Bolton Green Umbrella was formed in August 2016 when a small number of like-minded people talked about how encouraging and motivating it was that we had at last discovered each others existence.
For years each of us had been despairing of the deterioration we saw in our town; the loss of the pride in one's own community that used to exist. That's the spirit we want to recover in our town.
Our cornerstone is to act as an umbrella organisation which recognises and supports volunteer and community groups who look after the environment in Bolton. We seek out these groups and like-minded individuals to form a network that promotes our aim of making Bolton a cleaner and greener town for all its residents. We work together to restore pride in our town, and take responsibility for our own back yard.
Barbara Hackett, Chairperson
N/A
info@boltongreenumbrella.org.uk
https://www.boltongreenumbrella.org.uk
BGU Spring Celebration Event
We think it’s fair to say that our BGU Spring Celebration Event in Queen’s Park on Saturday 10th May was a great success! Huge thanks to all involved. A great variety of stalls and activities, great music from Soyaband and Aquaphibians and dancing from Leap To Your Feet. All this and the beautiful sunny weather led to a thoroughly enjoyable event, where we estimate we had 400-500 visitors
Here is a link to our More.....
Great Big Green Week is the UK’s biggest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. The event takes place from the 7-15 June. During the week, communities, schools, businesses, churches, mosques and more join together in a wave of support for action to protect the planet. Follow this link for details: The Great Big Green Week
Bolton Council are looking to deliver this via More.....
Round 6 of the Manchester Green Spaces Fund is now open. Click here to link to the website and find out how to apply.
Since its launch in 2022, the fund has invested over £3 million and enabled more than 100 community groups to develop projects across the city region, including orchards, green alleyways, allotments and community gardens.
Bolton Green Umbrella (BGU) are hosting a Spring Celebration Event in Queen's Park, Bolton, on Saturday 10th May 2025, from 1pm - 4pm. There will be a range of fun activities and stalls, most of them completely free!!
Here is a link to our Events page which has details of the activities and stalls
Bolton News article (click here) says that Bolton Council are to get powers to crush fly-tipping vehicles under a new DEFRA scheme. It would be wonderful if the blight of flytipping is finally taken seriously …. But the article does also say “No extra money is to be made available for the planned crackdown on dumped rubbish, with cash-strap More.....
Trees are essential to public health and wellbeing, yet not everyone has good access to trees and their benefits where they live. Tree Equity Score UK is a map-based application that was created to help address disparities in urban tree distribution by identifying the areas in greatest need of people-focused investment in trees. It has an amazing amount of detail and information, More.....
Fantastic news .... for some time BGU (Bolton Green Umbrella) have been lobbying Bolton Council to formalise on-going funding for us to continue supporting the work of the voluntary groups registered on our website.
For the last two financial years we have received funding of £25,000pa from Bolton Council which has had a beneficial impact on environmental volunteering. Read our 2023/24 Fund More.....
Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive plant species that poses a significant threat to biodiversity in the United Kingdom. Originally introduced as an ornamental plant, it has now become one of the most problematic and invasive species in the country.
This document is a comprehensive review of the Japanese Knotweed (JKW) eradication programme< More.....
Collated responses from BGU Members to GM Local Nature Recovery Strategy Consultation
Bolton Green Umbrella supports over 100 member groups and individuals to promote making Bolton a cleaner greener town for all its residents.
We discussed the draft Local Nature Recovery strategy at the BGU January meeting, encouraged individual groups to complete the online questionnaire and asked for their key points about this strategy which hav More.....
More than £1m is set to be spent by the Council on improving parks and outdoor areas all over Bolton. Various parks and open areas across the borough will be in line for spending on improvements.
Click here to read an article in the Bolton News and More.....
Our second Small Grants Programme has been running since June 2024 and so far 60 grants of £200 each have been given, having a very positive impact for small environmental groups all over Bolton.
If you are part of an active "green" group and have not yet applied for our grant but think you may qualify then please don't delay! Your group needs to be registered on the BGU website but if you are not it is very quick and easy to get registered by clicking the "Register" tab o More.....
The recent campaign opposing a housing development in Harwood ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj0y2j89n0o) received very helpful support and advice from ELF, the Environmental Law Foundation, so BGU have now joined ELF as a community member for an annual fee of £60. Their advice could prove very useful for any future campaigns of this kind, so if any BGU members are involved in a simi More.....
The Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy has been developed to set out how we can all work together to tackle the biodiversity emergency and improve access to nature. It will be Greater Manchester’s first statutory strategy for nature recovery and we will monitor progress against delivery over the next decade.
In short, it sets out what we all need to do More.....
The programme to reduce INNS (Invasive Non-Native Species), namely Himalayan Balsam (HB) and Japanese Knotweed (JKW) was started three years ago and continues this year.
From May to end of July BGU promoted 32 HB eradication events organised by BGU groups and associate organisations, using manual pulling in a wide range of areas along Bradshaw Brook, Seven Acres Country Park, Firwood woodlands, Watersmeeting Road, Captains Clough, Doffcocker ....
Now it is autumn it More.....
Bolton Council has installed secure storage at 10 locations across the area in a showing of support for its volunteers.
The 10 locations across the area were in need of secure storage to support the volunteers who work to tidy them up with litter-picking and a range of other activities.
Click here to read the Bo More.....
Announcement by TCV, the Conservation Trust:
The 2024 "I Dig Trees" season is now LIVE and ready for your orders!
Together, thanks to wonderful tree planters like you, our fantastic partners and More.....
