Ey Up - Wigan West Community News

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Welcome to the First Edition of

Ey Up - It’s Wigan West Community News This newsletter is brought to you by Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity, a mutual aid group that grew out of the pandemic with the aim of connecting the community and making this a great place to live, work and play.

Contents 2 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Welcome to Ey Up - It’s Wigan West Community News More About Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity Social Spaces All Over The Place The Story So Far Diggle Street Development bid Annual Springfield Dog Show Community Awards What’s On Now Feature: Community Bikes 2 Party Invitations Community Play Womens Spaces 10 Good Reasons to Become a Member Today!

Feature: Give it a Grow Wigan Growing a Powerful Community and Local Democracy Stay in Touch Useful Phone Numbers

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GILL

ANGELA

At the beginning of the pandemic, when we all had to stay home, local neighbours created a Facebook group and, through it, connected lots of streets so that neighbours could help each other out.

We also have a website; you can find details about it in the useful contacts section. You can become a member and receive updates that way.

We now have over 2700 members on the Facebook group, and it’s very active and community minded; you’d be very welcome to join if you’re not already a member.

We know that not everyone wants to use Facebook or the internet, so we decided to send a magazine to every household in the ward of Wigan West so that everyone knows what’s been happening in this community and know how they can get involved if they want to.

If you don’t use the internet, you’ll find details about places that you can go to or contact numbers you can use to keep up to date.

VICTORIA

This magazine has been made possible due to financial support from Awards for All, Northern Heart and Soul CiC, a local business that wants to see this neighbourhood grow, and one of our local Cllrs, Phyll Cullen and the Brighter Boroughs Fund.

This edition has been brought to you by Gill, Angela and Victoria

If you’d like to write an article or share a story in future editions, do get in touch

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More About Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity is an unincorporated organisation with a constitution (a set of rules about how we operate and manage any funds).

Initially, five women formed the group at the start of the pandemic Emma, Amanda, Sandra, Gill and Angela.

Membership grew at the first annual general meeting that was held in November 2021, and more people joined.

It's time for us to have another annual general meeting and to invite new people to get involved, and to say goodbye to people who are moving on to do other things.

Get involved We want as many people as possible to get involved in lots of different ways.

We know that most people prefer parties to meetings, and so we are holding a community party on the 13th May at St Anne’s Community Centre from 12 noon to 3pm.

We'll share some results from the survey and interviews we carried out, asking people what it’s like living round here.

People who responded said there is more community spirit now than before the pandemic.

As well as survey results, there’ll be more information about the group - who is part of it, how decisions are made, how we raise and spend money and ways in which you can get involved.

If you have access to the internet, you can find out more about the group at sbhcommunity.co.uk You can also join the Facebook group. It’s called Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity.

AFTERNOON TEA

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Social Spaces All Over The Place Having a chat with neighbours and doing things that we enjoy in the company of others is one way of keeping us happier and healthier.

There are a few places in the community where you can have a brew, a laugh and a bit of company.

Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity hosts two social spaces.

Wellfield Hotel One is in the function room at the Wellfield Hotel, Wellfield Rd, on Thursday mornings, from 9am–12 noon.

The other is in the function room of the Hen Hole (Bird Ith Hand) on Gidlow Lane on Monday afternoons from 1pm–3pm.

There’s tea and coffee available, and you can pop in and out.

These social spaces have been going for over a year so that people can get together and do things they enjoy or just have a natter.

Vicky started to attend the social at the Wellfield Hotel, when it opened. She’s a community nurse, who was off work at the time.

She said, ‘I talked myself out of going a good few times; I said I was going to go and then didn’t.

In the end, I decided to take the leap and go and have a cup of tea. I thought I could make excuses if I needed to get away. I never left!

Now I’m back at work. I love it when my day off is Thursday, and I can come, and when I’m at work, I’m wondering what everyone is up to.’

VICKY

Vicky said she usually goes to groups that are connected to things she loves doing, like sewing, but that this is different.

"Here, it’s more about life experience and we’re all offering each other support without actually realising that we are doing it. Recipes, trouble at school advice and support. Everyone is so different and we’re all the same - everyone is just trying to get through life the best they can.

