You’ll find us on the Port Salford Greenway in Winton, just 100mtrs from Cleavley Athletic Track - Follow the Brown signs to the track off Worsley Rd
Full address details at the foot of this page
Winter 2024 - UPDATE - Cleavley Community Forest Garden
Cleavley Community Forest Garden, The Ivy Den Cafe and the 'Garden Shop' are open to the public. Since May 2022 we have been operating our opening days on an alternating short week and then a long week - On a short week we are open Tuesday to Thursday and on the long week we are open Tuesday to Saturday (Check our Facebook for UP-TO-DATE days/times) https://www.facebook.com/IncrEdibleEdu/ or call us on 07711 176064
We are an outdoor space and an ideal location to visit on your daily exercise as we are located on the Port Salford Greenway in Winton. We look forward to seeing you!
Upcoming Events for 2024
easter event at ccfg
Two hours of Easter Family Fun at CCFG on Saturday 30th March from 11am till 1pm. Lots of activities for all the family plus our Easter Egg Hunt where we give away over 100 Easter Eggs, but can you find them? Booking open on Monday 11th March at 12 noon
EVENT IN NOW FULLY BOOKED OUT
Forest Fox Cubs
Forest Fox Cubs returns for the Spring. Don't miss out on this opportunity to meet new friends through our 'Stay & Play' session.
First session is Friday 1st March at 10am
To book you place follow the link below
Schedule Appointment with Incredible Education (acuityscheduling.com)
basic bicycle 🚴♀️ maintenance course
The basic bicycle 🚴♀️ maintenance course at Cleavley Community 🌳Forest Garden🌳. ---- Thursday 14th March 2024
What to check before you ride - How to adjust the saddle, handlebars, brakes and gears - How to mend punctures. Led by a bike maintenance expert, you'll be in a small group with other beginners in a friendly, supportive atmosphere. It's a hands-on session which will give you the confidence and skills to keep your bike on the move. The basic maintenance course is provided at the subsidised cost of £10. To book a place follow this link👇
https://cycletraining.tfgm.com/PublicBooking/Index?v=e063f6df-13ce-4e18-8f09-08dc3230286f&t=&s=&e=
free to access
R4GM - Woodworking Recycle Workshops - Saturdays 17th & 20th Jan, 3rd & 17th Feb and 2nd & 16th March at 10am to 12 noon
The Recycle for Greater Manchester Community Fund is a joint Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) and Suez initiative, administered by the Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF), to support Greater Manchester Community and Voluntary sector groups to deliver projects focused on creative solutions for recycling, repairing or reusing household waste throughout the city-region.
The first series of workshops are focused on the recycling and upcycling of timber into useful items, making a pallet bench, build a vegetable planter to grow your own food in, or make a bug hotel for the garden.
Bug Hotel Workshop
Saturday 16th March - 1pm - 2pm
This is an ideal family activity! - Venue Cleavley Community Forest Garden - Winton - Eccles - M30 8HY
The workshop price of just £5 provides a bug hotel kit for construction, with all the materials required.
If you'd like to make more than one Bug Hotel for your group then please book extra Bug Hotel Kits using the add-on when you get to the next page of the booking process
*All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times
Winton Repair Cafe
Winton Repair Cafe at Cleavley Community Forest Garden is coming soon! Would you like to volunteer on a Saturday morning 10am to 12 noon once a month to help us and our local #community prevent household items going to #landfill?
If you have a skill in repairing and fixing we'd love to hear from you. If we can build a team of local repairers then just image the amount of items that together we can prevent from going to landfill!
If you'd like to get involved and find out more either drop us an email to info@incredibleeducation.co.uk or give us a call on 07711 176064
If you'd like to know more about what a Repair Cafe is then take a look here https://www.repaircafe.org/en/
Forest Yoga
This is a FREE to access activity Funded by NHS Salford ICP with support from Salford CVS. On alternate Saturday mornings from March to November 2024 these FREE to access, one hour, Forest Yoga sessions are available to adults, with no requirement to book – just turn up! You can bring your own mat, or we do have a small number available for use. There are two sessions each Saturday, one at 10am and a second at 11am
NOTE - Some dates may need to change, so for up-to-the-minute info check our Facebook Page
Forest School for big kids
This is a FREE to access activity Funded by NHS Salford ICP with support from Salford CVS.
On alternate Saturday afternoons from March to November 2024, this FREE to access adult Forest School session will offer a variety of forest school activities, including cooking by the fire pit. We will be discussing various environmental issues, such as biodiversity, climate change, global warming, and upskilling people on their knowledge of nature and the environment. Sessions are available to adults, with no requirement to book – just turn up!
NOTE - Some dates may need to change, so for up-to-the-minute info check our Facebook Page
Lots more coming up later in the year including:
Easter Egg Hunt - Booking opens 11th March 12 noon
Incredible Education’s 10th birthday
Summer Solstice Celebration
Teddy Bears Picnic
Pumpkin Palava
Festive event
‘The Ivy Den’ Community Cafe is OPEN
The ‘IVY DEn’ Cafe
Open Tuesday to Thursday on a short week and on the long week we are open Tuesday to Saturday
‘Community Cafe’ serving delicious drinks and snacks!