We are very pleased to launch our small grants programme for 2024/2025 using funding received from Bolton Council, which they acquired from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
We at BGU were delighted with the success of the small grants programme for 2023/2024 which met with widespread approval, in particular for the simplicity of the application process. Here is a link to our BGU Grant Feedback Report which documents how all the £25,000 UKSPF funding was spent/allocated: More.....
BGU were delighted to be awarded £25,000 of UKSPF (Shared Prosperity Funding) by Bolton Council. The funding was received in November 2023 and the programme completed at end of March 2024.
Click here to read our report on how the money was spent to improve and care for the environment across out town.
On Page 8 of the report is a list of the 68 voluntary groups who received a small grant More.....
A recent article in Bolton News talks of a plan to create a green corridor linking up some of the borough's most picturesque places has been put forward by local councillors, who want to turn an old golf course into a country park.
Ward councillors want to transform the old Harwood Open Golf course into Bolton's newest country park in a bid to save open spaces for future generations.
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Look how many community litter bins there are in Bolton! These are mainly installed by Bolton Council but maintained by VOLUNTEERS who place the full bags next to a council bin for collection, and replace with a new bag. In general this works extremely well and has helped enormously in keeping Bolton streets and green spaces much cleaner. There are some issues - people abusing the bins by using them for household waste, foxes ripping the bags .... but in general they are a great success: < More.....
Community groups might like to sign up to the It’s your Neighbourhood – there’s lots of support on here for community groups, the newsletter is free to sign up for and notifies groups when relevant funding opportunities with the RHS become available and it can be the step groups might want to take before thinking about Britain in Bloom: More.....
We would be able to send out newsletters more often if we had the material to go into them - and if you are the Group Administrator for a registered group YOU can help with that by creating News items now and again to tell readers what your group has been doing. Please click here to get a link to our Volunteer Guide for Group Administrators. It explains how to set up a password, and then you can update the gr More.....
Captains Clough is a river valley which runs from Ivy Road up to Doffcocker, a distance of approximately one mile through beautiful peaceful woodland. It forms a wonderful wildlife corridor from Ivy Rd right up to Doffcocker. It is hard to believe that the Clough is surrounded by busy roads because it is so tranquil and quiet. But there is a problem. Hardly anyone knows about it.
Captains Clough is one of Bolton’s best kept secrets, a hidden gem. There is no signage, no informat More.....
On the weekend of 22/23 July 2023 the Bolton Festival took place and this News item should really have been produced immediately afterwards – but somehow other things kept cropping up …. but we didn’t want to leave 2023 behind without recording the event.
Below is a press release about the festival:
The Bolton Green Umbrella Festival is a weekend of open community gardens, allotments and green spaces across Bolton on 22nd and 23rd July, 2023.
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The "Five Days Happy Walk Project" has been developed by Bolton Council's Active Lives Engagement Team. So far it has concentrated in the area of Deane/Morris Green/Lever Edge, but it is hoped that the idea will be rolled out to other areas. Click here to read more a More.....
Save Rock Hall:
An article in the Bolton News provides an update on the events of 2023 for the wonderful restoration project at Rock Hall in Moses Gate Country Park by Banana Enterprise Network. Click here to read the article
Attention: BGU member groups,
We are very pleased to launch our small grants programme for 2023/2024 using funding recently received from Bolton Council, which they acquired from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The aim of these BGU grants is to provide quick and easy access for small groups who are registered on the BGU website to access a relatively small sum of money. We know how difficult it is for small volun More.....
Here is a link to an interesting article in The Guardian - click here.
Green spaces in poorer parts of England are less likely to be protected against being bulldozed and developed than those in more affluent areas, according to a new study. The article goes on to provide information about Local Green Space (LGS) desi More.....
Community Payback have provided an information sheet about the services they can provide to voluntary groups, and what they need. It can be found in the "Useful Information" section of our "About" page on the BGU website,and also via this link:
https://boltongreenumbrella.org.uk/document-centre/Unpaid_Work_Project_Information.docx
The National Allotment Gardens Trust (NAGT) have a grant programme for "various allotment and garden projects".
Click here to access their website
Here is an interesting article in The Guardian claiming that lost rainforest could be revived across 20% of Great Britain.
Click here to read it.
Campaigners call for protection and careful tree-planting to help restore the temperate rainforests that once covered swathes of the country
Here is an opportunity for anyone associated with a community garden to apply for some funding from the National Garden Scheme.
Click here to access their website.
Below is an email from Bolton Council:
I’m contacting you from Bolton Council to let you know about a consultation we are running. We’re keen to hear from community groups, environmental volunteers, outdoor groups, etc and I’m hoping that you would be able to forward on this information and post about it on your social media (or simply share the posts I have done on the council’s Facebook and Twitter). It would be much appreciated.
< More.....
Bolton Green Umbrella organised two activities at the Youth Environment Summit held at the University of Bolton Stadium in June.
One activity (for two tables) consisted of checking out green spaces on a map of Bolton, then writing about what you can do in green spaces, why they are good for you, and why we need to look after them.
The other activity (for two tables) was making signs for a hedgehog highway, consisting of a postcard-sized piece of plywood on which the children w More.....
Bolton Council have asked for their Litterpickers Health & Safety Guide to be circulated. Click here to read the Guide.
Bolton Council have asked for their Code of Conduct for Environmental Groups to be circulated.
Click here to read the document.
DIY waste disposal will no longer incur charge under new government plans. The proposed change to rules in England and Wales is part of measures aimed at cracking down on fly-tipping. Maybe Bolton Council will consider this?
