September 28, 2004.

PRESS RELEASE
Hanging Basket Event is a Great Success

Green-fingered Moss Siders turned their avenue into a beautiful autumn spectacle last Thursday.

The avenue’s Residents Association, with the guidance of Red Rose Forest, Greater Manchester’s Community Forest, have enabled local residents to create their own beautiful hanging baskets through funding provided by a Manchester City Council CAS:H grant and Private Sector Housing.

Red Rose Forest’s, Green Streets Team, experts in street planting events, helped the budding gardeners to choose from a variety of winter plants and flowers. The baskets contained hardy but colourful plants like Ivy and Heathers, as well as winter flowers like Pansies and Violas. The baskets will add a real splash of colour to the avenue, this winter.

A gazebo was set up in the street, containing the hanging basket kits, together with the plants. Residents set up their baskets under-cover, with supervision from the Green Streets team.

The hanging basket event was a real community day out. People of all ages got involved and the Resident’s Association are hoping that an already fantastic community spirit will be made even stronger.

As well as help on the day, people received a maintenance sheet with useful tips and hints. The sheet, compiled by Red Rose Forest, will enable residents to maintain their hanging baskets through winter and into the spring.

Sarah Macleod, Green Streets Project Officer, said: “The event was a great success. So far, over 80 houses have expressed an interest in the hanging baskets.

“This was a real community event with the majority of the work being done by the Resident’s Association and something that the avenue can be really proud of.”

For more information please contact Sarah Macleod at Red Rose Forest on 0161 872 1660.

Notes to Editors:
Red Rose Forest
Red Rose Forest is Greater Manchester’s Community Forest. It is a partnership of the Countryside Agency, The Forestry Commission and six local authorities. Red Rose Forest is already transforming and regenerating a large part of Greater Manchester, with 25 million trees across 300 square miles being planted over 40 years.

Green Streets: The story so far…
Green Streets has also been extremely active within the city centre of Manchester and projects delivered in the fast developing areas of the Northern Quarter and Piccadilly engaged many local businesses in the processes of installing the greenery and its future maintenance. Initial plans have also been developed this year to deliver Green Streets in Stretford and this work will continue to encourage environmental regeneration to be considered a vital part of the development of this strategic.
ENDS