🌱 What we’ve achieved

Over the last couple of years, the Friends of Chorlton Community Garden steering group has made major progress in restoring and improving the garden. This has been made possible through planning permission from Manchester City Council, funding from National Lottery Awards for All, Manchester City Council’s Neighbourhood Investment Fund, the Co-op, Chorlton Makers’ Market, and the Ralph Brocklehurst Fund.
 

Highlights include:

🌿 A green roof installed and planted on the storage shed, boosting biodiversity

🪨 Heritage York stone paving creating a more accessible, less muddy courtyard-style space

🌸 Flower beds and spring bulbs planted, including around Chorlton Library, the start of a dye garden, an edible forest garden

🌳 Raised beds rebuilt, including an edible forest garden with integrated seating

🎶 A sheltered performance space to host small events, performances and community gatherings as well as for displaying artworks

🍽️ A wheelchair-accessible picnic table, generously funded by the Makers’ Market, now available for visitors

🪴A new gate opening wide for wheelchairs and double buggies, with a friendly welcome sign on top

🌿An insect eco-retreat with a green roof and a water butt 
 

We’ve delivered a range of community projects, including Space to Grow (supporting first-time veg growers), a mushroom-growing workshop, and a flax-processing session among others.
 

In October 2025 we celebrated the reopening of the garden with a launch event featuring a poem from the Lord Mayor, a performance of our song “A little oasis ’twixt library and pub” by The Mad Donnas, and tastings of apple-based produce from the garden.
 

We were proud to receive a Britain in Bloom ‘Advancing’ award, with judges commenting: “So very well done to all of you, for getting this far and having high aspirations.”
 

Together, we’ve now raised over £40,000 to support restoration work and community activity.
 

🎨 Creativity & community

In December we held a Christmas wreath-making workshop, led by Mez from Mad Sustainable Design. Using foraged and natural materials, participants created wreaths that decorated the garden railings and brought seasonal colour and warmth to the space.
 

We’re delighted to be working with local artist Jolene Shehan, who has won the commission to create a new sculpture for the garden, Windows Through the Seasons. The artwork will feature changing panels inspired by the four seasons, bringing colour, light and interest to the garden throughout the year. Ideas gathered through community drop-in sessions will help shape the designs for the seasonal panels.