Click here to read an article about this in The Guardian
Introducing the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund - GM Green City
The Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund, announced by the Mayor of Greater Manchester as part of the new Greater Manchester Strategy, will offer small grants to communities to clean up and improve local green spaces or create new ones where they are needed. Click here to read further
Off-road bikes are the bane of many people's lives...
Click here to read Bolton News article entitled "Bolton police urge residents to help tackle illegal bikes"
Lots of people have queried why tidal power has never been developed; click here to read an article about a tidal energy project in Wales
Group administrators: Your group’s Admin page is like a mini-website, which needs reviewing and updating from time to time. It can provide a wealth of information to prospective volunteers, like-minded people and the general public – and even people or organisations who might want to support you with a donation!
Are you using it as effectively as possible? Click here to check out our Admin More.....
There is lots of really interesting and useful information about all things ECO in Greater Manchester on the GM Green City website (click here)
You can register for their newsletter by scrolling down to the bottom of the "Take Action" tab
Of particular interest might be the GM Green Spaces Fund which is due to launch in "spring"; click h More.....
Are you a primary school teacher, or have connections with a primary school?
If you haven't heard about Primary Awards for Green Education before click here to find out more about the competition which is offering a number of cash prizes. But don't delay! The deadline for entries is 10am on 4th May.
Bolton News have published an article about the success of the community bins, maintained by volunteers, and showing the map of bin locations recently produced by the Volunteer Co-Ordinator of Bolton Council. The article was triggered by very positive comments by Councillor Tracey Wilkinson.
Click here to read the article
Free orchard trees from The Kindling Trust!!
If your group would like to request free fruit trees a quick form is available, click here
And here is a link to the Kindling Trust website: https://kindling.org.uk/agroforestry-project
The Harpers Lane Community Garden in Bolton is open to anyone to sit down or talk to neighbours.
The new open space has been created by volunteers from a local litter picking group, and now they are appealing for donations to ensure everyone can make use of the garden and open it up to people with disabilities.
More.....
We have been contacted by the Climate Coalition who are organising the Great Big Green Week.
Here is their email, with links to the website and the short film mentioned:
I am getting in touch as The Climate Coalition are planning the Great Big Green Week - a huge national call for action on climate More.....
News from the Co-op....
Great news! You can now recycle soft plastics like crisp packets and bread bags at a Co-op near you. It doesn’t matter where you bought them. Just pop your soft plastics into our recycling units and we’ll do the rest. It means we can all do our bit for the environment.
Click here to read all about it on the Co-op website.
Here is a link to an article on the BBC news website about new innovations to recycle PPE into reusable new products. This really has to be the way of the future....
Click here to read the article.
A leading national conservation campaigner and veteran of numerous rights of way campaigns has pledged her support to this year’s Winter Hill commemorations.
Kate Ashbrook, the general secretary of Britain’s oldest conservation society, The Open Spaces Society, plans to attend the 125th anniversary walk from Halliwell to Winter Hill on September 5 where she has been invited to speak.
Kate maintains that although rights of access have improved since 1896, there is s More.....
Lancashire Wildlife Trust are running a variety of summer events along the Kingfisher Trail; click here for a PDF version of their flyer
LWT also produce regular newsletters covering a vast range of topics relating to wildlife, green spaces, and environmental issues. Click here to read them...
Are you interested in giving woodland wildflowers a helping hand?
This summer, along the Kingfisher Trail in Bolton, Lancashire Wildlife Trust are running a Grow Wildflowers at Home project.
It is free, easy to join and accessible for local people, and LWT would love your support. The wildflower plants grown during the eight-week project will be planted in autumn and will enhance the biodiversity of the woodlands a More.....
A rare bird was spotted in Horwich leading to the first ever official record of the species in adult plumage in Greater Manchester.
The Rose-coloured starling - with pink feathers on its back and chest and was spotted on Thursday in a residential area near to Green Lane Playing fields.
Click here to read the ar More.....
Here is an article in the Bolton News about that perennial problem - offroad bikers, the bane of our lives. Click here to read the article
Bolton's churches are forging ahead with their environmental activities. Click here to read their Newsletter for June 2021
Those of you who hate litter - click here to read this article from the BBC website!
A new "Litter cam" CCTV camera with AI software can now match footage of motorists throwing rubbish to their car's number plate and issue an automatic fine of £90.
A very common problem is that of “contaminated” bins. This is a bin intended for recycled waste ONLY but which has been used for the wrong items, meaning they will not be emptied in normal bin collections. The householder then sometimes dumps the bin somewhere away from the property and, following the “broken window” pattern, it often becomes a target for yet more dumping and flytipping. Below is advice from Bolton Council about how members of the public can assist the More.....
Bolton’s army of volunteer litter pickers is being called up in the fight against flytipping in the borough.
The council is starting a six month trial which will see evidence gathered by the volunteers used to tackle the problem, with the council issuing warning letters to individuals where personal details are found in dumped waste.
The volunteers play a vital role in keeping the borough clean, spending hundreds of hours collecting rubbish that has been thoughtlessly th More.....
The Rotary Club of Bolton with le Moors and are currently encouraging small voluntary groups in Bolton to enter our Dragons' Den competition and would welcome applications from groups registered with Bolton Green Umbrella.
Our 5 Dragons will evaluate all entries received to decide on six finalists who will be asked to do a 5 minute pitch on Zoom in front of our Dragons, who will then ask questions for about 10 minutes.
