LANCASHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST: Canal on a bright sunny day (Image: Amy Shakeshaft)
Last week I had the utter pleasure of meeting up with our colleagues from the Manchester Nature Consortium – a group of passionate and dedicated individuals from Manchester City Council, Mersey Rivers Trust, Canal and Rivers Trust, Manchester Museum, RSPB, Action for Conservation and the Youth Panel.
Quite a collection of passionate people in one room!
We met in Ancoats at The Beehive Mill, a breathtakingly modern workspace which still manages to retain its authentic industrial charm.
I have never been in such a comfortable and forward-thinking ‘office’.
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MAKING AN ENTRANCE: Welcomed into Ancoats Green (Image: Alan Wright)
They even had cucumber water and nice mugs. It was a shock to me as I previously knew the building as the nightclub Sankey’s when I was a student.
We discussed how we could highlight and collaborate on the work that we do to create a city-wide effort for our wildlife and green spaces for Manchester’s community to enjoy, but our main agenda item was how we can make our annual Manchester Festival of Nature (fondly nicknamed MFoN) in Heaton Park even bigger and better next year.
It was a clear sunny autumn day, so after the meeting we went for a walk around Ancoats Green.
AUTUMNAL BLOOM: Enjoying the late wildflowers in Ancoats Green (Image: Amy Shakeshaft)
What a revelation! It was as if what we were talking about in the meeting about building green gateways into urban spaces and making communal areas for people and unfolded before us in a perfect example of how it could be achieved.
Ancoats has historically been a suburb of industry. Less buzzy than the city centre, not as green as some other areas of the city and not as ‘trendy’ for tourists as its neighbouring Northern Quarter.
But on leaving the mill, we were greeted with verges of abundant wildflowers, still out in a riot of colour waving at us in the autumn sun.
GOING GREEN: Building green into urban spaces (Image: Amy Shakeshaft)
Venturing further, we were delighted to discover a children’s play park nestled in an arena of trees, right next to new buildings that felt like they belonged among the green.
There were log piles for sheltering insects and feeding hungry birds.
The paths felt like active travel corridors with space for walking and cycling and resting.
We could hear trees over the traffic, and it was hard to imagine that we were in what was once a centre of industry.
LOG PILES: Homes for insects and people in Ancoats Green (Image: Amy Shakeshaft)
As our colleague from Manchester City Council pointed out, it just makes sense to build new housing and developments with not only nature in mind but incorporated into the space for people and wildlife.
It boosts wellbeing, fosters a sense of pride in where we live and reduces anti-social behaviour.
Having proximity to green spaces keeps us connected to the wild world, and when we feel connected, we care.
It’s when people care that we take action – and taking action for nature is what everyone around that meeting table is all about.
Getting together with like-minded representatives who have similar goals, ideas and the drive to make them happen is so refreshing and reignites the spark that we can often lose in our day-to-day meanderings.
This meeting of minds certainly lit a fire under us to go all out for our Manchester Festival of Nature in June 2026!
My main take-away from the day was that it really does just take a small group of dedicated people to bring ideas to life and make an impact on the world – or in this case – a city that we all value and adore.
If you haven’t explored Ancoats, I would highly recommend a wander around the green and along the canal.
In a city that is ever-changing, you might discover something new and inspiring.
Learn more about Manchester Festival of Nature from our website: www.lancswt.org.uk/events/manchester-festival-of-nature
By Amy Shakeshaft from Lancashire Wildlife Trust for The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.