5.3 Improvements and Reccommendations

• Acknowledge and act on the fact that it takes communities time to organise volunteers, raise funds and collect resources.

• Acknowledge and cater for the fact that communities may have different motivations for involvement to paid workers – eg activities for children, immediate improvement in the area, the social aspect of a project etc.

• Find interesting ways to consult people eg events with activities - ie give people a reason to turn up and give you their time.

• Decision processes need to be transparent –  many communities are wary of the Council’s motives and pessimistic about their services.

• Have a way of feeding back the results of any consultation so that people know what has come of their input and why.

• Timing of events should realise that people have jobs, family commitments, child care needs etc.

• Think through venues carefully -think about public transport, accessibility (remember venues with alcohol are not appropriate for some religions and cultures) - ask local people for suitable places to hold events.

• Offer entertainment for children at meetings, as well as food and drinks.

• People often have high expectations of what the Council could deliver if the political will was there. Be clear about your resources and aims. Don’t raise expectations without a realistic idea of what can be achieved.

• Consult from the outset, listen to the replies and act on what you find. Again be clear about what it is you are asking, what you are offering, and the time-scale - when people are likely to see any results.

• Have a way of feeding back the results of any consultation so that people  know what has come of their input and why.

• Be clear about funding time-scales, don’t promise until you know when you can deliver -planning very difficult otherwise.

• If you are building a partnership – remember it should be a partnership of equals!

• Building trust and developing relationships takes time - this is why longer term projects have a longer lasting impact.

• Identify the right person in the LA/agency to communicate with – and choose one person from your group to act as the contact with them (this lessens the possibility of crossed wires).

• Approach a new contact with a question or ask for advice - acknowledging someone’s skills or knowledge
  

• Where possible go to meetings in pairs - it is useful to have two people listening/making notes and it can help to go over things afterwards.

• Be aware that there may be people who will try to play you off against other people in your community - communicate fully with the people in your group/community (especially if you are the contact) - feed back meetings and don’t make big decisions without taking them back to your group first (this should happen anyway).

• At all meetings write minutes and send the minutes to the attendees – this will reinforce the decisions made and remind people of the work they have promised to do.

• Keep notes from phone conversations and file these away safely with the date and time of the conversation.

• Make clear the limits of your resources, your aims and reasons for being involved and state your timescales etc.

• Remember council workers and regeneration agency people are there to serve your community. Although it is desirable and more productive  to have a good relationship with them, if you are unhappy with their work ask them about their organisations system for collecting comments    and recommendations.

• Allow enormous amounts of time to get your project on the road if it relies on Council go ahead or funding.

• Talk to Operation Services - and other departments of the Council - right at the beginning and see if you can have an influence on the plants and other relevant aspects of the Council’s work in your area – if possible go with a list of ideas.

• Finally you will at some time be asked to justify what you are doing in terms of who’s behind you and how much support you have (particularly if what you want to do disagrees with what the Council or other agencies are doing). As long as you have support locally with clear and going consultation porcesses this shouldn’t be a problem.

• Explore, acknowledge the benefit of, and make greater use of ‘soft outputs’ - focus on quality (eg how people feel about their area), rather than quantity (eg number of people into training).

• Make a greater commitment to supporting such community led initiatives and nurturing relationships with local groups.

• Frontline Council and agency workers should be trained in communication and consultation techniques to ensure inclusivity when dealing with local communities.

• Greater transparency in budgets.

• It is important that workers representing the Council are accountable to the local community.

6.0 Resources.

 “East Manchester’s physical environment reflects its status as a historic industrial area. This has left the area with great physical assets including historic buildings and waterways. It has also left the challenges of many derelict and under used buildings, and large areas of vacant and degraded land. Of East Manchester’s 1,100 hectares, approximately 30% are vacant.”

www.neweastmanchester.com/pages/publications.html

Population

“East Manchester has seen a dramatic decline in population over recent years. In 1991, the total population of the area was 36,170, representing 8.9% of the total Manchester population. By 1999, the population had declined to 31,503, a 12.9% reduction. In contrast, the population of the rest of Manchester grew during this period by 3.5%.”

 

Ancoats and Miles Platting has a higher than average number of single adult houses with children.

