Marks and Spencers and Groundworks turn big on Birmingham

• Mar. 12 by Ben Harrow (0)

With ‘Plan A’  pushing Marks and Spencers towards becoming “the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015”, the good work has started spreading across the Midlands as well.

The 5p charge for all plastic carrier-bags sold in Marks and Spencers now go towards Birmingham-based charity Groundworks, who “work alongside communities, public bodies, private companies and voluntary sector organisations” to create real change in people’s lives through improving their environment.

So far, £2.2 million have been contributed to 61 Groundworks projects all around the country, improving communities with gardens, parks and play areas.

Groundworks first emerged out of the recession of the 1980’s,  when ‘the environment and social cohesion of the country was under threat’.

The first trust was such a success that projects sprung up all over the country, and now the charity are working harder than ever.

Birminghamrecycled have been looking into some of the projects dotted in and around Birmingham, and there is great work being done in Groundwork’s back-yard.

Renfrew Square near Castle Heath is a suburban area with little garden space, but Groundworks are turning unused space into a communal area with trees, shrubs and outdoor seating so that the community has a place to congregate.

Hawbush Community Gardens in Brierley Hill is another project within Birmingham that aims to benefit the entire community with a collective area for people of all ages.

An old urban farm is being turned into a sensory garden and quiet rural area, aiming to provide single mothers and local primary school students with a place to relax in an rural, environmentally-friendly area.

Other places in the Midlands are also benefitting, with Fenton in Stoke-on-Trent gaining an open area to decrease levels of anti-social behaviour and Gilmorton in Leicestershire, just east of Birmingham, receiving a renovation of the centre of their small rural town with fruit trees, garden features and greenery providing a place for the people to enjoy their lush environment.

“We do have local targets, with every store working towards waste and energy reduction targets”

All Groundworks projects work with volunteers from local organisations, councils and the community to benefit the local area, only with council and Marks and Spencers funding.

Marks and Spencers (corporate PR Manager Daniel Himsworth) also told me that “we do have local targets, with every store working towards waste and energy reduction targets, fundraising targets and every store has a ‘Plan A Champion’ to promote local activities and provide a central point in store for Plan A info and news”.

But, Birminghamrecycled aren’t normally so anti-recycling message; if you don’t re-use your Marks and Spencers carrier bags, someone still benefits in a big way, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t re-use your carrier bags!