Led by Dr Kate Seymour and Dr Helena Kettleborough, this Research Accelerator Grant funded project studies community-led nature recovery projects in and around Rusholme, aiming to better understand how and why communities are built for, around and with nature. 

In the first stage of the project, the research team visited a range of community initiatives conducting participatory observation and interviews with organisers, community members, volunteers and their collaborators in public and third sector bodies. The study explored the motivations, learnings and visions of participants, as well as the collaborations which underpinned, enabled and sometimes frustrated this work. We continue to be amazed by the wealth and diversity of projects and inspired by the energy and visions of the people we met.  

We were delighted to share our initial findings at an exhibit/workshop called ‘People, Places, Nature, Spaces’. This was displayed at the MMU Sustainability Festival in June 2024 and at the Platt Hall Open Day in Rusholme in July 2024.

We gratefully acknowledge the MMU Research Accelerator Grant which funded this project and the organisations with which it was developed, in particular Friends of Platt Fields and Birchfields Parks, Manchester City Council, Manchester Climate Change Agency and local Councillors. We would also like to offer our deepest thanks to all of the participants who took the time to share their knowledge, experiences and passion with us. We look forward to developing the next stages of the project together with community partners.