There’s a whole mix of people, young mums, older people and why we might not have had anything in common in the first place, we now have each other."

WELLFIELD HOTEL

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Hen Hole The group at the Hen Hole are mainly men. One of the men shared his experience of going along. He said,

“I always feel better when I get back to my flat after I’ve been here. You feel better, and you’re not quite sure why you feel better. No matter what the conversation has been, I’ve always felt better when I’ve got back to my flat. That feeling always lasts.

You’re not quite as stressed.”

HEN HOLE ST ANNE’S

Warm Spaces

ST ANDREW’S

Recently, we’ve seen a number of warm spaces open up across the community. These are social spaces that have been created to help with the cost of living crisis.

St Anne’s Community Centre holds a warm space on Monday mornings from 10am, and there are plans to have a weekly food pantry there too.

You can pop into Bookcycle whenever it’s open for a warm, books and a brew, and on Thursdays at 1pm, Liz and friends host a brew and a natter.

There’s also a warm space at St Andrew’s Parish Centre on Wednesdays between 12-2.30pm

BOOK-CYCLE BEECH HILL

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The Story So Far MARCH 2020 Lockdown was imminent, and we started to connect streets. Inviting neighbours to come together as they might need each other.

NOVEMBER 2021 We became a Co-op cause for garden furniture at St Anne’s garden. Together, through spending at the local Coop, we raised £1400 over the year.

MAY 2020 Online events, coffee mornings, mindfulness and discovering the skills we have in the community. Exploring what we have to share and what we are passionate about.

JULY 2020 Chairs in the community. We sat outside Beech Hill Post Office , saying hello to people, asking how they were, and, wondering what they might like to do together now we were able to meet up in larger groups.

AUGUST 2020 Bringing St Annes Community Garden back to life and raising funds together to buy bulbs and equipment.

They were planted as bulbs of rememberence and hope in November.

NOVEMBER 2020 After learning that people were passionate about food waste and food poverty, we brought people together and opened a food pantry in the Scout Hut.

DECEMBER 2021 We hosted a Christmas meal at St Andrews community centre, supported

by Brighter Boroughs and Care Choice North West.

FOOD PANTRY MARCH 2021 We secured some money from Awards for All and hosted International Womens Day celebrations online. 1019 people joined in activities provided by local people, including Zumba, street dance, singing, poetry, pancake making, bee-friendly gardens and beauty treatments.

JULY 2021 We hosted a garden party at St Anne’s to see the flowers bloom that we’d planted in the winter and to taste some of James’ delicious cakes.

CHRISTMAS MEAL MARCH 2022 We started the monthly women and young girls food share to celebrate international women’s day. This has become a monthly tradition.

It was open on a Monday afternoon throughout the pandemic and closed when the shops reopened, and people returned to work.

APRIL 2022 Give it a Grow Wigan started monthly gardening sessions at St Anne’s community garden. They meet on the last Sunday of the month from 12 noon and every other Tues morning.

It was like a community centre, a place where people had human contact during the pandemic.

GARDEN PARTY AUGUST 2021 The first community dog show. A way of celebrating and doing something positive about dog poo in the area.

APRIL 2022 Biscuit and a brew started at the Hen Hole, on Mondays from 1-3pm.

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MAY 2022 Well Good Socials started at the Wellfield Hotel on Thursdays from 9-12. It’s now called the Coffee Morning.

FEBRUARY 2022 Two play days were hosted. One by St Andrews at St Andrew’s Parish Centre and one by community members at St Anne’s Community Centre.

JUNE 2022 With some support from Awards for All, we hosted a jubilee party at Diggle St Park.

Over the two days, 111 children and their parents, carers, grandparents or grandads had a great time. Thanks to the Holiday Activities Fund, everything was free, and lunch was provided too. Over £50 was placed in donations boxes which will contribute to the May days.

Springfield Dog Show title.

JUBILEE PARTY AUGUST 2022 We started community play. We felt that it was important that children and families had the opportunity to play together locally, especially after being inside and apart so much during the pandemic. It’s also important to have free or low cost activities.

