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Boiler House
9 Wilcock Street
Manchester
M16 7DA
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0161 465 6954
We want to create a greener city where everyone is connected with nature.
These are challenging times for the environment/ cities. Inequality is rising. Climate change is causing
extreme weather. Many thousands of people are in food poverty. And while many are striving to
address these challenges, we need to do much more to make cities more sustainable.
Green spaces in cities makes a lot of sense – they reduce flooding, tackle climate change, and improve
air quality. Plus green spaces our health and wellbeing, and provides opportunities to strengthen
communities.
Founded in 2009, Sow the City is an award winning, Manchester-based social enterprise.
As a social
enterprise (Community Interest Company), profits from the delivery of our projects go back
into the
organisation to ensure that the impact of our work is developed and expanded across Manchester and
beyond.
We really believe in:
•
Transforming and repurposing unused and derelict urban sites into useful and attractive
greenspace.
•
Encouraging people in urban areas to connect with nature.
•
Champtioning the importance of green spaces in cities.
•
Working in partnership with others.
•
Involving local people in our projects to develop stronger, more cohesive communities.
•
Running practical horticultural and environmental training courses that provide skills and
knowledge for life, learning and employment.
•
Quality greenspace that is attractive and productive and that contributes to the long term future
of the planet.
•
Using sustainable materials to minimise the environmental impact of our projects.
•
Teaching organic practices and permaculture and promoting the use of plant species that
encourage wildlife.
•
Researching and testing innovative technology and techniques that can be used for urban
agriculture.
Since we were founded, we’ve had 20,642 people attend our sessions/ workshops, facilitated over
15,085 volunteering hours, and transformed 14,327m2 of unused and derelict land into useful
community greenspace and green infrastructure. See our 2023/24 social impact statement here.
.
About us
Sow the City is a small but hardworking team of eight supported by a wider team of trusted specialists
and contractors who bring expert advice and support for specific projects when required.
.
We are proud of the work we do and the communities we work with. We have even won some
awards!
Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2020
Spirit of Manchester Business Citizenship Award 2017
Northern Enterprise 2016 Health and Wellbeing Category Award Winners.
Silver Show Garden award at Dig the City 2015 for our Growing Manchester “Tales from the Plot" installation.
Shortlisted in the Manchester Evening News Environment Awards 2014 Environment and Health Project
category.
Highly commended in the Social Enterprise North West Awards 2013 Environmental Excellence category.
BBC World Service. How safe is the soil in our cities? Listen here.
About Manchester: “First shoots of Nature Takeover appear in Moss Side as part of city-wide
programme” (June 2021)
Bury Times: New ‘green health’ walk is launched by Prestwich Hospital (May 2021)
BBC Two - Stories of Us: Sow the City help Longsight’s Let’s Keep Growing clean up their
neighbourhood to make it a nicer place to live for everyone (Sep 2020)
iiNews: “How to get involved in saving the planet right now – in your own back yard” (Sep 2019)
About Manchester - Moss Side Repair Café and Longsight project lead the way in raising
awareness of sustainability (Sep 2019)
Bury Times - Disused plot turned into thriving garden at heart of Springs estate (Sep 2019)
Fast Company (US) - Doctors are now prescribing houseplants to help treat anxiety and depression
(Sep 2019)
Manchester Evening News - Plants and herbs are being prescribed to patients suffering from
anxiety, depression and loneliness at a GP surgery (Aug 2019)
Manchester Wire - Free fixings: A Repair Café coming to Moss Side (May 2019)
Rochdale News - How getting in touch with nature is helping young people to thrive (Dec 2018)
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - Green-fingered gardeners sow the seeds of success at North
Manchester General Hospital (Sep 2018)
Bury Times - Red Door celebrates new growing space for Bury's homeless (Jul 2018)
Copyright Sow the City 2020
Sow the City is a CIC
registered in England
company no. 6872177
Lucy Moore | Communications and Project Coordinator | (She/ Her)
Lucy grew up in London, but has lived in Manchester for six years, where she has
developed her interest in human-environment interactions, through studying
Geography at Undergraduate level and a Masters in Green Infrastructure, both at the
University of Manchester. Lucy’s placement at the social enterprise ‘Urban Growth’
contibuted to her appreciation of the beneficial impact of nature on wellbeing. Lucy is
passionate about urban greening at both the community and city scale.
