Sixty students from across Greater Manchester hope to make a ‘radical’ difference for Tameside’s homeless community this weekend by cleaning up a communal garden in Ashton-Under-Lyne.
From schools in Tameside, Stockport, Oldham, and South Manchester, the year 11 students will take to Hampson Road garden in Hazelwood, Ashton-Under-Lyne tomorrow, landscaping the space and working with a particularly vulnerable section of society.
This event is taking place with other community clean ups on Hadfield Crescent, Leech Avenue, and Palace Road in Ashton-Under-Lyne, all of which are part of the National Citizen Service provided by The Challenge Network.
Executive director of neighbourhoods at New Charter, Tony Powell, said: “It’s really important to engage young people in our communities and neighbourhoods and this is a great way to do so.
“We’re delighted to work with a national charity and look forward to seeing the results of such great work.”
With landscaping and planting by the students it is hoped that the area will become radically different to the homeless and vulnerable people living in the Hampson Road supported housing scheme run by Threshold.
The UK’s leading charity encouraging a more integrated society, The Challenge Network are proud of this project and other schemes like it, according to Craig Morley, their chief executive.
He said: “As UK communities become increasingly diverse, there is a very real danger they actually become more segregated. The National Citizen Service programme that The Challenge Network provides helps bring together people of all ages, ethnicities and income backgrounds to inspire and strengthen their communities.
“Through NCS, over a 1,000 young people from Manchester have broken these divides by engaging with the local community on projects like these.”
Picture courtesy of Deadly Sirius, with thanks.
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