SEPTEMBER 2022 The inaugural community awards event was hosted at Wigan Cricket Club. It was an amazing evening.

FEBRUARY 2022 We received a load of cash support from our local Cllr, Phyll Cullen, to help us carry on partying and growing together.

NOVEMBER 2022 Our first event was where local people could pitch their ideas and, if the audience voted for them, get some cash to make them happen.

Money was contributed to the community party, dog poo bags, mulch for the garden, an entertainer for afternoon tea, set up costs for Family Craft Club and a whopping £6000 towards levelling the land at Diggle St Park to make it a more open and safer space.

We called the first Cash and Chips as we ate chip barms from Gidlow Plaice together.

Family Craft Club on Tuesdays at St Anne’s and Afternoon Tea at the Wellfield started this month.

AUGUST 2022 Springfield Dog Show runs for its second year and now can earn the Annual

Diggle Street Development bid A neighbour, Victoria, noticed that although she has children and lives close, she rarely visits Diggle Street Park.

From 2021 - 2022 She started asking questions and learning other people’s perceptions of the park. Working with Springfield Beech Hill Gidlow group, we discovered a deeper issue with anti-social behaviour.

As we kept looking, we realised a lot of this is to do with the park design itself. There is no

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proper seating, so people sit on equipment - which is offputting for people who want to use it, and the hills also make hiding spots, and it's poorly maintained.

There are no flowers, no shelter from the sun etc. The park needs some improvement and has loads of potential to be a wonderful community space.

We found a large fund to apply for the money and have been chatting all around the neighbourhood to get ideas of

what people would like to see.

We put together a new plan, including seating, a chess table, an orchard, trees and new flower beds, and gathered quotes from local contractors to do the work.

Unfortunately, we just found out our first bid was unsuccessful, but we’re not giving up and will apply again in April. This is to be continued!

Annual Springfield Dog Show Turning Poo into Community Action

So we thought, let’s have a dog show and do something positive about poo.

This year will mark the 3rd Annual Springfield Dog Show. It started in August 2021, just as we were coming out of the lockdowns and were able to spend time again in each other’s company.

The money raised from the show is used to fund dog poo dispensers and poo bags.

The idea for the dog show grew out of frustration about the amount of dog poo in the community.

The dog show has become a real community minded affair. John Lenagan, Springfield Dog Walker did much of the organising

This year, Cllr Phyll Cullen had contributed some of the Brighter Boroughs to the upkeep.

We have five dotted about Springfield and funds to provide two more in the Beech Hill area. she handled Bella and one of the firm favourites, Catch the Sausage was won by Barney.

This year’s dog show will take place on 26th July from 6pm on Gidlow Field/Buckley Street West. Watch out for posts on Facebook or posters in shops and / or community noticeboards to enter your darling doggies.

ISLA Lots of community members were complaining on Facebook that dog owners were not picking up after their dogs.

At the same time, a couple of members of the group were sitting in the parks talking with people about things that mattered to them and realised just how many people really love their dogs.

last year, seeking sponsorship and raffle prizes from local businesses.

He was supported by an active group of dog lovers. All awards were sponsored by local businesses and it really was a lovely evening.

Fifteen-week-old Boo accompanied by Nicole won Cutest Puppy and Best in Show.

Child Handler, aged under 8 was won by Isla for the way

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Community Awards

JOHN

RACHEL

PAULINE

LISA, RYAN, SAM

IRENE

MERVYN

PHYLL

AILEEN

In September 2022, we hosted the first Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow Community Awards. Nominations opened in July, and community members were asked to nominate neighbours who go that extra mile to support and care for people or the community.

pandemic. Old and wise and young and enthusiastic.

When nominations closed at the end of July, 75 people had been nominated, and they were all invited to an awards event at Wigan Cricket Club on the evening of the 8th of September.

Ryan received the most nominations for keeping people entertained by singing in his garden during the pandemic.

FLD provided the opening entertainment with talented young dancers.

It was such a heartwarming evening as we all listened to the reasons why people were nominated.