“East Manchester’s population is characterised by a higher proportion of young and retired people but fewer of working age compared to Manchester, the North West and the UK. Those who are of working age are typically low earners and many are unemployed and in receipt of benefits. The current unemployment rate is 8.2%, more than double the Greater Manchester and national average.”  

www.neweastmanchester.com/pages/publications.html

Health

“East Manchester has higher morbidity and earlier death rates than Manchester which itself has rates far in excess of the national average. The area also has an overall mortality rate over 50% higher than the national average. Death from lung cancer is twice the national average and respiratory disease is well above the national average. 68% of under 5’s suffer from dental disease, and the area has one of the highest pre-16 conception rates in the country.” 

   www.neweastmanchester.com/pages/publications.html

Economy

“East Manchester currently has lower relative levels of economic activity than Manchester as a whole, Greater Manchester, the North West and the UK. In 1971 the area supported 34,000 jobs, 63% of which were in manufacturing. Between 1971 and 1985 20,000 of these jobs were lost to the area due to business closures mainly in the manufacturing and construction sectors.”   

“The East Manchester economy is still dominated by manufacturing, distribution and catering. Conversely the market is under-represented in the professional services sector – i.e. banking, finance and insurance. There are major problems facing the area in terms of workforce development.”


“Many local businesses find it difficult to recruit locally; indeed 40% of businesses in East Manchester claim not to recruit from the local area. From the opposite perspective, people in East Manchester have difficulties in finding work. One tenth of unemployed residents have never had a paid job, and a further 38% have been out of work for two years of more.”  

“Research shows that skill levels within East Manchester are low and that there is a general lack of the right practical and vocational skills (particularly IT, basic literacy and numeracy, and life skills) required to secure the jobs that are on offer. This gap is likely to widen given projected economic growth sectors, unless there is a substantial and sustained improvement in the impact of investment in education and training.”

   www.neweastmanchester.com/pages/publications.html

Education and Training

Levels of educational attainment for many children are poor and there are low staying-on rates in learning post-16, as illustrated by the following indicators for East Manchester:

• below the Manchester average scores in Key Stage 1 and 2 core subjects;

• poor scores at Key Stages 3 and 4 and GCSE; 19% of pupils achieve no GCSEs (compared with 10% for the whole of the Manchester City Council area);

• only 22% of pupils get 5 or more grade A-C GCSEs (compared to 30% in Manchester and 45% nationally);

• the low proportion (47%) of school leavers progressing to further education or training (compared with 53% for Manchester).

• poor scores at Key Stages 3 and 4 and GCSE; 19% of pupils achieve no GCSEs (compared with 10% for the whole of the Manchester City Council area);

• only 22% of pupils get 5 or more grade A-C GCSEs (compared to 30% in Manchester and 45% nationally);

• the low proportion (47%) of school leavers progressing to further education or training (compared with 53% for Manchester).

www.neweastmanchester.com/pages/publications.html

Appendix two: Blooming Edibles

 
We also proposed a focus on food – working to raise awareness of nutrition and healthy eating. As well as the educational and health value of this focus, we thought that it would be a unique theme for the Britain in Bloom competition.


We proposed the inclusion of:

• workshops on growing vegetables, salads and herbs – with a seed give-away at the end of the session.

• growing beautiful edibles plants - hanging baskets/window baskets/street verges to be planted up with edible flowers or vegetables which produce beautiful flowers, trees planted to be fruit trees.

• cooking/healthy eating workshops - how to cook healthy, delicious  food

• The production of recipe cards (to be given out at events/ put in local magazine)

• supporting the creation of the food co-op and producing vegetable cards (explaining what they are, how to cook them and recipe ideas)

 
East Side regeneration agency did not share this vision, so it was not a main theme.

Subsequently we have developed this interest with local groups into a food co-operative, cooking courses and recipe cards. In the future we hope to build on the theme of ‘blooming edibles’ for promoting health.

