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Join our challenge to Make Tomorrow Different

Welcome to our autumn newsletterThis time of year often sees the start of a number of new projects andinitiatives at Groundwork Leeds and - judging by the number of skills andtraining opportunities featured on the back page - this year appears to be nodifferent.

What may appear different however is the way we’re linking up much morestrongly with our colleagues across the Groundwork federation to tacklejoint objectives so that collectively we can make a bigger impact acrossEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This doesn’t mean we will be losing ourlocal focus - far from it – but you may notice us marketing our services more and publicising our work alongside national Groundwork initiatives. This newsletter highlights our commitment to improve green spaces and we hope you will join us to help Make Tomorrow Different by spreading the word about our projects to the local communities you work with.

GROUNDWORK has set itself the challenge of creating or improving 1000 green spaces across the UK by 2015 - and we need your help!

We believe green spaces matter to everyone, providing somewhere for communities to come together, helping people stay fitter and healthier - both physically and mentally - not to mention their contribution towards mitigating the effects of climate change.

Many of you are already helping us achieve our goal through work we’re carrying out together in local communities in Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees, but there are also a number of simpler and smaller things we can all be doing to Make Tomorrow Different - some of which are outlined below.

Find out more about the Make Tomorrow Different campaign at: www.groundwork.org.uk/maketomorrowdifferent

Get involved!

Lend us your voice and spread the wordShare our posts from Twitter (@GroundworkLeeds) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/GroundworkLeeds) #MTD

Complete our green space survey www.surveymonkey.com/s/GWK_MTD - and ask your colleagues, friends and family to do the same

DonateText RRMM25 £10 to 70070, or visit: www.justgiving.com/GroundworkUK

Adrian CurtisExecutive Director

Making tomorrow different at Cross Flatts Park

www.groundwork.org.ukleeds

GROUNDWORK staff, volunteers, and beneficiaires descended on Cross Flatts Park on Yorkshire Day (1st August) for our annual activity day.

This year’s GLAD (Groundwork Leeds Activity Day) bore extra significance as it was held during Love Parks Week, and coincided with the launch of Groundwork’s national Make Tomorrow Different campaign which aims to engage more people with their local green spaces. Teams took on weeding, tree suckering, pathway improvements, painting, and overhauled the park’s orchards. Meanwhile, the ‘activities team’ encouraged people to enjoy and explore the park by taking part in mini sports events, giant board games and geocaching.

The public were invited to take part in a community picnic to celebrate Love Parks Week, with a special Yorkshire-themed hamper up for grabs for completing our park survey.

The hamper was won by Anja Laeuschner who loves using the park as an escape from the built up areas surrounding it, while her two children enjoy the play areas, especially three year old Faris who loves ‘his yellow swing’! (Photo bottom left)

During Love Parks Week we met one young person who uses the local park every day to walk their pet rabbit as they don’t have a garden or yard at home, and three year old Faris who loves ‘his yellow swing’ in the local play area.

Love your local park or green space?

Tell us more by completing the survey at:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/GWK_MTD

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GROUNDWORK is the community charity with a GREEN heart, working to:

Improve people’s prospectsPromote greener living and workingCreate better places

•••

Yes, your friendly neighbourhood environmental charity has been hard at work in Leeds for a whole 25 years! To mark the occasion we’re looking back at a range of projects from the last quarter of a century in a special online retrospective. Amongst other things, you can find out how we began, plus see the incredible transformation of the old Rothwell Collieries into Rothwell Country Park. More past projects will be added throughout the year.

Visit: www.groundworkleeds25.org.uk

Skills and learning opportunities for all ages

Name:Ellie Branch-Evans

Role:Environmental Youth Officer

How do you take your tea?I love tea! I like my tea strong - just a drop of milk.

Best thing about your job:The people and variety or work - one day it might be Men in Sheds and the next down at the allotments.

GROUNDWORK Leeds operates across Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees and works on hundreds of local projects each year. We focus our activity on disadvantaged communities where we can make most difference.

Groundwork Leeds, Environment & Business Centre, Merlyn-Rees Avenue, Morley, LS27 9SL

Tel - 0113 238 0601 www.groundwork.org.uk/leeds @GroundworkLeeds

Men in Sheds LeedsMen, over 55s, LeedsA dedicated and fully equipped woodworking space for older men who may be socially isolated or are just looking for something practical to do in their retirement. The shed is a space to make and mend, share skills and knowledge, or just to have a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Based at Barkston House in Holbeck on Mondays and Thursdays.

Green for GoOver 18s, Leeds (Beeston and Osmondthorpe) Huddersfield and DewsburyGreen for Go is for unemployed adults interested in learning more about gardening and food growing, or improving their general health and wellbeing by spending time outdoors. (The Kirklees provision is specifically for people with learning and physical disabilities).

Study Programme: Woodland Management16-18s, LeedsA course for practically-minded 16-18 year olds who have left school with few or no qualifications and want to gain hands-on experience and skills with a view to moving on to work or further training in woodland management, horticulture or gardening.

Study Programme:Creative Media16-18s, LeedsA course for creatively-minded 16-18 year olds who have left school with few or no qualifications. Modules include photography, artwork and imaging software, and mixed media in 2D. Students also help run their own enterprise project. This is a great stepping stone to further study and a career in the creative industries.

VolunteeringAll ages, all areasWe provide volunteering opportunities for anyone wanting to do something for a few hours a week, to year-long university placements. Current volunteers include landscape architects, youth mentors, environmental business advisors, community assistants, administrators and graphic designers. All details can be found on our website under Jobs & Volunteering.

Can you help us promote these opportunities?Do you work with groups or clients who could take advantage of any of our free training opportunities? Much of our provision is aimed at the unemployed and people in receipt of benefits.

Please contact us for copies of leaflets and posters, or look at the events section of our website for details to pass on to anyone you think might be interested.

0113 238 0601 / leeds@groundwork.org.ukwww.groundwork.org.uk/leeds