The six finalists will share prize money of & More.....
Bolton Council have asked us to publicise their current advice about litterpicking during the Covid restrictions. They have received some complaints from members of the public who have seen litterpicking groups seemingly forming “gatherings” when they park in the same area to begin their litterpick and they have to respond to such complaints.
As such, the advice is to continue litterpicking by all means, but please avoid meeting up as a “group” before or afterw More.....
Round 11 of Bolton’s Fund is now open for Climate Change projects/ideas!! Don't miss this - it is the first Round of the fund to be specifically suitable for environmental volunteer groups. But don’t delay, the closing date is 22nd March.
Check out the details by clicking here.
If More.....
Jason Alexander from Ipswich, has spent lockdown creating art from thousands of pieces of discarded items.
Read the story by clicking here
Bolton News have produced the attached logo to support their War on Flytipping campaign and are encouraging people and voluntary groups to use it
Litter pickers have been out in force this month amid ongoing complaints of fly-tipping.
Green Party election candidate Paris Hayes, with a team of volunteers, has been out in Hulton to tackle the growing problem.
Click here to read the Bolton news article
Figures reveal there were more than 900 cases of fly-tipping in Bolton in the last year.
Click here to read the Bolton News article
Cutacre Country Park, behind the huge industrial estate Logistics North, is 530 acres of spectacular rolling landscape with views of the Derbyshire Dales and Manchester in the east, across the Cheshire Plain and the Clewydian Mountains to the Mersey Estuary in the west.
Park volunteers breathing life into a wildlife oasis in the heart of Over Hulton have been given a huge boost to transform it into a leading green attraction for families, nature lovers and walkers. More.....
Funding body: DPD Group UK Ltd
Maximum value: £ 2,000
Application deadline: None specified
Status: Open for Applications
Grants are available to charities, community groups, schools, small businesses and other local organisations in the United Kingdom for green projects and environment-friendly initiatives.
Fund Information
Background
The Eco Fund is funded by DPD More.....
Most of the “High Street Community Clean-up Funding” has now been donated and for the purposes of accountability BGU are preparing feedback for Bolton Council, listing groups which received the funding and details of how the money has helped those volunteers in their projects.
Find out what our groups spent their grants on and how this funding has made a difference across Bolton by More.....
Small business owners in Smithills have come together to form an organisation bringing the outdoors into people's lives.
The Smithills Collective, an initiative funded by the Woodland Trust, is running a pilot scheme designed to offer a range of nature-inspired activities.
Cli More.....
Bolton Council have announced a crackdown on dog owners who do not clean up after their pets. Click here to read an article in the Bolton News
Bolton Council have announced new powers to tackle flytipping and littering.
Fines for dropping litter are set to double and drivers will be slapped with a £150 fine if rubbish is dumped from their vehicle as Bolton Council gets tough with litterbugs and flytippers. Plans are now in place to nearly double fines for dropping litter from £80 to £150.
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Rock Hall, in Moses Gate Country Park, was closed as a visitor centre six years ago and a bid to the Heritage Lottery is being drawn up to return it to its former glory.
Click here to read an article in the Bolton News about the funding bid
The Bolton News recently published an article about Bolton's Rotary Way, a 50 mile loop around the outskirts of Bolton
Click here to read the article
The next Bolton's Fund programme will focus on climate change and the environment - the programme will open in January. There will be two grant sizes - up to £1500 and up to £5000.
The funding guidelines are not yet available, but should be published soon on the Bolton CVS website, and we will post them on the BGU Facebook page and in the February newsletter. We are hopeful that there will be opportunities for groups regi More.....
Good news - Bolton News are starting a brand new campaign against litter and fly-tipping, and are very supportive of the huge efforts and successes of the wonderful volunteer groups in the town.
Read the article by clicking here, and PLEASE consider supporting the Bolton News by b More.....
Click here to read an interesting article in The Guardian about restoring woodland in the UK,
Bolton’s churches are playing their part in cleaning the streets, as well as the planet, with the support of a new group. The Environmental Task and Finish Group, set up during the middle of the first national lockdown, was tasked with helping Bolton’s churches get greener. They recently contacted Bolton Green Umbrella who are excited about the new group's ambitions and keen to work with them to support and promote the More.....
BGU have been asked to circulate the news release below, requesting Bolton residents to take part in an extremely important survey about the climate emergency. Please make your voice heard, and share this with as many other people as possible.
Bolton Vision Partnership - Climate emergency survey
We need to take urgent action to reverse our impact on the planet.
As part of the
Click here to read an article in the Guardian about the wellbeing benefits of allotment gardening
Rock Hall is a much loved local building located in Moses Gate Country Park, with a fascinating history.
Bolton Council is currently in talks over a £1.5m renovation of Rock Hall, which has stood derelict in Moses Gate Country Park for six years.
Banana Enterprise Network, the Salford-based charity behind the bid, is developing proposals which include extending the back of the listed building in a “respectful manner” to maximis More.....
Bolton Council recently won the ‘Best Service Delivery’ category in the prestigious national LGC (Local Government Chronicle) Awards 2020.
Click here to read the article in the Bolton News, and More.....
Bolton’s Fund is a voluntary sector grants programme delivered by Bolton Council, NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group, Bolton at Home and Bolton CVS. It launched in November with VCSE groups of all sizes invited to submit bids for different rounds of funding, each targeted at addressing a key priority in the community.
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For those of you interested in wildlife this should be really interesting - and entertaining!
Farmer Derek Gow is winning over doubters in his bid to reintroduce storks, beavers, wildcats, water voles and much, much more ....