Section		Max points
Section A Floral Displays. 30% of maximum points.	Public parks , town gardens, war memorials and recreational areas. Public buildings, displays associated with roads including roundabouts. Business and commercial – shop and retail centres etc. Residential gardens. Special floral features including hanging baskets, containers, bedding displays Community involvement – design, planting and maintenance	10 10 10 10 10
Section B Permanent Landscaping – including scrubs. 20% of maximum points.	Housing developments. Industrial estates etc. Parks, road verges etc. Community involvement including voluntary groups	10 10 10 10
Section C Local Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development. 20%	Nature conservation and bio-diversity Knowledge of recycling sites etc. Community involvement in	15 15 10
Section D Local Environmental Quality. 20% of maximum points.	Cleanliness of high profile areas. Cleanliness of parks, gardens, car parks etc. Weeds, street furniture, litter & dog bins etc Community involvement	10 10 10 10
Section E Public Awareness 10%	Marketing, publicity and promotion of Britain in Bloom etc.	20

Appendix five: The benefits of comunity gardens.

Researchers in the United States have learned a lot about the psychological and socio-economic benefits of community greening projects. Here are a few findings:

1. Community greening grows leaders - A study of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s community greening efforts in the City of Brotherly Love found that “across all neighbourhoods, people who have not previously been involved in a leadership capacity have emerged. These garden leaders assume responsibility for organising the neighbours to carry out the project and for maintaining the project.”
2. Community greening can help feed people and save money - Numerous studies have found that home and community gardens produce food worth hundreds of pounds. These food and financial savings can be critically important to the nutritional and financial health of families living on low incomes or in neighbourhoods poorly served by grocery stores.
3. Community greening promotes healthier communities - In a 1980 study of 100 blocks of Atlanta, Georgia, D.R. Brogan and L.D James found that physical characteristics (such as the presence of plants) were as important in promoting psychosocial health as the residents’ socio-cultural backgrounds.
4. Community greening helps people learn about civic participation - Marti Ross Bjornson, a graduate student at North Western University, found that inner-city Chicago gardeners gained critical skills in working with their elected officials by becoming involved in greening projects. She concluded that through greening “these formerly marginalised urban residents can gain access to the public policy, economic resources and social interaction...”
5. Community greening helps save energy and keep urban air cool and clean - As early as the 1840’s, greening advocates were calling parks and gardens “ the lungs of the city”. In Sacramento, California, the planting of 500,000 shade-giving urban trees is expected to save 50 to 75 megawatts of electricity by the year 2010 - enough to cool 26,000 homes, and in Chicago, researchers found that the urban forest removed tons of pollutants from the air each day.
6. Community greening provides job training - Community greening projects have been a training ground for people interested in entering the horticultural sector, particularly in inner-city areas where jobs can be scarce and skills hard to acquire.
7. Community greening helps reduce stress - A wide range of psychological and physiological studies have found that exposure to green plants can relieve stress, especially in urban areas where excessive noise and movement can make stress levels rise.
8. Community greening can help the homeless - Community gardens are a source of food for the homeless in some cities, and the community garden plot can also be “the first step towards self-sufficiency,” notes Ishwarbhai C Patel, who leads urban gardening programs in New Jersey. The garden provides “a place to call ‘mine’ and the opportunity to grow and produce things of value,” he says.
9. Community greening helps preserve cultural heritage - In a 1992 study of San Jose, California’s ‘Community and Cultural Heritage Gardens’, J.Dotter found that the gardens provided people with an important opportunity to maintain their cultural heritage by growing plants that play an important role in their culture’s food or rituals.
10. Community greening provides places for children to play and learn - A number of studies have found that community gardens and green spaces can play an important role in child development. For example, a garden can teach children how food is grown and what it looks like before arriving at the checkout counter.
11. Community greening helps cities save money by recycling - Greening projects often require tons of soil and an integral part of gardening is the composting of waste. Over 60% of domestic waste is compostable and would result in a large reduction in waste going to landfill sites.
12. Community greening makes people more productive - Psychologists have found that plants and green spaces provide the human mind with a rest. As a result, workers who have access to green spaces are more productive.
13. Community greening helps people keep physically fit - In 1990, M.K.Taylor found that a gardener could burn more calories in one hour of work than someone doing aerobics.

Appendix six: Concerns about Glysophate.

Glyphosate (Round-up weedkiller) is claimed to be the world’s biggest selling herbicide by its manufacturer Monsanto. It is also said to be highly effective at killing weeds, safe to users and members of the public and harmless to the environment. Is it the perfect product that herbicide users want and that anti-pesticide campaigners can find no fault with?