Jon Ross | Founder & Chief Executive | (He/Him)
Born and raised in Manchester, Jon knows a lot about the soil in this part of the
country. Having graduated with a masters in environmental management, he began his
career at WSP Environmental doing contaminated land and corporate social
responsibility work. He then worked for Transport for Greater Manchester delivering
projects including the Rochdale Bus Station Hydroelectric Power Scheme, the Greater
Manchester Climate Change Strategy, and he was lead person for biodiversity for the
transport authority.
Jon founded Sow the City with just a few bags of compost in 2009. Since then he has
steered the social enterprise into an award winning organisation. Jon is passionate
about the potential for nature to improve his home town and loves to grow his own veg
when he’s not helping other people do the same.
Kieron McGlasson |
Director | (He/Him)
Having grown up in the Lake District under the guidance of his Dad, a landscape
gardener, Kieron has always thought it normal to grow your own food. After moving to
Manchester for university, Kieron spent nine years in the regeneration sector at BDP
delivering high profile projects. These often centred on the community engagement
and sustainability elements of a city plan or neighbourhood strategy. Kieron then
worked for two years in the social enterprise sector helping to build healthier
communities in Salford.
Joining Sow the City in 2014 has allowed Kieron to combine his roots, experience and
personal interests with a career across the public, private and social enterprise sectors.
His work combines his passions for food growing, his environmental conscience and
his work in community development to create a happier, healthier city.
Laura Weaver |
Assistant Manger, the
Boiler House
| (She/ Her)
Laura
was
born
and
raised
in
Staffordshire
and
has
always
had
a
passion
and
connection
to
nature.
She
became
an
adopted
Mancunian
in
2012
when
she
came
to
Manchester
to
study
Fine
Art.
Since
leaving
university
Laura
has
been
involved
with
projects
with
Blaze
Arts
and
Step
Up,
which
is
where
she
found
her
passion
for
running
art
sessions
and
bringing
creativity
to
communities.
Laura
joined
in
June
2021
and
is
the
Link
Worker
for
our
Nature
for
Health
project
whilst
also
acting
as
Assistant
Building Manager for the
Boiler House
.
Ciarán McLoughlin | Project C-ordinator (He/ Him)
Born
in
Liverpool
and
raised
in
Cheshire,
Ciarán
comes
from
a
long
line
of
gardeners
and
plant
enthusiasts.
In
his
professional
life,
he
has
worked
in
primary
education
for
approximately
10
years
supporting
children
with
special
educational
needs
and
disabilities (SEND).
Ciarán
leapt
at
the
chance
to
join
the
Sow
the
City
team
when
the
opportunity
arose
and
is
employed
as
a
community
grower,
supporting
various
schools,
groups,
and
associations
throughout
Greater
Manchester.
In
his
spare
time
Ciarán
can
be
found
tending
his
own
allotment
in
Blackley,
North
Manchester,
where
he
lives
with
his
wife,
dog and three cats.
Ladislav Maluch | Project Coordinator | (He/ Him)
L
ad
comes
from
the
Slovakian
countryside
where
he
acquired
a
great
wealth
of
skills
in
horticulture,
market
gardening
and
commercial
growing.
Having
lived
in
Manchester
for
over
10
years
Lad
has
been
working
on
improving
the
mental
health
and
wellbeing
of
local
communities
using
nature,
food
growing,
foraging,
outdoor
cooking
and
nature
crafts. Lad has a strong passion for fungi and anything fungi related.
Please click here to find out how you can volunteer or work for Sow the City.
Catherine Clarke |
Project Co-ordinator (She/ Her)
Catherine comes to Sow the City with over 12 years spent working in the
environmental sector,
initially starting her career as a volunteer with the Yorkshire
Wildlife Trust (YWT) supporting delivery of an urban food growing project and learning
practical growing skills on a community farm. This was then followed by further project
and event work with YWT on nature reserves and for the last 6 years delivering
environmental education with the RSPB to connect children and families with nature.
Emily Corner
| Operations Manager (She/Her)
Emily joined Sow the City as a Project Manager in 2018, where she has been
able to steadily develop a broad skillset working on a variety of community
growing and greening projects across GM. Emily became Operations
Manager in 2023, focusing on overarching support of our delivery team and
the monitoring of organisational operations.
She has also worked for The Conservation Volunteers and City of Trees in
Manchester, 2014, followed by working in the Community Garden Makers
team at Newground CIC across Lancashire in 2015.
