012 is turning out to be a big year for celebrations: the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics...and our very own birthday! Groundwork Leeds is celebrating its 25th birthday, while Groundwork nationally celebrates 30 years of delivering innovative projects in communities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here are a selection of celebratory happenings:

As mentioned in our spring newsletter, we’ve been marking our 25th with a special retrospective on our website at www.groundworkleeds25.org.uk. You can now catch up with Spike the recycling mascot, plus a spot of Bulb Bonanza history.

On 29th May staff and volunteers downed tools for a special spring conference. The event, held at Wheeler Hall in Leeds city centre, gave everyone the opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s work while getting to know each other better. As well as a number of business-focused presentations and workshops, team building activities included building balloon towers, taking part in fantasy bin challenge (featuring Spike of course), and completing a competitive treasure hunt around Leeds city centre.

Groundwork UK meanwhile have launched a special 30th anniversary campaign, Operation Groundwork, which aims to spread the GROUNDWORK message to a wider audience and attract both volunteers and donations to a number of Groundwork projects across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Rothwell Country Park is our local featured project, and details can be found at www.operationgroundwork.org.uk. Groundwork Leeds was involved in the development of the park which sits on the site of the former Rothwell Colliery, and is still involved today. Any donations or offers of voluntary time would be hugely welcomed by the Friends of Rothwell Country Park who run a number of events throughout the year to help maintain and develop the park. (Which leads nicely onto...)

Our annual staff activity day this year takes us to Rothwell Country Park!

Previously known as ‘SAD’, the Groundwork Leeds Activity Day (AKA GLAD) takes place on 19th July. We will be out in force (no matter what the weather throws at us) cleaning up sculptures, widening paths, removing rabbit and deer fencing, painting gates, and building and installing some special 25th anniversary bird boxes.