“Coming here has made the children feel better and safer” – Emma’s Story

Background

Emma moved to West Gorton a few years ago. She’s always loved the area but felt that more things should be taking place for children and families.

In 2020, thanks to the Grow Green project, West Gorton Community Park opened, providing the space Emma had always hoped for.

Creating the Friends group

Groundwork engaged the community in the project from the start, understanding their desires and ensuring they were met. Following the parks completion, Groundwork continued working in the area. Soon after, a ‘Friends of West Gorton Community Park’ group was established.

Groundwork’s Community Project Lead Lydia, met Emma at an event and knew she would be a great volunteer:

“I first met Emma at an after school event I was supporting at the park, she would always come along to chat and let her children join in with any of the activities we were hosting. She always wanted to know what was going in the local area and with our work, and has always shared her thoughts on the area and what could maybe be improved upon. Since Emma has been chair of the Friends of Group, they have held a series of super successful events in the park, bringing people together from the wider community.”

Creating a strong community

Emma feels very strongly about creating an environment where people can get together and enjoy their new park space. She commented,

“When I got voted on by the committee to be Chair of the park there were no events running or anything, but now there are and we’re very busy. We hosted one event and we had 185 families turn up!”

The group of 3 volunteers host a range of activities, from general playschemes to making things out of recycled materials.

Emma also shares how the greenspace and Friends Of group has helped with her personal wellbeing.

“Communities need to get together for the community, for children, for elderly, for mental health. My physical and mental health has gotten better, I was on tablets before we started the park and now I’m not on anything”

A safe space to connect

Many families around West Gorton have children with learning difficulties. Emma believes that the park is a fantastic safe haven for them and their families.

“My children have got social communication difficulties, and there’s a lot of parents who have children with additional needs and they’ve said that them coming here has made the children feel better and safer”

The Friends Of group aims to grow their volunteers so they can cater for more members of the community.

If you’d like to dedicate some time to helping the group in West Gorton, visit their Facebook group.

Find out more about West Gorton Community Park: