A passage in South Manchester overrun with fly-tipping waste has been completely transformed by a community.
The ginnel in Moss Side, Manchester, has been reborn as an oasis of shrubbery and flowers. There's also an art exhibition here.
DR.ME, a Manchester-based design studio, added artworks made up of perspex typographic mirrors featuring lyrics and quotes from notable Mancunians.
READ MORE: Residents work together to transform neglected alleyway into green oasis
Named Reflective Passage, the gallery honours house music pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, novelist Anthony Burgess, R&B group Cleopatra, Thin Lizzy’s late frontman Phil Lynott and peace activist Erinma Bell.
Running between Acomb Street and Crofton Street, the gallery also honours suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, former lord mayor Roy Walters, composer Barry Adamson, boxing trainer Phil Martin, and DJ Lavender Rodriguez.
Mark Edwards - who co-owns DR.ME with best friend Ryan Doyle - moved into the area with his wife, Anita, in 2019, before the couple realised their ginnel was a fly-tipping hotspot.
But after a couple of months, Mark began his greening efforts by re-appropriating fly-tipped items like baths, sinks and even toy cars and turning them into large planters.
“I decided to try and make a change by building planters around the bins so there was less space for fly-tipping to occur - it worked so I simply carried on,” Mark told the Manchester Evening News. “Gardening has only really been something I’ve come to since we moved here, having more outdoor space (I lived in a 6th-floor flat previously) has definitely had an influence.”
The fly-tipping reduced drastically, and Mark decided he wanted to add the artwork (with the help of Manchester arts and crafts suppliers Fred Aldous), creating a public garden, gallery and more for the people of Moss Side and beyond.
The 36-year-old said: “A lot of them use it in the way we do, which is that it's an extension to their own personal space, the neighbourhood is a real mix of families who have been here for years, students and young doctors and nurses who are working in the nearby MRI, so we wanted it to be somewhere for everyone.
“It’s been a nice way to meet our neighbours - and it's helped to bring the community together after the pandemic.”
Not only has Reflective Passage benefited the community, but Mark says the work has helped improve his mental and physical health.
“It sounds like a cliché perhaps but I find it very relaxing, I think it's almost meditative at times, you’re focusing purely on putting your hands in the earth and growing something, so I’d say it's certainly something that has improved my mental health and physical health too, as carrying things like full watering cans and baths is a decent workout," the graphic designer and collage artist said.
The street has even organised ‘weeding parties’ every last Sunday of the month, where residents from the surrounding areas are invited to help out. For people considering taking up ginnel gardening, Mark says: "Just start, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission so don’t worry about asking anyone if you can do it, just start.
Win our competition
This year, the RHS and MEN have teamed up to launch a competition.
We are inviting residents - either individuals, different households working together or community groups - to submit a photo or photographs of the space they want to transform, with up to 500 words and/or a two-minute film on what their plans are for their ginnel, why they believe they should win, and how they plan to maintain it.
The winners will be invited to attend the opening day of RHS Flower Show Tatton Park on 19 July, and a design consultation with Jason Williams - a former exhibitor at RHS Tatton Park and RHS Chelsea Flower Show - who will share his expert tips and ideas on how they can transform their ginnel, and win £1,000 in vouchers to spend on plants and materials needed to bring the vision to life.
“This ginnel garden competition is about bringing people together,” Jason said. “I hope that I can give the winner the tools to create the garden and to keep it going throughout the year. We will be on hand to help with the technical side of things, I think it is really beneficial to anybody who applies.”
Entrants will be judged by Jason, the RHS's Tatton Show manager Lex Falleyn and Manchester Evening News Editor Sarah Lester. They will also be visited regularly as the ginnel progresses and residents take pride in the upkeep of their garden.
Helena Pettit, Director of Gardens and Shows, said: “We are really thrilled to be partnering with Manchester Evening News on this exciting community gardening competition.
“Plants and gardens enrich lives and bring people together. We are delighted that individuals and community groups across the North West have come together and created fantastic ginnel gardens, transforming these often unwelcome, grey spaces into green pockets full of plants.
“There are still hundreds of ginnels that remain unloved and through this competition and the Ginnel Garden at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, we hope to inspire more people to bring their ginnels to life through the power of plants and flowers.
“We really look forward to hearing from individuals, community groups or households from across the region on how they plan to transform their ginnel into a green sanctuary.”
To enter, simply contact the email below with your full name, a photograph of the space you want to transform, and up to 500 words/and or a two-minute film on the plans for the ginnel, why you believe you should win, and how you plan to maintain it.
The competition closes midday on 23 June 2023, and winners will be notified after the closing date.
Contact us for a chance to win: mencomps@trinitymirror.com
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