It was great to see people thanked for their contribution to community life. From care workers to lollypop ladies, gardeners to party organisers.

People who have been contributing for years and those who became active during the

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It was clearly visible that many people are doing great things in this community. Some community members received multiple nominations, showing just how much they are valued.

They included Sandra for all her work at St Andrew’s; and Susan, who couldn’t join us on the evening, for all her support to community members.

We all heard his amazing voice as he closed the awards event after receiving his trophy. A special contribution trophy was awarded to Cllr Cullen for all she has done over many years in this community.

ERIKA

FLD DANCERS

Solsona Films filmed the evening as a gift, and Lawrence Hoy provided sound equipment.

The opportunity to nominate opens again in July, and the awards event will happen in September, so keep a lookout for the dates!

SANDRA

What’s On Now A selection of some of the great events and acitivites we have going on in the area.

Regular Events TEA & TOAST Mondays 9:15am - 12pm St Anne's Community Centre Join us for tea and coffee, a slice of toast and chat. Everyone Welcome Free BINGO Mondays 1-3pm St Andrew's Parish Centre Come and join us. One book for £1 allows you to take part in 6 games. Free refreshments £1 KNIT & NATTER Mondays 1-3pm Book-cycle Beech Hill Come along and knit with our friendly group. 01942 829333 Free MAKE IT MINE Tuesdays 9am- 11am St Anne’s Community Centre A space for women to be hands on and creative using a range of materials (term time only) Free GARDENING TOGETHER Every other Tuesday from 4th April 9:45am & Last Sunday of the Month from 12pm St Anne’s Community Garden Beginner friendly gardening growing fruit and veg and flowers.

Free FAMILY CRAFT CLUB Tuesdays 3:30pm - 5:30pm St Anne’s Community Centre Fun crafts for the whole family and tea for the kids.

Donation

WOMENS FOOD SHARE Third Wednesday of the Month 7-9pm Book-cycle Beech Hill Free THE COFFEE MORNING Thursdays 9am - 12pm Wellfield Hotel Come and enjoy a brew, meet others, play some games, do some crafts and support each other. (term time) Free ACOUSTIC JAM DROP IN Thursdays 7-9pm Wellfield Hotel Bring an instrument to join in, or just come and sing alongside.

Free

ZUMBA Mondays 7:15 St Andrews's Parish Centre & Wednesdays at St Anne's Community Centre Zumba Fitness is the latin inspired, easy to follow, calorie burning dance fitness £4.50 YOGA WITH ALI Wednesdays 10:30-11:30am St Andrew's Parish Centre Gentle and relaxing exercise to enhance mobility, balance and concentration. £5

DOG SHOW

Celebrations and Parties EASTER FAMILY EVENT 5th April 12: 30-3pm Mesnes Park Bowling Green Easter themed family activites, organised by Start Well COMMUNITY PARTY 13th May 12 - 3pm St Anne’s Community Centre Live music, food and family activities, let's celebrate this fantastic community CORONATION PARTY IN THE PARK 6th May 12-3pm Diggle Street Park Come and celebrate the King's coronation with us.

THE MAYOR’S CORONATION PARTY IN THE PARK 8th May 11am - 4pm Mesnes Park ANNUAL DOG SHOW 26th July Gidlow Field, off Buckley Street West Join us for our 3rd dog show, with stalls, food and prizes. Fun for all.

SUMMER FAYRE 12th August - 12 - 4pm Book-cycle Beech Hill PUMPKIN CARVING Sat 28th Oct - 12-4 Book-cycle Beech Hill CHRISTMAS FAYRE Sat 2nd Dec - 12-4 Book-cycle Beech Hill

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Community Bikes Phil’s Story

Life before community was basically work, being away from home quite a bit, away from the family and travelling all across Europe. I worked as a mechanical engineer and then later as a supplier quality assurance manager for a large manufacturing company for over 45 years.

In March 2020, I took the opportunity to retire early to help manage a medical condition and to do the things I wanted to do. I always knew I wanted to do something to give back, either fostering or something community based.

I got in touch with Shared Lives at Wigan Council and started supporting a 55 year old nonverbal man with learning difficulties one day a week.