There is growing concern about the weedkillers impact on the environment and people’s health and a growing number of people are boycotting the herbicide: “Glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide, is already banned from being used in most US schools because it was found to change the oestrus cycle in girls.”

While glyphosate itself may be relatively harmless, some of the products with which it is formulated have a rather less benign reputation. Marketed formulations of glyphosate generally contain a surfactant. The purpose of this is to prevent the chemical from forming into droplets and rolling off leaves which are sprayed. Some of these surfactants are serious irritants, toxic to fish, and can themselves contain contaminants which are carcinogenic to humans.

The most widely used type of surfactants are serious irritants of eyes, the respiratory tract and skin, and have been found to contain dioxane (not dioxin) contaminants which are suspected of being carcinogenic.

In a letter from Stephen Tvedten to the director of the State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation, he advised against the use of Round-up highlighting a number of concerns about the chemical:

(1) Ingestion of RoundUp has been shown to cause “irritation of the oral mucous membrane and gastrointestinal tract…pulmonary dysfunction, oliguria, metabolic acidosis, hypotension, leukocytosis and fever.”

(2)  A study by eminent oncologists Dr. Lennart Hardell and Dr. Mikael Eriksson of Sweden has revealed clear links between glyphosate to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer. In the study published in the 15 March 1999 Journal of American Cancer Society, the researchers also maintain that exposure to glyphosate ‘yielded increased risks for NHL.’

(3) The NY Attorney General’s office sued Monsanto for advertising that RoundUp herbicide is “safe” and “environmentally friendly.” While Monsanto admitted no error, they settled with NY, paying them a couple of hundred thousand dollars, and agreeing to refrain from advertising RoundUp herbicide in New York as “safe” and “environmentally friendly.” The NY Attorney General began challenging these ads in 1991, and the case finally settled in 1997. (Further information available at www.igc.org/panna/resources/_pestis/PESTIS.1997.2.html). When Monsanto subsequently violated this agreement, they were again called to task by the NY Attorney General for breach of the settlement agreement. They again backed off their advertising campaign for RoundUp in New York only.

In the UK, a local authority was prosecuted after a child was accidentally sprayed with a glyphosate formulation and suffered allergic reactions. Recently there have also been claims from residents of St. Just in Cornwall that they have suffered severe reactions following application of glyphosate for weed control.

Appendix seven: Why Peat-Free Compost?

MERCi attempted to make Ancoats and Miles Platting in Bloom a peat-free compost affair because of concerns about the environmental damage caused by mining peat:

Peatbogs are some of the UK’s best wildlife habitats, home to many rare insects and plants. Despite this the commercial peat industry, led by companies such as Levington’s (owned by US company Scott’s), are destroying them to provide peat, mainly for gardeners. Some of the nation’s top wildlife sites (Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are currently threatened by peat extraction. One such site, Thorne Moor, in Yorkshire, is home to over 3000 species of invertebrate.

As gardening has become more popular more and more peat has been extracted from the UK’s most important wildlife sites. They have been described by Prince Charles as the UK’s “tropical rainforests” because of the wide-range of species they support.

Today only 6 per cent of lowland raised bogs remain in a near-natural condition.

As a response, thousands of gardeners have being doing their bit to protect peat bogs - by refusing to buy peat.  A growing number of garden centres like B&Q, Homebase, Focus and Wyevale Country Gardens have promised to phase-out peat-based products,

Indeed, in a 2001 edition of BBC Gardeners World magazine, a massive 74% of gardeners would now support a peat ban.

Peat-free gardening is easy. It requires no specialist skill other than purchasing peat-free compost.

The National Trust, which operates 200 of the nation’s finest gardens, is completely peat-free and the “Eden Project” in Cornwall was developed without using peat.



Some facts about peat bogs:

Raised bogs are formed by the slow decay of plants such as sphagnum mosses over thousands of years, trapping water on flat lowland areas to form quivering domes of water-logged peatland, rich in wildlife.

