Transforming Wythenshawe: A New Community Green Space Takes Root Through Partnership and Purpose
More than 30 volunteers, local residents, and community partners came together in Wythenshawe, Manchester to celebrate the opening of a brand-new green space at The Message headquarters, a once-barren patch of industrial land now transformed into a thriving community garden.
The project, led by Morgan Sindall Construction in partnership with The Message Trust and Groundwork UK, forms part of the company’s Project Carbon Award, a Responsible Business initiative launched to improve access to nature, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen community wellbeing across the regions we work in.
About the Project
Morgan Sindall have partnered with The Message in Wythenshawe to leave a long-term legacy in the local community by enhancing biodiversity, increasing access to green space, and creating positive social impact.
This initiative is delivered through our Project Carbon Award, launched in 2023 as part of our Responsible Business Strategy, an award that initially invested £10,000 across 14 community projects nationwide. to create meaningful local biodiversity improvements.
To ensure the project delivered lasting impact, we partnered with Groundwork UK — a national charity specialising in community-led environmental action, transforming underused land into spaces that help people and places thrive.
The resulting space now forms a green oasis at the heart of an industrial area, designed for local people to meet, grow food, connect with nature, and enjoy a sense of calm in the middle of a busy estate.
What Our Partners Said
Steve Gregory, Area Director, Morgan Sindall Construction North West, said:
As Area Director for the North West, this project means a great deal to me — not just because of the green space we’ve created, but because of the impact it will have on the local community.
Working alongside The Message Trust and Groundwork UK, our team has transformed an unused patch of land into a community garden where people can meet, grow their own food, and build new connections. Groundwork’s expertise in delivering community-led environmental projects has been invaluable throughout this process.
Volunteering has also boosted wellbeing and teamwork within our staff. Our teams worked across several days, in all weather, and have all said how rewarding it’s been to get hands-on and support something so meaningful.
With more projects like this planned across the region, we’re proud to keep making a difference across the North West.”
About The Message Trust
The Message Trust is now a global charity that started here in Manchester over 30 years ago,” explained Andrew Donegan, Business Partnerships Lead.
Our aim is to support the lost, the last, and the least — people who are broken or on the margins of society.
The idea for this garden actually started very simply. One day, I’d made some sandwiches and went outside looking for somewhere peaceful to sit. But on an industrial estate like ours, surrounded by concrete and factories, there was nowhere green, nowhere to take a break, eat lunch, or just breathe for a moment. That’s what first sparked the thought: what if this wasteland could become something beautiful?
Groundwork encouraged us to submit a funding bid, and that’s what eventually led to Morgan Sindall joining the journey and helping turn this idea into reality.”
He added,
This new green space will be a complete blessing to the community; somewhere people can meet, grow their own food, and build friendships.”
Creating a Space the Community Deserves
Over the last year, volunteers worked through all conditions, cold, frost, rain, and sunshine, to shape the garden, build new seating and furniture, and prepare planting beds.
Community members have already begun using the garden during their lunch breaks, showing how meaningful this new space already is.
One volunteer shared:
Not so long ago, it was cold, dark, and grim, but Morgan Sindall came with smiles on their faces, showed perseverance and hard work, and it really shines through in the final result.”
A Place for Everyone
The garden has been designed to support a wide range of community groups, from youth clubs to over-50s gatherings, wellbeing sessions, men’s sheds, social clubs, and mental health support groups.
Lucy Rodgers, Groundwork UK team member added:
We’ve created a social space that helps people connect with nature and learn more about biodiversity. It’s been amazing watching the community come together, make friends, and enjoy the space. The possibilities are endless.”
Positive Outcomes
Although newly opened, the garden is already delivering impact:
- Increased access to nature in an area with limited green space
- A community hub for meeting, connecting and reducing isolation
- Opportunities for growing local food, supporting healthy lifestyles
- Hands-on volunteering, boosting wellbeing and team cohesion
- A foundation for future community-led environmental programmes
The project also supports the wider “Our Nature” programme with Groundwork UK, connecting environmental improvements with social value, education, and wellbeing.
Looking Ahead
Morgan Sindall Construction will continue supporting biodiversity, wellbeing, and community regeneration through its Responsible Business Strategy and the ongoing Project Carbon Award.
As the garden was officially opened, one of the team summed up the feeling perfectly:
I’m excited about the fact that the community now has a beautiful space to meet, make friends, grow crops, and create new groups. The possibilities are endless.”