Connecting Green Community Hubs across the North of England
TRANSFORMATIONAL
The Northern Network is a transformational new movement connecting Green Community Hubs across the North of England.
Shared green spaces such as community farms, parks, fields, and allotments can all help to create thriving and resilient communities. They have the potential to bring people together, enhance prospects, improve health and wellbeing, and take action on the environment.
To power a vibrant new movement of Green Hubs across the North, our new network is connecting communities, places, and projects, and providing learning exchanges, peer support, training, and more.
As a result, we’ll help build a future where every neighbourhood is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny, and no-one is held back by their background or circumstances.
COLLABORATIVE
The Northern Network is powered by communities and supported by Groundwork . The project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Groundwork’s experience of creating and managing Green Community Hubs, at sites such as Grow Speke and The Grange, alongside a growing evidence base, tells us that shared green spaces can play a vital role in improving the quality of local life, enhancing health and wellbeing outcomes, and building the resilience of local communities.
CHANGE-MAKING
Groundwork in the North is developing and supporting an open network of people and projects, all aspiring to grow greener communities.
Working across five Groundwork Trusts, with Project Facilitators in each area of the North, the Northern Network is providing support, guidance, and training, to five pilot Green Hubs.
Each of these pilot hubs will share their learning through the network, which is open to all who wish to join, in the hop it can inspire others to make changes in their own communities.
Both the Network, and the pilot hubs are co-designed by the communities they serve, helping to address specific needs, whether that be gaps in services, lack of outdoor space, or concerns about the climate emergency.
Stories FRom AROUND THe NETWORK...
Explore a wealth of news, stories, and updates from around our network to discover ideas, inspiration, and more
GROUNDWORK ANNOUNCES FURTHER FUNDING FOR ‘NORTHERN NETWORK’ PROJECT FOR GREEN COMMUNITY HUBS
Read our independent evaluation of the Northern Network project, by research consultants Wavehill.
NEW REPORT: Northern Network publishes Phase 1 Evaluation
Read our independent evaluation of the Northern Network project, by research consultants Wavehill.
Northern Network Launches: Our Big Green Guide to Green Community Hubs
We have digested all the knowledge we have gained over the last 18 months and created a guide to building your own Green Community Hub. Download it here!
RESOURCES
We’re collating a range of resources to support the work of Green Community Hubs.
This includes industry reports and the latest sector research, case studies from our pilot and member hubs, and a series of simple ‘how to’ guides.
We continue to expand our resources so there’s always something new to explore…
EvenTs & LearnING
The Northern Network hosts a wide range of free events and learning opportunities, including training sessions, discussions, site visits, webinars, networking evenings, and more.
All our events are designed to support the setup, running, and development of Green Community Hubs. Members of the Northern Network can also explore other public events organised by our wider community and even have their own even listed here on our website.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
We also run special projects that support the development of Green Community Hubs in the North of England.
These include an in-depth 6 month learning programme supporting new green leaders and a working group exploring the role of green social prescribing in Cheshire & Merseyside.
Get Involved
Help us grow The Northern Network, there are lots of ways to get involved…
Join THe Network
This network is created by Groundwork in the North and is open to anyone involved in the creation and running of green community spaces across the North of England.
It’s completely free to join and membership gives access to a wealth of shared resources, networking opportunities, events, training, and more!
Join the revolution!