Click here to read the article in The Guardian
Below is a link to a report on the Lancashire Wildlife Trust website, with the following description:
"Our Nearby Nature report, which has been sent to Number 10 Downing Street and Defra, outlines how wildlife helped people to overcome the stress and loneliness of lockdown and, in some cases, offered benefits for serious mental health issues"
We're in the news!!
Click here to read the Bolton News article about Bolton Green Umbrella and some of BGU's registered groups....
BIG NEWS!
Bolton Green Umbrella now have our very own YouTube account!
We'll be posting all sorts of interesting content, covering everything from interviews with our local volunteer groups to helpful step-by-step demonstrations for our group administrators.
More.....
Below is a link to an article in the Bolton News entitled: "Residents asked to shape multi-million Pound Bolton town centre plans"
Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Martyn Cox, said: “The more responses we get, the stronger our plan will be. “This is a real opportunity to secure funding for Bolton.
We need the people to comment to ensure that those who live and work here help shape this plan for future generations.”
More.....
Below is a link to a Bolton News article entitled: "Bolton Council calls on residents to keep town clean"
Click here to read the article
For those who keen on cycling and availability of cycle paths - below is a link to an article in The Guardian entitled
"Residents to get new decision-making powers in England cycling revolution"
Click here to read the article in The Guardian
Community Recycle is a scheme established by companies operating within the external school environment sector. The initiative collects, coordinates and donates overstocked, unsellable items, returned goods and second-hand equipment to schools in our communities across the UK. It’s a great scheme that ensures goods, that would otherwise be left in storage or even go to landfill, are put to good use in the community, saving schools money and brightening up school More.....
Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment simply by counting the amount and type of butterflies we see.
Click here to find out more
"Fix My Street" is a very useful website and mobile phone app where you can report issues like fly-tips, graffiti, and faulty street lighting, to your local council
Bolton Council have confirmed that issues reporting via Fix My Street do reach their Neighbourhood Services department.
This is extremely relevant at the moment because of the high incidences of fly-tipping which are causing so much distress...
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Below is an interesting article by the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield, which finds that "Growing fruit and vegetables in just 10 per cent of a city’s gardens and other urban green spaces could provide 15 per cent of the local population with their ‘five a day’, according to new research"
Allotment holders read on!! You've got the right idea...
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Bolton Council have provided Bolton Green Umbrella with some stock of hi-viz jackets printed with the word "Volunteer" on the back
Please get in touch if your group would like some. You can then get them printed with your own group's name and/or logo
There are three sizes, Small, Medium and Large - but to be honest there isn't much difference between them!
The Wildlife Trusts are running their "My Wild City" project; below is an Introduction and link to their website for more information.
"Our vision is for everyone living, working and studying in Manchester to help transform work places, gardens and our open spaces into a city-wide nature reserve.
Together we can create a nature-rich city that puts wildlife right on our doorsteps, giving everyone the opportunity to experience the joy of wildli More.....
Message from Friends of the Earth - Bee Saver Kits:
For many of you, us bees are probably the last thing on your minds right now. But without us, the impact on global economy and food chains would be devastating. More.....
Below is a link to the webpage for TCV, the Community Network of Conservation Volunteers, which may be of interest to some groups.
It costs £10 per year to join, but they offer discounts on group insurance, purchase of tools and plants, information and support on funding... a range of services for voluntary groups involved in environmental projects. Worth a look ....
Click he More.....
In these dark days of Covid-19 we all need to hear about things that inspire us.... this inspired me!! It's an article about Ron Finlay, a resident of Los Angeles, who has set about revolutionising attitudes to gardening in inner city areas. Many groups of volunteers in Bolton are doing very similar things!!
There is also a "Ted Talk" on YouTube which is wonderful; to hear it you can click on the highlighted words "Ted Talk" in the article, or click on the second link below.
More.....
Bolton's Fund Covid-19 Resilience Grant - now open
Grants of up to £1000 are now available to groups and organisations in Bolton working to connect and increase their ability to reach more people as part of Bolton's community response to Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
Click here to read about funding for Covid-19 projects on Bolton CVS website
Here is an article from the BBC website which the conservationists among you may find interesting... it's good to have something uplifting in the current situation!
Click here to read the BBC website article about the UK's first "tiny forest"
Another very interesting article. Sorry about the gloomy outlook BUT we do need to face up to these things....
Click here to read the Guardian article: Covid-19 is nature's wake-up call to complacent civilisation
This article in The Guardian is an insightful analysis of the damage we are doing to our world with our current lifestyle... the photograph of the orangutan in the middle of the article is simply heartbreaking.... let's just hope that this terrible crisis will result in world leaders taking seriously the warnings about environmental disasters.
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This recycling scheme is specifically for textiles and clothing. Information from their Facebook page reads:
Recycle4school is committed to helping schools and other organisations raise funds in a way that is eco-friendly, highly profitable, and best of all, at no cost to them.
They help organise collections of good quality unwanted clothing by encouraging parents, students and staff to recycle their unwanted items, and make a BACS payment into your school fund within 5 working d More.....
Free trees for schools and communities!
Woodland Trust want to make sure that everybody in the UK has the opportunity to plant trees, so they are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.
Click here to link to t More.....
A recent news article on the Bolton Green Umbrella website highlighted a remarkable young girl from Farnworth called Roxy, who cares so much about her neighbourhood, town and the environment that she started up an environment group for her friends and school mates and called the group "The Society for the Protection of the Earth" (SPE). This group of primary school children hold regular meetings to plan their events, and have organised many litterpicks in their area. Well done SPE!