So here’s what’s been happening over the past few years in reverse chronological order
R4GM - Recycle Project returns
For a six week programme of support people can come along and make things from timber that we get donated. The project, funded by R4GM, is aimed at reducing items going to landfill.
New year 2024
January, the New Year! We had snow in the middle of January, the Forest Garden looked magical.
Festive Event 2023
In excess of 100 mini Christmas (conifer) trees were decorated at this annual festive event. This was our busiest ever FREE community event, so many people and great weather too!
School education programme
Working in conjunction with Costain we visited a school in Wigan to help support them develop their school gardening project
Forest Yoga
In November we started to offer Forest Yoga session on a Saturday afternoon. More Yoga will be taking place in the Spring of 2024
R4GM - Woodwork Recycle
In late October and into November we ran a number of Woodwork Recycling Workshops funded through R4GM. A local community gardening group came along and made several raised beds from pallet wood for their community garden in Patricroft
Pumpkin Palava 2023
Another very successful Pumpkin Palava event, one of many FREE activities that we host throughout the year. Over 100 pumpkins and even more children with families attend the day.
Nw IE Network Celebration
In October we hosted the North West Incredible Edible Network gathering. With IE groups from across the region including Knowsley, Mossley, Handbridge, Salford, Prestwich & District and Westminster Park (Chester)
u3a - University of the 3rd Age visit
In September we were visited by the gardening group from U3A - They had a guided tour and talk, and a lovely brew from the Ivy Den Cafe
Summer Teddy Bears Picnic
In August we opened up the garden for the local community to come along and enjoy a Teddy Bears Picnic.
GMMH - Wellbeing Day
In July we had many visitors, one of those being staff from Greater Manchester Mental Health as they came to see what the garden can offer in terms of mental and physical health and well-being
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month - June
It was great to host a two day event at the Forest Garden with lots of school children visiting the traveler caravan
Summer Soltice
For the first time we hosted a new event, a Summer Solstice celebration. Another FREE to access activity at the Forest Garden
Green Roof won an award
The Green Roof on the new Community Workshop won two awards at the SPRA Awards.
Easter Egg Hunt
April saw our annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Forest Garden. Over 100 children came along to hunt for eggs and enjoy the space at this FREE event
Bug Hotel Workshop
In March we hosted a Bug Hotel Workshop. Lots of families joined us to create mini bug hotels to take home. All built from pallet timber saved from going to landfill!
Green Heart Hero Awards
Director Ian Bocock and Forest School Lead Judith Bocock attended the Climate Coalitions ‘Green Heart Hero Awards’ in February hosted at the Houses of Parliament in London. Incredible Education we’re nominated for the Innovative UK Community Project.
Our Wildlife pond
The pond now has a Dipping Platform and is looking amazing, ready for a biodiversity frenzy, we hope!
February 2023
Green Heart Hero Award
Incredible Education CIC have been nominated for a Green Heart Hero Award for our work INNOVATIVE UK COMMUNITY PROJECT 💚
This recognition shines light on our amazing team of volunteers and staff who have done so much over the past few years to make the Forest Garden what it is today!
Volunteer Celebration
Just some of our amazing volunteers and staff enjoying food and drinks together to celebrate all our hard work during 2022
Santa’s Grotto
For the first time since we opened the Forest Garden we set up a Santa’s Grotto and invited the local community to bring toiletries to Santa, so that we could then donate them to those in need!
The Ivy Den & Garden Shop
As December approached we started to get ready for our festive period at the Ivy Den Cafe and the Garden Shop
Festive wreath making workshop
In late November, we hosted the first of 3 Festive Wreath Workshops. This was a great addition to our income streams and was well received by all taking part
forest school for big kids
In November, after several requests, we continued the Forest School for Big Kids on a Friday afternoon. At each session we cooked by the fire and chatted away
Pumpkin palava 2022
On the 29th Oct 2022 we hosted our 3rd Pumpkin Palava. Over 100 pumpkins were given away to be carved by the local community who came and supported the event
Forest School for Big Kids
In October we launched Forest School for Big Kids as part of our Social Prescribing offer. We sat around the fire eating soup and chatting
Local artist helps us with new signs
Local artist, Bob Berry, who we support by selling his artwork in the Garden Shop has created us some new site signs.
Forest School Programme
We welcome backed several schools into the Forest Garden in September. Cooking by the fireside is one of the favourite Forest School activities
New Lunchtime Menu
Towards the end of September 2022 we launched our first Food Menu from The Ivy Den Café
Living ‘GREEN’ roof
The green roof on top of our new Community Workshop has really taken off (Sept 2022)
September Harvest Time
The food that we had grown in the Community Edible Garden was shared with visitors to the Forest Garden
New Wildlife Pond
Volunteer Trevor started to create a new pond in early September
Summer 2022
The Forest Garden is thriving, the Ivy Den Cafe is busy and we have lots of community engagement.
