Staff at the centre caused stir in 2015 with their exploits promoting World Naked Gardening Day, a celebration held on the first Saturday of May each year.

This year the team were at it again to draw attention to their latest fundraising campaign to install solar panels on the garden centre shop roof.

The campaign is part of the Community Energy GM appeal, which has seen 18 diverse organisations across Greater Manchester - community centres, a gym, a garden centre, churches and more - raise funds for solar panels that will cut carbon, boost budgets and get local communities thinking about energy, fuel poverty and climate change.

Hulme Community Garden Centre needs to raise £3,000 initially to kickstart the process which will see year on year savings on electricity and will also power the pumps that water plants with harvested rainwater.

The garden centre is a thriving social enterprise and customers can rest assured that every penny spent on their range of quality plants goes towards supporting the centre’s charitable activities.

They work with children, people with disabilities and those struggling with their mental health and provide places for over 100 volunteers a month to be part of the amazing team helping to transform and maintain this green oasis.

With no shareholders, they promise that none of their customer's money will go to fat cats or offshore tax havens! The centre recently featured in Ethical Consumer magazine as an example of best practice.

The centre stocks a wide range of plants and sundries, all sourced from within Great Britain, and employs local, knowledgeable staff, with an aim to deliver far more than a standard trip to the supermarket. 

The centre is open 7 days a week so call in any time to explore the beautiful community gardens and see some excellent examples of urban gardening and sustainable building techniques.

Kids will love the sand pit and canoe (made from a bomber fuselage!) and if you’re lucky, the mud kitchen will be open…just make sure you bring wellies and spare clothes!

The new community café ‘Ooh La La in the Garden’ is now also open Thursday – Sunday for delicious coffee, cakes (including vegan and gluten free) and crepes.

You can support the solar panel appeal by sponsoring a panel for £5 here or by coming along to the next HCGC event on Sunday June 19th for lots of free family fun in the sun.

Keep an eye on the HCGC website or follow them on Facebook to keep up to date.