A More.....
Group admins: Are you aware that you have your very own Admin page on the Bolton Green Umbrella website? And that you can promote your events by posting them via the “Events” tag on that Admin page? And that you can attach a poster or link to a website, without needing any technical expertise?
Any Events and News items that you post will appear i More.....
The National Trust is planning to plant 20 million trees over the next decade as part of efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.
The organisation made the announcement, which it says will cost £90m-100m, on Thursday to mark its 125th anniversary.
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Another blitz of the appalling fly-tipping on the banks of the River Croal near to Queen's Park resulted in over 200 bags of rubbish being very painstakingly cleared, and an article in the Bolton News.
Click here to read the article in Bolton News
The Physical Activity Alliance at Bolton CVS are offering investments up to £1,000 for community groups and organisations to deliver activities that will encourage physical activity and reduce social isolation.
The deadline for applications is Monday 17th February at 5pm.
Follow the link below for further information:
https://www.boltoncvs.org.uk/big-bolton-fund-grant More.....
If you’d like a festive season that’s a little kinder to the environment (and better for your pocket!), read on for our top five tips!
1. Say No to Unnecessary Packaging & Recycle!
At this time of year, the supermarkets seem to be stacked to the rafters with gift sets; perfume, aftershave, toys, even cheese! They all look lovely, but they can be so heavily packaged that opening one is like separating Russian dolls… boxes in boxes in boxe More.....
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is undoubtedly one of Britain’s most iconic and well-loved birds. They often provide a much-needed splash of colour to our gardens over the grey, icy winter months, and that unmistakeable red breast (often set against a backdrop of crisp, white snow) has long been a proud and prominent feature on our Christmas cards.
With the festive season fast approaching, what better time to celebrate this charming little bird? Here are some inte More.....
For anyone who has an involvement with a school, here are two excellent schools projects run by nationwide organisations, The Woodland Trust and Keep Britain Tidy.
Woodland Trust Green Tree Schools Award
The Green Tree Schools Award encourages outdoor learning and inspires pupils to learn about trees, woods and wildlife.Through our award, your school can take part in fun, practical projects while helping the More.....
This could be very useful to many of the voluntary groups registered with Bolton Green Umbrella.
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IMPORANT AND URGENT FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO APPLY FOR FUNDING....
The Government have very recently announced a new phase of "Pocket Park" funding - but the entry deadline is 31st December - and Yes, that IS 2019, so get your skates on!
Below is a synopsis from GRANTfinder, and below that the link to the Government website for further details and application process.
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We now have Bolton Green Umbrella leaflets!
If you can help by taking some to your local library, health centre, college, society .... please get in touch
Let's spread the word about the fantastic volunteer groups who are making our town a cleaner, greener place for everyone
If we said "litter", cigarette butts might not be the first thing you think of. They seem relatively harmless compared to some other forms of litter, like single-use plastics and other non-recyclable materials... but are they really? And why should Bolton care?
Recent surveys conducted by Ke More.....
Does someone in your volunteer group really go out of their way to make a difference in Bolton? Is your group eager to tell everyone a little more about what you do and why? Or has your group acheived something amazing or reached a milestone in project that you would like to share?
If the answer to any of these questions was 'yes', then our upcoming addition to the newsletter will be music to your ears!
In a bid to acknowledge and showcase the brillia More.....
Over the past year, young environmental activists have been making big news and an even bigger impact across the globe. The ‘School Strike for Climate’ protest, which began as a one-girl demonstration by sixteen-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg in August 2018, quickly flourished into a worldwide youth movement, one that continues to gr More.....
It’s almost that spooky time of year again! October 31st is fast approaching, so its time to stock up on sweets for the trick-or-treaters, pick out the creepiest costume you can find, and hone your pumpkin-carving skills! Some of us might even go all out and decorate the house with plastic spiders, cotton wool cobwebs and rubber bats!
But did you know that Halloween is more like the end of Valentine’s Day for real bats? The mating season for many UK sp More.....
Great news! Bolton News yesterday ran an article all about Bolton Council's plans to spend £1.5 MILLION for a cleaner, greener borough....
Click here to read the article
As most of our subcribers will already know, Bolton Green Umbrella regularly shares event listings, links of interest and news articles about all the incredible work that our volunteers do via our newsletter. We now have over 300 subscribers, and this number continues to increase as our influence grows and new members and organisations become involved in what we do - we've had three new groups register with us in the last month alone!
As we have now hit this milestone figure, we More.....
Do you like to stay organised? Plan ahead? Keep your finger on the pulse of all things environmental in Bolton?
Then our latest update is definitely for you!
In a bid to help our volunteers and organisations stay in the loop and enjoy more of the fantastic activities going on in and around our borough, BGU will now send out a handy summary of all scheduled events to our newletter subscribers on a weekly basis.
The first of these new updates More.....
Calling all subscribers! We need your help to spread the word about all the inspiring work and projects our dedicated volunteer groups are doing throughout Bolton to make our borough cleaner, greener and a better place for everyone!
If you know someone who might be interested in what's going on in their area, or the news articles and events we cover, don't be shy! Share the love and pass on your newsletter to them... or better yet, encourage them to More.....
Earlier this year, the government awarded a shared fund of £9.75 million to all local authorities across England. This grant has been dubbed ‘High Street Community Clean-Up Funding’ and it aims to assist local volunteers and councils in improving their high streets and town centres.
