Being a nature lover, I tend to gravitate towards country towns and rural villages, woodlands and meadows, and if I end up in a city, I much prefer the old ones with castles, cathedrals and medieval buildings. But I visited the urban scenery of Manchester recently for a delightful afternoon tea with a friend (written about in a different blog post). The area of Manchester we frequented was ultra-modern with skyscrapers and glass-fronted architecture - Spinningfields was developed in the 2000s which would explain the modernity around us. It can be too easy for today's developers to lose sight of nature and just end up creating an uninspiring grey and dismal concrete landscape (which I've seen in too many places). But here I was met with a pleasing sight.
In the midst of the glass-fronted new builds is a community allotment growing a variety of herbs, fruit and vegetables. Potential volunteer gardeners are signposted to an email address for more details and the produce is donated to local homelessness charities. I'm in no doubt that it's also beneficial for insects and other wildlife, as well as the general wellbeing for passers-by just by being close to greenery. I believe it's wonderful to see a green haven like this in a very urban area but in my ideal world, this would be the norm not the exception.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a nature revolution in our towns and cities where more wildflower-rich and wildlife-friendly gardens and community allotments are created?
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