He’s now like an extended part of the family and gets involved in the bedlam that is my family. He also is interested in mechanical things, so we get on well, he’s got a wicked sense of humour, and we potter about together once a week.

I got involved initially with the community group because I have a VW transporter which is quite a useful tool.

My daughter was involved in setting up the pantry at Delph Street, and she asked if I could help pick up some food.

Somehow I ended up on a stall at the pantry, and things have just grown from there.

This all coincided with covid and people were struggling with either loneliness, fear or bereavement, so it was nice to get to know people.

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When the pantry closed last year, it was important that there was somewhere for the people who connected there to still have somewhere to go on Monday afternoons, so we spoke to the Hen Hole, and we’ve been meeting there on a Monday ever since, having a brew together and some cakes or biscuits that people bring.

Around April last year, the community group got a delivery from FSC at the recycling centre, which included some bikes, and I started to get them ready for riding. Changing the brake cables, oiling up the chain etc.

I contacted Simon at Gearing up at the Brick for some advice and discovered there’s a hierarchy of unused and unloved bikes. It frustrated the life out of me that all these bikes are just being thrown away.

I absolutely loved being on a bike when I was little, and I think all children should have access to a bike.

We live in a bit of a throwaway society now, and it seems a real shame to just discard, especially when they are really wellengineered and they could bring real pleasure to someone.

Lots of them have loads of life left in them and are just outgrown, getting rusty in gardens.

We’re now getting better products from this hierarchy which results in better bikes for our community.

If we can get them back to being used for donations, it’s much better than them being sent to China to become part of a washing machine.

It’s nice to see people in the community, and I’m getting a bit of a reputation now that I can fix bikes. To see them using them makes me smile. We have a service that can fix bikes and refurbish decent-quality bikes that have been outgrown.

The bikes that are from about 5 years upwards are probably the most suitable bikes to be refurbished and re-distributed around the community.

If people have the skills, space, and time to help out, that would be great because it can get overwhelming with the demand, help would be very welcome.

Contact Phil 07305 038456

2 Party Invitations The results of the community survey we did last year told us that we want to party more in this community.

So here’s two for you.

Coronation Party 12-3pm at Diggle St Park on Sunday 7th May Bring a picnic and a chair, or a blanket. Some seating will be available for people unable to carry a chair.

Community Party 12-3pm at St Anne's Community Centre on Saturday 13th May Bring a picnic and a chair, or a blanket. Some seating will be available for people unable to carry a chair.

There’ll be music, food and fun and an opportunity to find out more about the community group and who is involved.

There’ll be entertainment, singing and the bubble lady will be entertaining the children.

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Community Play Community led play grew out of conversations between mums in the Well Good coffee morning.

A mix of remembering their own childhood play and feeling that there wasn't much for kids to do around here. People were keen to bring some fun into the community for kids without it costing a fortune.

It was important, too that any activities were spread across the community.

Three areas were agreed - Beech Hill Park, Diggle Street Park (Margaret Street) and Fisher Field (it's not really called Fisher Field, but that's how most people refer to it).

Each week for four weeks, on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in August 2022, we took games and crafts to each area and invited people to join in. Families enjoyed bug hunts, played parachute games, tiedyed t-shirts, had a teddy bears picnic and finished the summer off with a mini festival in The Wellfield's garden.

Sandra led on Diggle Street, where Marcus came and offered some skills, Sam, Lisa, and Laura hosted Beech Hill park, and Angela and Gill went to Fisher Field.

Following on from these amazing days and keen to keep Community Play going a spooktacular Halloween party was held at St Anne's community centre in the October half term.

We've just about recovered from February's half term Community Play days at St Andrews Community Centre and St Anne's Community Centre.

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Junk box modelling, bubbles, bird feeders and butterflies were amongst the activities this time, and a whopping 111 children came, played and were fed during these two days. You can see from the pictures that we've had a lot of fun!

We're hoping to have two more days in May and some really exciting things coming for Summer this year, so keep an eye out for those details.

