Not a Lot of Grot

A former grot spot in Worsley Mesnes is today cleaner and greener thanks to a local community group and Wigan Council.

When the council’s People & Places team launched its ‘Change it!’ competition to improve the local environment for everyone, entries came in from groups across the borough. They were judged by an independent panel according to need, innovation, community involvement and a commitment to the long term sustainability of the project.

The winning group was Worsley Mesnes South Community Group. The group identified an area of land at the corner of Snowden Avenue and Browning Avenue where youths congregated and made elderly residents feel unsafe. As a result of winning the competition, the overgrown site benefited from £2,000 worth of landscaping improvements.

Funding came partly from Wigan Council’s Engineering Services and Planning and Development Departments, with sponsorship from Wigan ASDA and Foxfield Rover helping to pay for fences and tree thinning.

Nick Burdekin, People and Places Programme manager, said:

“The scheme in Snowden Avenue has certainly made a big difference to the street scene and local residents feel safer for it. Congratulations to Worsley Mesnes South Community Group!”

Les Berry, Manager at Foxfield Rover, added:

“We wanted to get involved in this competition to demonstrate our commitment to helping the local community. There is no doubt that the area has benefited significantly from this work.”

And Bev Crossland, ASDA’s development officer, said:

“ASDA has a good track record of supporting local initiatives. The ‘Change it!’ competition was an excellent way for us to get involved directly. The elderly people living near by feel a lot safer now that the area has been thinned of vegetation so it has been a success.”

Note to editors

More information: Nick Burdekin 01942 404390.