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About us
The Goldthorpe Railway Embankment Group (GREG) is made up of local community members and project partners to oversee the running and maintenance of the site. They meet about six times a year and also help at events and join a rota for opening up the site.
We are always looking for new members so if you are interested in joining the group please get in touch using the Contact Us page.
Before the project started…
The site was an eye sore and health and safety hazard before the project started as the photos show.
“It used to be knee deep in rubbish and now there are bluebells there…
The site has been totally transformed… it feels so good to be a part of it!”
Between 2017 and May 2019, 134 volunteers gave 326 hours of their time, helping to clear a whopping 146 bags of rubbish from the site.
A 137 metre long path was constructed, making the leafy glade along the embankment floor accessible to all.
Multiple community, council and business groups coordinated their efforts to work together and deliver the transformation.
Hours of work by community volunteers and Twiggs Ground Maintenance team cleared rubbish and overgrowth from the site. Fencing was put up and painted to deter fly tipping.
Ecological surveys revealed the biodiversity opportunities of the site. The local community actively used information from the surveys to benefit wildlife, for example schoolchildren created a wildlife habitat wall and put up bird boxes. 900 young Hawthorn trees were planted and local volunteers and children learnt how to plant and maintain hedges on the site.
A community orchard has been created, with local school children planting apple, sloe, and pear trees, helping them feel connected to the site’s future.
The project has transformed the physical landscape of Goldthorpe Railway Embankment. But it has also made a big impact on the people involved in it.
And look what we’ve achieved…
The site is now a beautiful spot for both humans and nature. It’s a place where children and adults can learn about the environment and gardening whilst having fun or they can simply sit and relax in the peaceful natural surroundings.
There are herb beds, fruit trees, vegetables patches, bird spotting screens, a weather station, bug hotels, a pond, seating areas and an accessible path all the way down the site. And every season brings different sights, colours, sounds and smells that awaken the senses.
“The site has gone from an eyesore to a well-kept community garden which looks great now and will only improve as each new season comes.”
volunteer hours given
bags of rubbish cleared
trees and saplings planted
bulbs planted
metres of path constructed
“It started with a big, exciting vision for wildlife, for people and for improving access.
It got community groups thinking big. We can do this.”