Community climate action beyond In Our Nature
We want to support communities and individuals to take action for climate in ways that are meaningful and beneficial to them - creating change that lasts and grows.
We’re so proud to have been able to support 87 community climate-led projects across Manchester so far, what’s almost more exciting is seeing this great work continue to develop, even after our direct support with them has come to an end.
This is by design. We know that communities and individuals need to feel empowered to make a difference on their own. That’s why we focussed on community-led climate action: they delivered the projects, we supported them.
Here’s a few stories that we’ve been loving recently…
Supper4ALL
Having connected through their involvement with In Our Nature, Ngwafu of gwafuvegan and Nort from FungALL, collaborated to create a dining experience that brought people from all walks of life together to share stories, food and joy!
Sustainability and community were at the heart of this sold-out supper club, with food sourced from FareShare Greater Manchester, alongside other community interest organisations such as Farm Urban. Of course, FungALL provided some delicious Manchester-grown mushrooms into the mix and some of the fresh produce came direct from Gwafuvegan HQ’s allotment as well!
Photo credit: Jessica Bennett - representative of Manchester Climate Ready Youth Board
Safe to say, the event was a huge success…
“It’s all coming together and my heart is so full! It’s been a huge passion of mine to run dinners like this, to make spaces accessible to everyone and ensure people from all backgrounds can sit together and enjoy a meal.”
- Ngwafu
“We couldn’t stop smiling all night.”
- Nort
This is just the beginning of what should be a truly exciting journey of future community dinners and accessible skill sharing, we can’t wait to see what comes next!
Curious to find out more? Give them a follow on Instagram: @4all.mcr
Sustainable Threads
We were delighted to be able to support the creation of Sustainable Threads in 2025.
Sustainable Threads is a grassroots, community-led initiative that empowers asylum seekers and other marginalised groups through free, practical workshops focused on clothing repair, upcycling and sustainable living.
Through our Community Support initiative, we worked with Ghada to deliver a series of sewing workshops and host a pop-up repair event at Manchester Museum. Since that time, Ghada has been able to secure some additional funding to continue the great work and is now looking for other funding opportunities to ensure this important initiative continues.
Ghada told us:
“In Our Nature significantly helped me to get the idea [for Sustainable Threads] off the ground. I am pleased to say that we have been able to continue the project initially supported by In Our Nature, as I was awarded Kickstarter funding from the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Manchester, which has enabled me to keep running the workshops and introduce themed sessions.
In the first cohort the facilitator taught participants the basics of creating and designing new patterns, and the group successfully produced their own skirt or vest designs using measurements and drafted patterns.
We also held a Christmas celebration to mark the cohort’s achievements, and I am now seeking further funding to expand Sustainable Threads and reach more participants”.
We’ve seen the significant impacts that projects like Sustainable Threads can deliver for Manchester’s communities.
If you’re interested in finding out more or could support Ghada to continue this important work, please reach out directly: ghada.soliman@manchester.ac.uk
Chorlton Repair Café
Back in 2025, alongside Stitched Up and a team of dedicated volunteers we helped restart Chorlton Repair Café and we’re so pleased to see that it’s still going strong!
Mark told us:
“We're aiming to grow again this year by getting more volunteers and more repairs done each session. We're already getting around 30 items come in each session - we'd especially like more people to bring in their clothes for our amazing repairers and their bikes for a springtime fix-up!”
Give Chorlton Repair Café a follow on Instagram: @chorltonrepaircafe and take your broken items to be repaired every 2nd Saturday of the month at St Margaret’s Centre, 10am - 12pm.
Openshaw Repair Café
Last year we supported Tom to set up a brand new community-led Repair Café in Openshaw!
We’re really pleased to see that ReVamp Repair Café is still running, offering free repair services at Grace Life Church, Openshaw between 10:30am - 12:30pm every first Saturday of the month - make sure to check them out!
Tom and some of the Revamp volunteers also recently offered their expertise at RepairFest - the biggest Repair Café Greater Manchester has ever seen, hosted at Gorton Monastery.
Give Revamp Repair Café a follow on Instagram to be kept up with all the latest: @revamp openshaw community
In Our Nature Rusholme
Back in 2021 we helped to establish a local group of volunteers in Park Crescent Circle which has continued to flourish as a result.
Work by students, residents and community groups to transform the space has included: litter picks, park maintenance, tree and flower planting, and allowing parts of the park to rewild, with new volunteering sessions running every first Sunday of the month, 10:15am - 11:30am.
And this amazing work doesn’t stop at Park Crescent. In Our Nature Rusholme have also been working collaboratively to help create a ‘wild neighbourhood’ in the surrounding area; supporting local nature recovery proposals and green corridor development, as well as supporting greening and engagement activity in the nearby Platt Fields Park.
Take a look at their Facebook page to be kept up to date with all the latest: In Our Nature Rusholme
The Green Superheroes
We loved working with Future Directions’ Green Superheroes to develop some energy saving resources for adults with additional needs. Check out their workbook and energy saving video on our Resource Hub!
Since their project with us, The Green Superheroes have secured funding from the GMET Renew Community Fund to continue their arts and crafts sessions and litter picks.
Future Directions CIC are continuing their workshops for people with learning disabilities and autistic people with a focus on re-using, repairing and re-purposing. They’re setting up Repair Cafés and Swap Shops with Stitched Up at the River Beal Café in Milnrow and at the Sale Moor Community Centre and are partners in the ‘All Our Voices’ project - making sure that the views and ideas of people with learning disabilities and autistic people are included in climate change conversations.
Give them a follow on Facebook: Future Directions SPICE Group
Love Manchester? Us too!
Follow us on Instagram as we share stories we love from across the city and ways that you can be part of Manchester’s climate movement too.