We'd really like to thank the amazing community members who have stepped up to help bring this to life for children in our community, and if it's something you, too think is important and can offer your time or skills, please get in touch.

A community that plays together, stays together.

Womens Spaces We have two dedicated spaces for women in the community. One meets at St Anne’s on Tuesday mornings, and the other is a monthly gathering on a

It’s a lovely mix of young and wise; babies are welcome, and brews and biscuits are on tap.

This space is welcome to any women in our community. No need to book or bring anything.

Just turn up with yourself.

Wednesday evening.

The women have a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other and share the event on the Facebook group.

It’s not clicky either, so new faces are always welcome.

If you’d like to come along, you’d be welcome to just come along and bring yourself. If you’re not on Facebook, you can call the number in useful contacts if you want to say hello first.

Make it Mine On Tuesdays, during term time, women meet at St Anne’s Community Centre from 9.3011.30 am and get hands-on as they turn bits of rubbish into things of joy.

Make it Mine is supported and hosted by Alice of Remade Wigan CIC. One of the first things we tackled was turning plastic bottles into flowers, some even going as far as to create beautiful wreaths.

Then, wooden boxes were transformed with decoupage and bits of flooring into Christmas tree decorations.

Some old mirrors have been sanded, painted and given a new lease of life, and a new bookcase is ready to be gifted to a local school. We’ll soon be working on painting a bench in baby loss colours for the memorial garden.

We had the pleasure of guest artist Gloria sharing the skills she learned growing up in Congo, and she taught us how to make rag dolls.

The best thing about this space, though, is the women who attend and the chatter and laughs as we try our hand at new things, some successfully, some not so much!

“I love coming here. It’s our space. It’s something for us.

On food share nights, I don’t have to think about what I’m cooking for tea. So it gives us space not to have to think.”

FOOD SHARE MAKE IT MINE

Women and Young Girls Food Share Once a month, usually on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, we meet at Bookcycle from 7-9pm and try each other’s food.

We usually work out a menu beforehand.

Some people cook, others buy something, and we all take turns in being looked after, just showing up and being fed by others. The food share is a year old and started on International Womens Day 2022.

The chat and the food make sure that we go home with full tummies and full hearts.

One of the women who regularly attends says

What About Men? We’d love to see more spaces for men in the community, so if anyone thinks they’d like to get one going, then we might be able to help you get started.

Perhaps you have a love for or an interest in something and would like to find others who share a similar passion.

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10 Good Reasons to Become a Member Today!

1. You get to keep up to date with what’s going on in the area and know when events are happening 2. You can read good news stories about local people and local groups 3. You can join low or no cost groups and have a laugh and learn something new 4. You can meet new people 5. You can get involved in making this community the best it can be 6. You can make your voice and views heard 7. You can find other people who share common interests and passions and do stuff together 8. You can promote your local business and contribute to supporting local businesses 9. You can pitch for small amounts of cash to bring your street or community together or bring a little business idea to life 10. You can contribute to connecting the community which can only make it a safer and cleaner place to live in!

How to Join Become a member through the community website and receive updates Join the facebook group and become part of the online community Come along to any of the community group hosted events - Well Good Socials on Thursday mornings at the Wellfield Hotel; Biscuit and Brew at the Hen Hole on Monday afternoons.

Can't make those? Email or phone. All our contact details are on page 19

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Give it a Grow Wigan

Spotlight on a local social enterprise Give it a Grow Wigan formed in 2021 with the aim of bringing greater biodiversity to Wigan’s urban spaces. We were a little fed up with endless mowed grass, bare concrete and lack of flowers, and we soon found that quite a few folk agree!

Victoria lives and works in Springfield, so we work quite a lot around here. We garden every two weeks on a Tues morn from 9:45am at St Anne’s Community Garden and with the SBHG group on the last Sunday of the month.

You’ll often spot Victoria waving a litter picker around too. You’re welcome to join any session; we love meeting new people.

The garden is looking great; we previously created a mini wildflower meadow and wildlife pond.

Now we’re working on more of the space, and there are more flowers than ever, and fruit and veg are already well on their way for the year. It’s a lovely peaceful spot.