In A More.....
This is a beautiful short film about wild-flower meadows.... you'll be transported!!
This is something I was not aware of.... chewing gum thrown on the ground looks like bread to birds which try to eat it, which can lead to their death as described in the poster Yet another example of the careless disposal of waste being devastating to wildlife....
Schoolchildren at Clayton-le-Moors make a beach hut out of plastic waste which is made into Ecobricks
Click here to open the link and read the story
Here is an article from the BBC website : A long-running campaign encouraging councils to let neatly-mown grass verges become mini meadows where wildflowers and wildlife can flourish appears to be building up a head of steam. Since 2013, Plantlife has been telling authorities the move could help them save money and boost their green credentials. Click here to open the link and read the story
Bolton Green Umbrella (BGU) has never before recommended a private business on this website, but want to do so on this occasion.... The Bolton Green Umbrella laptop was recently subject to a computer virus, affecting emails and leaving behind all sorts of potentially dangerous "risks". Console Wizard on Tonge Moor took the laptop into its tender loving care and sorted out all the nasties, for which we are very grateful!!! They did a great job, were extremely friendly and helpful, gave all so More.....
Bolton News on 4th June contained an article entitled "Celebrating Bolton's army of volunteers", which mentions Barb Hackett and Bolton Green Umbrella Click here to open the link and read the story
MANCHESTER BOLTON AND BURY CANAL SOCIETY FAMILY FUN DAY!! FREE ENTRY!! SATURDAY 15th JUNE, 11am - 4pm All sorts of activities: Canoeing, cycling, fishing, pond dipping, rock painting, craft and art stalls (No parking on-site so please walk or cycle) Click here to go to the MBBCS website Click here to go to the MBBCS Facebook page
Below is a link to Friends of the Earth's petition to the government to take action on climate change. There is a quote from Sir David Attenborough: "I think climate change is the major challenge facing the world" Click More.....
In July 2018 a Facebook page was created for litterpicking groups; there are now over 1200 groups registered! So those of you who are encouraged by finding out about like-minded people wanting to clean up our country - this is the page for you! Click here to link to the Facebook page
The perennial subject of the irresponsible dog owners who decorate trees and bushes with their pets' "decorations".... Here's another amusing slant on it to (hopefully) give people a smile... Click here to open the link and read the story
Bolton Green Umbrella organised this joint effort On Sunday 18th November 2018 seven litterpicking groups joined forces to tackle the stretch of road from Moses Gate through to Darcy Lever - Smith's Road/Hacken Bridge Road/Hacken Lane. It's a long stretch, which rarely gets litterpicked, so Bolton Green Umbrella contacted all the groups to suggest a communal effort. Will and Bev, landlord and landlady of The Railway pub in Moses Gate kindly opened the pub early and provided tea, coffee and bi More.....
Mere Hall in Thomasson Park, is set to become Bolton Music Service's new home Below is an article in Bolton News: Click here to open the link and read the story
Paris has very little green space, so residents are planting gardens on pavements and small areas of public land to make the city greener. Here is another yet another inspirational story about people taking responsibility for improving and beautifying their town or city. Our town of Bolton is (we believe) getting cleaner and greener - but let's look at what is being done in Paris and see what we can learn from it. More.....
Chewing gum is the most common litter after cigarette ends., but a British designer is now coming up with imaginative and creative ways of recycling used chewing gum - and cleaning our streets in the process. Click here to open the link and read the story
A 13-year-old who was nicknamed "Trash Girl" by bullies for clearing litter from the streets has gained a global following for her work. How wonderful to see a young person caring so much for the environment and her neighbourhood. This is what we all need to encourage and support Click here to open the link and read the story
Here is a video made by Friends of the Earth, saying thank you for making the world a better place in 2018 Click here to open the link and read the story
It's easy to feel discouraged sometimes about environmental problems.... but heart-warming to read about dedicated people who just "get on with it". It restores ones faith in humanity.... A Jersey couple who can be found litter picking on the beach come rain or shine have been hailed as the island's "unsung heroes" after it emerged they'd been quietly "doing their bit" for over a quarter of a century. More.....
This recent article in the Scottish Sun strikes a chord with many people - the number of elastic bands on our pavements, dropped by postal delivery staff. Here's someone who took action! Click here to open the link
Another major beer brand has innovated to replace plastic aggregation rings in its packaging portfolio. Earlier this year Carlsberg announced its novel use of adhesives to glue cans together with the new Snap Pack. Now the Mexican brand Corona has unveiled its alternative approach: becoming the first global beer brand to use an aggregator based made from plant-based biodegradable fibres, with a mix of by-product waste and compostable materials. If left in the environment, the new rings will brea More.....
This is amazing; surely this is the way we need to go to save the environment from at least some of the oceans of plastic....
This is a brilliant example of how people-power can get results. A few months ago Walkers came in for severe criticism for not doing enough about the damage their packaging was doing to the environment. Now they have responded with this recycling scheme. Click here to open the link
The Breightmet Men in Sheds group are holding a Craft Fair at Lancashire Wildlife Trust's centre on Bury Road on Saturday, 24th November Attached poster gives details. Some lovely Christmas present ideas!
