Castlefield Forum is a Community Group that aims to preserve and improve the area of Castlefield to make it an even better place to live, work and visit and their current mission is an ambitious one!

They are looking to transform the existing green area off Liverpool Road to create a garden area in homage to Manchester's Roman roots. This will be a beautiful space to walk through and relax in, with a ‘canal side’ style outdoor seating area, a rain garden, new trees, wildflowers, Roman plants and raised community grow boxes with pick-your-own herbs. 

The group also wants to add better lighting to turn the area into a 24 hour venue and mark out the pathway of the Roman road with a timeline etched into the surface.

A crowd funding campaign on Spacehive is aiming to raise an initial £38,000 to acquire planning permission for the project. £30,000 has already been pledged and fundraisers have 31 days to gather the remaining £8,000 to make it happen.

Located at the entrance to the Roman North Gate, the site is of great historical importance, however is currently tired and under-used.

Castlefield Forum wants to make the most of this area - to create a space that encourages children, families, local residents and tourists to visit and enjoy. A space abundant in flowers, leaves, fruit and foliage all year round, where people can always feel safe, whatever time it is.

Working with local businesses and key stakeholders In partnership with BDP architects and Manchester Garden City, the community group has drawn up a master plan on getting the project done.

They will work with the Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service to hold a series of community digs in order to uncover more about the Roman heritage of the Gardens and with a network of community volunteers and the National Trust to carry out much of the preparatory work, while the bulk of the work will be done by a major contractor.

Once the Gardens are complete, they will then be maintained by dedicated volunteers.

You can help to make all of this happen! To donate to this exciting project, head over to their Spacehive page and pledge what you can.

Castlefield Forum is also looking for people to be founder members of this campaign - so do get in touch if you'd like to help. You can contact Calum McGowan here: RomanGardensCastlefield@yahoo.co.uk.

Read more about the Castlefield Forum community group on their Website and Facebook page.