We have four members, Victoria, Ali, Michelle and Dawn, and 40 or more volunteers who have helped with various gardening projects.

Community is very much the focus of our work - we can’t do this job alone! We work with several community groups in Wigan.

Our projects are generally guided by whoever wants a hand, and we figure out how to help.

A few seasonal tips for your garden This is a busy time of year in the garden and a great time to plant summer bulbs.

ST ANNE'S COMMUNITY GARDEN Since Feb 2021, we’ve given out over 1000 packets of free wildflower seeds and 400 spring bulbs to residents groups, schools and more, to help encourage flowers for pollinators.

At home, there’s a lot you can do.

We want to help people to make better (often easier!) choices for wildlife and that you don’t need a big garden to make a difference.

Including peat-free soil, herbicide and pesticidefree options and flowers for pollinators and other wildlife.

We have a website with lots of information, where we write about many local issues, gardening and environmental topics.

We want to make it more accessible for those who may not have heard of it or are new to wildlife gardening. You can see more on the website: giveitagrowwigan.co.uk

Feed your plants with organic feed to give them a good boost.

If you need to mow the lawn, just do it once on the highest level.

Check for any creatures first.

Don’t be too keen to remove caterpillars. Birds, for example, blue tits love them, and they are nesting right now, so they’re vital for chicks.

Sow wildflower seeds. Look for UK Native, and Plants for Pollinators.

Feed hedgehogs. They love meaty cat or dog food if you leave out a little saucer and some water. This is a great time of year to help them out before the breeding season.

Avoid cutting your hedge. Birds will nest from now until about August, and we don’t want to disturb any nests.

Leave a few dandelions in your lawn. They are a great source of early food for pollinators.

If you want to weed, avoid spraying, wait until after it has rained and do it manually.

We share lovely pictures, tips, and ideas on our Facebook and Instagram pages; search ‘Give it a Grow Wigan.’

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Growing a Powerful Community and Local Democracy We vote for local councillors to represent us and to act as the bridge between the people and the Local Council.

That does not mean we sit back and let them do everything for us; that would give our power away. This community is definitely growing its own power and acting together.

Protecting local buildings This year we've seen concerned residents come together to make sure that the Wellfield Hotel is back on the asset of the community value list. This means that the current owners cannot change the use of the building from a pub.

Raising Money and Showing Solidarity During the pandemic, through the Facebook community, we offered no-strings cash gifts of up to £50 for people and families struggling in the run up to Christmas.

The local community donated into a pot, raising £850 together.

We noticed that those who received cash gifts tended to donate items they no longer needed to others in the Facebook group, or they helped at some of the community activities or in the food pantry.

Some repaid the cash too, when back on their feet and put it back in the pot for other people to use.

What ripples out when you offer kindness and trust in others is amazing.

If you remember, there was an attempt to convert the pubs into flats.

We noticed that sharing, giving, and lending went up enormously on the Facebook group when we started offering kindness to each other.

It also means that if current owners decide to sell it, the local community has the first option to purchase. Perhaps we should start saving for a rainy day?

Together we held a crowd funder and raised over £300 to plant bulbs of remembrance and hope at St Anne's Community garden.

We've also seen parents who are passionate about children's play and dissatisfied with what's available in the holidays come together and take action to do something about it. You can read more about that at on the Community Play page.

As the lockdowns got tougher and we hadn't been able to grieve together for the family and community members we had lost, we decided we should mark it in some way.

We organised a planting weekend to plant bulbs to remember those we had lost and bulbs of hope.

We hoped that in the Spring time, we might be able to come together again for a garden party.

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BULBS AT ST ANNE'S

There's more community organising going on at St Anne's.

A group of people from across the community are working to create a memorial space in the garden for babies we have lost.

And the community has raised cash, through Coop support, for a covered seating area.

A local community elder sparked this idea. We met her walking the streets during the pandemic, getting her daily exercise. She lost her son some time ago and said she'd love to have somewhere to sit and remember him.

We love how people from all across the community are getting involved. It's good to see.

You don't have to go to St Anne's Church to get involved.

