Green spaces on our doorstep have been crucial for our mental and physical wellbeing, especially over the past year. The Grow Wildflowers at Home project is an opportunity for local people and communities to give back to the Croal-Irwell Valley and its nature networks. 

The project is free to join, with no experience necessary, and suitable for all ages. For eight weeks, volunteers receive a friendly weekly newsletter with related videos, wildflower advice and activities. Everyone involved will be invited to join planting days organised in the autumn, so they can see their beautiful blooms returned to The Kingfisher Trail.

Everyone should get the opportunity to experience the joy of wildlife in their own lives. In response to the barriers many people face to volunteer, Lancashire Wildlife Trust is particularly keen to encourage local people who haven't volunteered before or would usually not volunteer outdoors every week. Growing wildflowers from seed can happen in any household, on your windowsill, balcony or garden, in a flat, bungalow or terraced house.

The project is part of Lancashire Wildlife Trusts long-term plans to restore native woodland habitats and create nature networks along the Trail with a dedicated outdoor wildflower volunteer group is currently working along The Kingfisher Trail.

The Kingfisher Trail is living proof of nature bouncing back and now supports a fantastic array of rare and protected species, despite being in the heart of urban life. A huge effort was put in during the 1970s to plant new woodland throughout the valley, but this lacks much of the understory found in long established woodland. We hope to restore our woodlands and continue the efforts that started 50 years ago through growing and planting wildflowers.

The project is part of a program of projects around Greater Manchester that will establish a network for nature, funded through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and managed by the Greater Manchester Environment Fund.