Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester to create ‘mini wildlife havens’

Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester this spring to help people create their own ‘mini wildlife havens’.

While many Greater Manchester residents would love to have a garden of their own, that’s sadly not always the reality if they live in a flat or apartment complex, but instead they may have a balcony – in fact, it’s believed that there are around 60,000 balconies across the region, which adds up to the size of a whopping 33 football pitches.

That’s why the National Trust is on a mission to help city dwellers create their own green spaces through its ‘Sky Gardening Challenge’.

The conservation charity is encouraging people with balconies to ‘grow and green’ the town or city they live in from skyline spaces such as balconies, in the hopes that it’ll enhance their connection to nature and improving their wellbeing, all while helping wildlife thrive at the same time.

Greening a balcony space could apparently support 1.4 million meals for pollinators, like Manchester‘s beloved bees.

To help people get started on their greening mission and create their own wildlife haven, the National Trust is offering a free balcony gardening guide, free seeds, and free workshops in collaboration with lots of brilliant community organisations across the region – including Hulme Community Garden Centre, Plant CIC, and Northern Lily.

A number of workshops are also being ran this month with Cloud Gardener – a Manchester local, and a well-known face of the balcony gardening world.

With the first workshop in the lineup taking place tomorrow (15 May) and the final one on 7 June, there’s something for everyone to join in with, no matter where you are on your balcony greening journey, from classes in ‘Balcony Basics’ to ‘Edible Growing’, ‘Urban Farming’, and so much more.

And the best bit? All the workshops are free to take part in.

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“The impact of our balcony garden extends beyond its small size,” explained a 2024 National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge participant. “It serves as a peaceful retreat for us, offering a place to relax and reconnect with nature. We are lucky to be looking out to such a lush green space right outside of our balcony.”

Another previous participant commented: “The workshops and socials helped me get started and motivated me to do it as I have had lots of health problems, and I had lost the will to do it.

Read more:

• New ‘sky park’ on Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct officially opens to the public
• Manchester to get ANOTHER new city centre park as plans get green light
• Manchester has been named one of Europe’s ‘best’ cities

“I felt very tired at first, but now I can spend an hour or so everyday day, and I love sitting in my garden listening the birds or even just the wind blowing through the trees.”

Find out more and book yourself onto a free workshop on the National Trust website here.

Featured Image – National Trust