The wonders of Instagram enabled me to find a little know gardening club in the backstreets of Northern Quarter in Manchester City centre. With so NIF and GM Environmental funding, they have transformed so of the local spaces from fly tipping hotspots into green and pleasant lands.

Today was their semi-regular volunteering session to plant some more shrubs, clear away weeds, and pick up litter that often forms a blight in the Northern Quarter.

Along with other newbies Mel and Sam, Juno and I met the regular crew to their surprise (I think they rarely get many volunteers for these things...) so we got lots done in a short amount of time.

After swapping details and saying goodgyes, we ran back the way we came (5-6 km each way) to get a cup of tea and to wash away the mud and dirt.

Keep an eye out for future sessions with Smithfield Garden Club (NQ).