Cash and Chips and Pounds and Pies Northern Heart and Soul CiC (a local community business) managed to get hold of some cash so we could begin deciding together how best to spend money in the local community— putting cash into the hands of the community without lots of strings or time consuming funding applications.

Make your Vote Count This year is an all out election, which means you'll get three votes instead of one at the local election.

Usually, each of the councillors is reelected every three years, but not this year.

CASH AND CHIPS

This is because they've changed the boundaries, so everyone must stand. It's also the first time we've had to take ID to vote, so be sure to check you have what you need.

Community members came up with a good few ideas, which they presented at Cash and Chips Night at the Wellfield Hotel on 8th November last year.

We've organised a hustings this year so that you can come and have a brew and maybe a butty with the people who are putting themselves forward to represent us.

Ideas included more benches so people could take a breath; community defibrillators; a memorial garden for babies we lost, recycling bicycles, and more dog poo bag dispensers.

It's at St Anne's Community Centre on Wednesday 25th April between 5-6.30pm. We know the 3 Labour Councillors who are standing - Phyll Cullen, Sheila Ramsdale and David Wood.

In the evening, people presented their ideas to the chip eating audience (thanks to Gidlow Plaice) and decided if they wanted to fund the idea. The audience voted unanimously that they supported all the ideas.

We don't know yet who is standing for the other political parties. Once we do, we'll invite them to come along.

Audience members granted Phil the £200 he pitched for to grow his bike idea and allocated £400 so that two streets on Beech Hill estate can apply for dog poo bag dispensers and a year's supply of bags. bags. The audience thought the rest of the ideas needed a bit more work before starting.

Stay in Touch We hope you've enjoyed this first edition of Ey Up! There are are a number of ways that you can keep in touch.

Join the Facebook Group Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity Join the community association through the website sbhcommunity.co.uk Keep an eye on the community notice boards for events.

Email us at sbhg.community@gmail. com Text or phone 07845 872379

This will be a chance for you to ask questions, see what their position is on matters that are important to you, and seek commitments for what you'd like to see happen if elected.

It's okay to just come along, and it would also be good to know if you're coming so we bring enough t bags!

There'll be a Facebook event and you can ring the number on this page or send us an email.

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Useful Phone Numbers Life is tough for many right now. Here’s some numbers and organisations that it’s useful to have the numbers of in case you ever need them. If you’re not sure what to do you can always ask a neighbour or contact the community group first for a bit of moral support.

CITIZENS ADVICE WIGAN Tel: 01942 709 709 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) For Universal Credit support: 0800 144 8444

Venue Contact Details

WELFARE SUPPORT Tel: 01942 705 221 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) Apply online: gmpa.link/

ST ANNE'S COMMUNITY CENTRE 152 Beech Hill Avenue, Wigan WN6 7TA 01942 825183

WIGAN WELFARE RIGHTS Tel: 01942 705 221 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm)

ST ANDREW'S PARISH CENTRE 120 Woodhouse Lane, Wigan WN6 7LZ

WelfareSupport

wigan.gov.uk/ localwelfaresupport

AWARM Apply online: gmpa.link/

AWARM

Tel: 01942 404 261 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) SUPPORT FOR WIGAN ARRIVALS PROJECT Tel: 01942 516 572 (Mon to Thu, 10am to 4.30pm)

www.swapwigan.org

AGE 50+ SUPPORT Age UK Wigan Borough 01942 615 880 DOMESTIC ABUSE Wigan Borough Domestic Abuse Service 01942 311 365 DRUG AND ALCOHOL We are With You charity 01942 827 979 GAMBLING Beacon Counselling Trust 0151 226 0696 MENTAL HEALTH Mental Health Crisis Line 0800 953 0285 (Open 24h) Think Wellbeing 01942 764 449

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BOOK-CYCLE BEECH HILL Buckley St West, Wigan WN6 7PQ 01942 747750 BIRD ITH HAND 100-102 Gidlow Lane, Wigan WN6 7DY 01942 230161 WELLFIELD HOTEL 75 Wellfield Road, Wigan WN6 8NQ 01942 539511