This BBC article just goes to show - you meet a good quality of person when you go litterpicking!! Click here to open the link
This article appears on the BBC website this morning, 6th October 2018. It's really interesting, and illustrates what a massive problem plastic is for the world environment and how some countries - not always the ones you would expect - are taking it extremely seriously. They are not afraid to take drastic action. click here to open the link
On Wednesday, 12th September, Bolton Green Umbrella and Litter Pickers of North Bolton teamed up with staff from Asda and McDonalds to carry out a litterpick in the area, in particular along the river which runs underneath Blackburn Road in Astley Bridge. In all 20 bags of litter were collected, which were then picked up by Bolton Council. Barb Hackett of Bolton Green Umbrella said: "This was a great example of large business corporations working with local voluntary groups to take responsibi More.....
One of most most complained about types of anti-social behaviour is the riding of illegal off-road bikes in our parks and green spaces, and on paths and pavements. They are often ridden recklessly and are dangerous to people who are just trying to enjoy a walk, and also create a noise nuisance over large areas. Because of cuts to police budgets this has been a relatively low priority for some time, so it is encouraging to read a recent article in the Bolton News where the Safer Roads Targetin More.....
The Campaign for Rural England have campaigned for many years trying to persuade successive governments to implement a Deposit Return Scheme, and in March 2018 it was announced that a scheme is to be introduced. click here to open the link
It's not just Bolton, and it's not just the UK that has a massive problem with litter, fly-tipping, and plastic contamination Saturday 15th September was WORLD CLEAN-UP DAY! Check out the Facebook page to see some of the wonderful efforts that were made right across the world: click here to open the link
The following article appeared in the Bolton News on 11th September 2018: Special Report: Bolton Council leads the fight against fly-tipping click here to open the link
We like this amusing but very uncompromising sign erected by a fed-up farmer.... Isn't this how we all feel about the minority of dog owners who think it is acceptable to decorate trees, bushes and paths with colourful bags of dog ****? WHY do they do the difficult bit - getting it into the bag - and then not dispose of it properly? One of life's mysteries....
Monday 6th August saw the first meeting of the newly formed Friends of Moses Gate community group There was an excellent turn-out showing a great deal of local support Support was also forthcoming from Bolton Green Umbrella, plus representatives from the Litter Pickers of North Bolton, Farnworth and Kearlsey Litterpickers, and Moses Gate Green Project A reporter from Bolton News attended and two pages of pictures and stories appeared in the paper as a result, including the More.....
Bolton CVS invited representatives from voluntary groups all across the borough to this evening event, which highlighted the achievements in volunteering by local groups and organisations and the change that they make every day. It was a great opportunity to celebrate the outstanding contribution of volunteers and community action in Bolton. A video has been created capturing the highlights from the evening. More.....
All you need is love...and litter pickers! On Saturday 30th June communities in Bolton came together, in the glorious sunshine, to litter pick along the river near to Queen's Park. This area, off Spa Road, is a highlighted problem area for the Environment Agency where fly-tipping and litter are known to cause an increase in local flood risk for the surrounding homes and homes further along the river. The huge community power of Bolton Green Umbrella, North Bolton, Bolton West and Johnson More.....
Bolton Green Umbrella were presented with a "Making a Difference Award" from Bolton Council in recognition of the work done to get communities working together, and recognising the huge contribution made by volunteers involved in environmental activities all over the town. Thanks to Bolton Council – everyone feels better when their work is recognised.
Bolton Green Umbrella, The Environment Agency, Bolton Council of Mosques, Faiths4Change and Bolton Council are combining forces to clean up the river bank and surrounding streets in the Gilnow area, around Gilnow Road, Spa Road and Queen's Park 10 - 12 Litter Pick The Environment Agency are clearing blockages in the river plus extensive fly-tipping on the embankments. Volunteers will be helping with clearing the fly-tipping where directed by the EA, and also litterpicking the surrounding ar More.....
A clean up offers an excellent chance to raise awareness of litter issues and to take part in a practical activities. Please click this link for some activity ideas.
Did you know that Bolton Green Umbrella offers small donations of equipment and materials to local groups? Click here to find out more.
If anyone is interested in helping to tackle the litter in Tonge moor please see this page
Earthlings in Bromley Cross has taken the pledge to keep their business litter free and to recycle. For more information about Earthlings, please click here. Thank you Earthlings
We're pleased to announce that our new website is now live. We've worked hard and we encourage everyone to visit and explore the site. Tell your friends, tell your neighbours, tell your family ..... stop random strangers on the street ..... and tell them to head over to www.boltongreenumbrella.org.uk
Rick Parker and Bolton Conservation Volunteers came along to Firwood Fold to help Friends of Firwood on Sunday 5th November and it was a brilliant success! BCV funded the whole project through their grant from Bolton Council's Community Empowerment Fund (CEF), so there was no cost to Friends of Firwood. Normally they make a small daily charge of £35 to cover expenses, but this was waived and they also provided 700 bulbs which were planted along the lane going down to the Fold, at a cost More.....
The three founder members of Green Umbrella were invited to the Bolton Vision Conference in January 2017. The conference is held every five years to discuss strategic plans for Bolton for the next 15 years. Leaders from Bolton's public, private, faith, voluntary, education and community sector organisations met at the Albert Halls for the Vision Conference, to discuss their plans for the future with hundreds of delegates from across the town and beyond - and we were there! We had a stand i More.....
At our first meeting with Cllr Nick Peel and two members of Bolton Council's Policy and Partnerships Department in September 2016 we asked that the council hold an event to recognise and thank all the volunteers we knew about at that time. They were very enthusiastic and the result was an event in November 2016 called "Tea With The Mayor", which gave senior members of Bolton Council and cabinet members the opportunity to say a heartfelt "THANK YOU" for the hardwork and selfless dedication of Bol More.....
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