Droylsden peace garden

Enva’s wood recycling facility in Manchester supported an innovative and diverse community project in the heart of the Droylsden, Tameside.

The peace garden project is a public space which aims to provide horticulture opportunities for refugees, asylum seekers, ex-offenders, and other members of the local community.

Enva’s has donated 5 tonnes of wood chip and waste wood. The wood chip has been used as walkways and in flower beds whilst the residents have made benches and planting boxes out of recycled pallets and scaffold board.

Speaking to David Mills, Droylsden town councillor: “We’ve been supporting the residents by funding the project and contacting local businesses for donations. On behalf of the councillors and the residents’ group, we would like to thank Enva for their donations and support.”

Along with Enva’s donation of waste wood to the garden project we have also provided the residents with a voucher to a local garden centre to provide flowers to add some colour to the garden and to the lives of the residents involved in the project.

The project was created by a sheltered housing resident who saw that an area of land behind where they lived was being used as a dumping ground for car thieves, bonfires and a loitering spot for gangs. As a result, residents began to tidy up and garden the plot of land to prevent these things from happening.

As more residents joined the garden project, they found that the space started to become a safe environment which brought together people from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. The group continue to work together to advance their social and emotional wellbeing, promote cultural cohesion, combat social isolation and help with preparation for integration back into society.