They are amongst the most important wildlife sites in the UK, and have been described by Prince Charles as the UK’s “tropical rainforests” because of the wide range of species they support. Over 3000 species of invertebrates, such as the hairy canary fly, as well as wild birds like the nightjar, and plants such as the carnivorous round-leaved sundew have been recorded at Thorne Moor alone.

Large scale peat extraction causes irreparable damage to raised bog SSSIs through the removal of surface vegetation, the drying and removal of the peat itself, and drastic changes to th hydrological integrity of the wetland.

Appendix eight: Workshop plan - Design an ‘eco crazy golf course’.

Aims
· To build 6 crazy golf holes, as a model and potential design for a proposed golf course on the land surrounding their building
· To involve the children/young people in the proposed changes to their centre from the outset
· To be creative using ‘rubbish’
· To think about the environment by having an environmental theme to the crazy golf course designs


Programme of activities
11-12: Make a golf club.
Introduced the plan for the day to the group – asking if any of them had been to a crazy golf course. Made golf clubs – with a pea cane as the handle and cardboard folded double and stuck with tape around the end of the cane to make a club shape (first ask the group to describe the shape, & ideas for how to make one etc).
Name the golf clubs – each child thought up their favourite or weirdest name and wrote it on the club shaped bit so that no one would get their clubs muddled up.


12-1: Lunch Break


1-3: Making the crazy golf holes
As a group they came up with ideas for decorating the holes and obstacles for the balls – based on what they liked in the environment and environmental themes – windmills, water wheels, sunshine etc. They then split into pairs or threes to design and create their crazy golf hole. The base for each hole was made out of a box like a pizza box (so that one flap could become the lead up to the hole and potentially a slope). They decided where the hole was to go and then we made them. We also showed them how to make a windmill with blades that would turn in the wind. They designed and made the rest themselves with tips and wire cutting from us if required.


3-4: Clean up, followed by laying out the six creations as a crazy golf course on the land outside and a test run with their own golf clubs – and a photo shoot.


Numbers:
Two workshop leaders (with play scheme leaders close at hand if needed)
15 children & young people between the ages of 5 and 14 (already attending the play scheme)

Appendix nine: Examples of inBloom leaflets.

Apendix ten: City Council Press Releases.

MANCHESTER ON TARGET TO SCOOP TOP BRITAIN IN BLOOM AWARD
5 April 2001   

Following Manchester’s recent success in winning North West in Bloom 2000, confidence is growing that the city is on target to scoop the top National award in 2001. In order to realise this dream, Manchester will have to beat off fierce competition, but it is an achievable goal say the organisers.

As a finalist in last year’s Cleanest City Competition Manchester was pitched against cities like Bath and York, but achieved more than any other large city in the competition.

Councillor Martin Pagel, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: ‘This is a title we are more than capable of winning. We are currently reaping rewards for the years of hard work which have turned a city, declared in 1994 to be the dirtiest in the UK, into the third most popular tourist destination after London and Edinburgh. Last year we won North West in Bloom and for two years running we have been finalists for the National Cleanest City title. We are now seeing national recognition for Manchester as a bright, vibrant, thriving city. It’s a city which we all care about and of which we can all be justifiably proud. The Britain in Bloom competition gives everyone a chance to be part of the growing success.’

Councillor Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: ‘This is a great opportunity to concentrate on getting our city looking good. During the Commonwealth Games in 2002 there will be huge media attention focused on Manchester and the efforts which have gone into the creation of impressive floral contributions, keeping the city clean and the continuing regeneration of derelict buildings will all contribute to the image of the city which is projected to the rest of the world. I believe that Manchester’s entry, combining as it does a fantastic city with the energy, dedication and enthusiasm of its residents, stands an excellent chance of beating even those cities more usually  associated with this kind of award.’

As City Council teams prepare for the competition, 15,000 hanging baskets  and decorative tubs will go up in the City Centre and floral displays will be a prominent feature throughout the city. The team are looking at new ways of  displaying plants including topiary sculptures representing the sports featured in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Two world records are being challenged,  with the construction of the longest ever flower bed and the ‘biggest flower in the world’, fashioned from a chimney.

