Didsbury East

Nature and biodiversity:

• Supporting our natural green assets (and their role in the carbon cycle.) Work with Friends of Didsbury Park, Friends of Fog Lane Park, Friends of Fletcher Moss and the Parks Department to ensure green areas are improved and maintained to a high standard.
• Develop, support and promote alley greening projects such as Norwood Avenue that include, cleaning and greening, encouraging good waste management and encouraging recycling.
• Encourage biodiversity and pollination - Support Didsbury in Bloom in improving the neighbourhood and District Centre.
• Flood Risk: Work with the Environment Agency to help reduce the risk of flooding with the development of Flood Defence Plans.
• Adaptation and Resilience: Hold engagement event with residents to ensure they are well informed of flood risk and evacuation procedures.

Children and young people:

• Ensure the involvement of young people locally. Work in partnership with pupils at Parrswood High School to develop a bio-diversity project on green space near Parrswood Complex.
• Work in partnership with Education Department and encourage involvement in the Schools Green Network. Encourage registration to the Eco School Programme.
• Work with Beaver Road Primary School, Broad Oak Primary, Didsbury CE Primary, St Catherine’s RC Primary, The Barlow RC High School and Parrs Wood High to encourage them to participate in tree planting sessions. Explore available support from City of Trees.
• Work with Beaver Road Primary School, Broad Oak Primary, Didsbury CE Primary, St Catherine’s RC Primary, The Barlow RC High School and Parrs Wood High on Active Travel Plans encouraging parents and young people to walk, cycle and use public transport. Work in partnership with Didsbury Library during story time and class visits to raise awareness of the climate change agenda with young people.
• Improving Waste Management: 
  • Encourage recycling of uniforms and shoes. 
  • Promote school trips to Longley Lane Recycling Centre and educational visits by Biffa for their ‘Eco-Day’ activities and their ‘No Time to Waste Workshop’.
• Air Quality; promoting related activity. Pursue Air Quality monitoring in schools by encouraging Schools to register to SAMHE (Schools Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education)

Transport, active travel, air quality:

• Hold a road closure ‘Active Street’ event during the year for young people and their families.
  • Include climate change activity to raise awareness and promote key steps everyone can take to reduce their carbon footprint.
  • Promote active travel encouraging residents to think about the benefits of leaving the car at home and travelling more sustainably.
• Clean Air - Promote involvement in relevant campaigns including Road safety week (19 – 25 Nov) and hold clean air event. 
• Work with Food Bank at St Nicholas Church and Didsbury Good Neighbours to organise events focusing on Active Travel, encourage cycling proficiency sessions. Encourage cycling by distribution of repaired/ salvaged cycles.
• Installation of Age Friendly Benches eg Fog Lane to support and encourage Active Travel.
• Work with St James and Emmanuel Church to deliver a ‘Cycle Fiesta’ event. Seek to address any barriers to cycling including low confidence, safety and maintenance. Plans to include; cycling proficiency, bike repair and maintenance etc.
• Work with residents to explore the feasibility of a walk and talk group utilising the green spaces to encourage active travel.
• Provide a summary of cycle routes in the ward to encourage more residents to cycle.

Things we buy, use and bin:

• Providing support for sustainable lifestyles
• Sustainable fashion: Hold an event to encourage residents to recycle clothes they no longer wear, alternatively to swap, repair or upcycle to keep them in use. Target – Work on plans for a sustainability fair at St James and Emmanuel Church (Nov 23).
• Waste Management: Continue to work in partnership with Biffa to engage with residents providing education and support to recycle and the benefits. - Encourage commercial and residential recycling at Elm Grove.
• Manchester Refill Campaign 
  • Work to increase the number of local businesses signed up to the Refill campaign
  • Encourage sign up with Didsbury Traders and local Community hubs.
  • Work to make those already signed up more visible to consumers.
  • Promote the campaign amongst residents encouraging them to download the app and refill on the go reducing waste.

Food:

When holding activities and events:

• Promote less carbon intensive meals including use of seasonal fruit and veg.
• Provide advice around benefits of eating less meat and dairy, and offer practical suggestions by making recipe cards available at events.
• Do not include avoidable single use plastics.
• Hold event with smoothie bike and promote Love Food Hate Waste Campaign

Homes and energy efficiency:

• Continue to promote energy efficiency when engaging.
• Host at least one event in the year with energy efficiency advice for residents.
• Work in partnership with Energyworks ‘Green Doctor’ who provide a range of advice and support to save energy.
• For practical application and where ever appropriate, provide LED light bulbs at community events to help make homes more energy efficient (subject to availability).

Engagement, raising awareness, influencing change:

• Continue engagement across the ward raising awareness and influencing (behaviour) change.
• Hold a stall at Didsbury Pride to engage with residents on climate change and promote the actions/ steps everyone can take to reduce their carbon footprint. Gauge views on local priorities and encourage involvement.
• Neighbourhood Investment Fund: Ensure the ward budget is used to support bids/ Projects taking climate action. Target: Hold a Climate Dragon’s Den Event to encourage residents and community groups to apply for funding to deliver climate related projects.
• Ensure engagement takes place with local businesses as identified above.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Programme:

Led by Southway Housing. 98 properties are being installed with new cavity / loft insulation and low energy 
lighting under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, improving Energy Performance ratings from D to C.

Friends of Didsbury Park:

Maintenance of high quality green space, development of sustainable drainage to prevent park flooding, and contribution to ‘In Bloom’ 

Didsbury in Bloom:

Creating attractive green planted spaces that support biodiversity and pollination, and helping to create more permeable surfaces.

Contact the Didsbury East team by email: southnt@manchester.gov.uk