An urban oasis for inclusion

A garden that feels like home

A 166-tree derelict orchard has been transformed by Grass Roots Oldham, an initiative run by the Failsworth-based social enterprise Northern Lily, into a vibrant community hub for both people and wildlife. The space is currently used for recovery, learning and homeschooling, as well as a hub for forging connections among people from different countries. 

By setting up a varied range of weekly activities – from bike riding and forest school sessions to petting goats and engaging in watersports like paddleboarding on the adjacent Rochdale Canal – the group has managed to improve social interaction within the Failsworth community in just two years.

Passionate about nature conservation and sustainable gardening practices, Grass Roots Oldham addressed the issue of accessibility at their site by facilitating transport, providing shared meals and accommodating children. When they set up the project, their aim was to double the produce collected through community harvesting events from one to two tonnes of food, including plums, apples, kale, wasabi and strawberries. 

A representative of Grass Roots Oldham said: “What unites us is our shared connection to the land and growing food. We have neighbours dropping in to tell us that the garden ‘feels like home’, whether it evokes memories of harvest time in Zambia or of visiting family in Pakistan. It’s a beautiful space where cultures, shared stories and traditions converge, from all walks of life.”

Bulding local resilience

In 2024, Grass Roots Oldham won the Growing Together Award for Community Gardening, an annual award run in partnership between the RHS and BBC The One Show that shines a light on community groups transforming green spaces and encouraging local people to try gardening for the first time. The prize was £1,000 in National Garden gift vouchers, while the two runners up – Camberwell Triangle Gardeners and Campy Growers – received £100 vouchers each.

Campy Growers has created a community market garden from a derelict council nursery site and is now the largest community growing space in Dundee. The group aims to improve health and wellbeing in the community by providing access to growing opportunities and fresh local produce, as well as hosting land-based educational programmes and courses.

Camberwell Triangle Gardeners, situated in the centre of a housing estate in London, had previously been neglected and was littered with rubbish and fly-tipping. The space has been transformed from an unused patch of grass to a thriving community garden where people come together to grow crops and spend time in nature.