Focusing on the importance of the cleanliness of the city to the success of the bid, Councillor Alan Spinks, Executive Member for the Environment, said: ‘We have made great strides in improving the cleanliness of Manchester’s streets. Operational Services work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to keep the city clean, using methods ranging from large mechanical sweepers to smaller hand-controlled green machines. Our ‘grime busting’ initiative has Streetcare Rangers working alongside Ambassadorial Rangers, patrolling the City Centre, identifying and dealing with problems such as flyposting, graffiti and the need for repairs and repainting. ‘

Anyone interested in taking part can get information or advice on Tel: 0161 718 4800.
Media contact: Rebecca Kennedy / Roz Hughes, Press Office 0161 234 3332

www.manchester.gov.uk/news/2001/march/urban.htm

CARDROOM CLEANS UP FOR URBAN IN BLOOM
20 April 2001    


Sunday 22nd April will see the residents of Cardroom Road, Ancoats getting together to clean up the streets, parks and gardens in the latest phase of their bid to scoop first prize in the Urban in Bloom competition.

As the judging date draws closer, pressure increases to bring about the transformation which organisers believe will bring them success in the competition. Local residents will take part in workshops, constructing their own window and porch boxes which will then be filled with flowers, bringing a splash of colour to the surrounding area. Teams will set to work, clearing the parks and streets of litter and rubbish, ready for the flower beds to be stocked with a vibrant array of plants and shrubs.

Councillor Martin Pagel, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: ‘This event shows how much can be achieved when people pool resources and work together towards a common goal. No member of the community needs to be left out. Volunteers will be around to help anyone who needs a hand with tidying up their garden. The emphasis is on team work. We’re seeing here today that if everyone pulls together, it is possible to bring about an amazing improvement in the local environment.’

The event is being organised by Manchester City Council’s Operational Services department and Manchester Environmental Resources Centre Initiative (MERCi), which opened its Centre for Sustainable Living on 6th April.

MERCi’s Helen Woodcock said: “Being involved in this kind of project gives people the chance to improve their local environment in a tangible and sustainable way. It’s great fun on the day, it brightens up the area and it gives the local community the confidence to know that they have the power to make a difference to the area in which they live.”


The day of activity will be rounded off with a barbeque, giving participants a chance to relax and enjoy the day’s achievements.

Media contact: Rebecca Kennedy / Roz Hughes: Press Office Tel: 0161 234 3332

www.manchester.gov.uk/news/2001/april/cleans.htm

URBAN IN BLOOM THE COMPETITION BEGINS
30th March 2001


On Friday 30th March at 1.30pm, the residents and school children of Miles Platting and Ancoats will be giving a dramatic start to their adventurous entry to the Urban In Bloom competition. The children, from St Mark’s School and Corpus Christie with St Anne’s in Miles Platting, will be helping to bring an instant splash of colour to the streets and open spaces.

This is the first in a series of events designed by the local community to brighten up the area in which they live and work. It will see the efforts of the energetic team channelled into filling beds and baskets with a stunning array of flowers in a project which will transform the appearance of the Ancoats and Miles Platting area.

The event has been organised by Helen Woodcock from the Manchester Environmental Resources Centre Initiative (MERCi), which is due to open its Centre for Sustainable Living on the 6th April.

Helen Woodcock from MERCi said: “The aim of today’s event is to find practical ways of encouraging more people living and working in the area to become involved in improving their local environment. The Urban In Bloom project will be used as a stepping stone to building community confidence and a sense of achievement.”

MERCi will be working with residents and community groups, schools, youth groups and local businesses, to put on environmental workshops, provide free or cheap materials (seeds, pots, tools etc), organise events, and generally help people to make their garden, street, or open space more attractive.

Major changes are already taking place. As well as introducing a splash of colour by establishing new flowerbeds and hanging baskets, resident groups  are discovering that a number of derelict sites which are currently a blight on the local community actually hold great potential and can make a positive contribution to the quality of the environment.

Councillor Martin Pagel, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: ‘The children here today are helping to create the sort of community and environment which they want to grow up in. They are the future of this community and are admirable their commitment and enthusiasm does them credit. I am sure they will take great pride in knowing that they were part of the team which brought about this transformation.’

If you would like to find out more about how you can make a difference to the environment in your area you can contact the Manchester in Bloom Team on  0161 718 4800.

 If you would like to find out more information about MERCi and their launch day, contact