Official Opening - July 2022
On the 16th of July we had our official opening of the Forest Garden. Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor did the honours. We had over 200 people attending the fun day afternoon including Pam Warhurst of Incredible Edible Network, local MP, Barbara Keeley and Salford CVS CEO, Alison Page
We have our own Decrustate Artwork
Anneli created for us our own piece of artwork which is very similar to the artwork used at RHS Chelsea, and which will soon be at RHS Garden Bridgewater
Living GREEN Roof
Through a donation of time and resources from Sika UK we have a living Green roof on the new Community Workshop - July 2022
New Community Workshop
With funding from NHS Salford CCG and supported by Salford CVS the Big Ideas Fund has been used towards the creation of a new multi use Community Workshop which we hope will be completed in late 2022
Nomadic Artist - Anneli Ketterer
During the Spring months of 2022 we had artist Anneli from the Decrustate Collective resident with us as she prepared artwork collaborating with the local community. The artwork appeared at RHS Chelsea and is to be permanently relocated to RHS Bridgewater in the NEW Blue Peter Garden
Hewlett Packard Volunteer Day
In May early May 2022 we had a group of volunteers from Hewlett Packard help us to clear an area for our new Community Workshop
Easter Event
On the 14th April we hosted in partnership with the Friends of CCFG an Easter Event. Children and families received a FREE Easter Egg and enjoyed lots of seasonal activities
Bike Kitchen - Repair Workshop
Towards the end of March 2022 we had the guys from the Manchester Bike Kitchen running a Bicycle Repair Workshop
Cycle Shelter and Repair station
Worked started in March 2022 on a new facility at the Forest Garden. With support from Salford City Council we now have cycle parking and a bike repair station at the entrance to the Forest Garden
In this short video we have just begun the creation of our 'Learning Zone' raised beds. Listen to the commentary for all the information about what we are trying to achieve
Forest Parties
In March 2022 we introduced our Forest School Birthday Party Packages. The income from these events will help to ensure our sustainability as a social enterprise
Bug Hotel Workshop
In February 2022 we hosted a bug hotel workshop. Families joined us to create simple bug hotels with upcycled pallet wood and natural materials from the woodland
Three Bay Composter
In January 2022 we completed the construction of a three bay composter. We now compost our coffee grind pucks and cardboard cups from The Ivy Den Café
The Ivy Den Cafe
Our on-site café serving hot drinks and cakes is a welcoming place to meet up with family and friends
Annual Festive Event
In December we hosted our Mini Tree Decorating event where families came along and got a FREE mini tree to decorate and take home
Volunteer Celebration Event
With funding from Salford CVS we hosted an event to celebrate the great work that our volunteers do. We shared food and drinks supplied via a local social enterprise
Horticulture Education restarts
After a long absence due to Covid-19 Oakwood Academy students return to the garden
Pumpkin Palava Oct 2021
This was our second Pumpkin Palava following the success of the event in 2020. Local families came to the Forest Garden to carve a FREE pumpkin
Teddy Bears Picnic
The Friends of Cleavley Community Forest Garden held a Teddy Bears Picnic at the Forest Garden. Lots of local families came along to picnic and to enjoy the great outdoors
VEG-UP Salford
In Early September we hosted Cracking Good Food for their VEG-UP Salford Project. The local community where invited to the Forest Garden to take part in a Buritto making session and to access free allotment grown vegetables
The Squash Garden - Aug 2021
This area of the ‘Community Edible Garden’ is full of different squash plants. The food that we grow is shared with the local community
Thursday Volunteering
Our amazing team of volunteers have been very busy around the Forest Garden. In this image they are collecting fallen plums which we then made into delicious jam
Poly-tunnel Built
By mid-July the Poly-tunnel was completed and filled with Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper plants
Cleavley Community Forest Garden in 2021
As the New Year started in 2021 we took the decision to close the site to the public and our volunteer team. Some works did continue on the site with a big focus on getting the new ‘Community Edible Garden’ started. Towards the end of February the Thursday Volunteer Team returned and they have been busy again helping to improve and maintain the Forest Garden. In March we reopened to schools and the public
The Community Edible Garden
Late June and the Sunflowers in the garden are blooming
The Poly-tunnel has arrived!
In June work started on the building of the Poly-tunnel funded by NHS Salford CCG and supported by Salford CVS
More additions to the community edible garden
A large planting bed has been created with the help of our volunteers. A bench has been added to with a space for a wheelchair our child’s buggy so that we can sit and enjoy the space
Update from the Community Edible Garden
Lots has happened over the past 4 months and now the Community Edible garden has food growing in it
Forest School Returns
As lockdown restrictions were lifted in March our schools have returned to participate in Forest School activities
Community Edible Garden
Work started in January 2021 on the new Community Edible Garden. This space will eventually house a Poly-tunnel and a series of raised beds to grow food that will be shared
New Raised Beds
We have created lots of raised beds in which to grow food. The beds have been built from upcycled old timbers from the original post and rail perimeter fence
Contemplation Corner
The Thursday Volunteer team have created a seated area for quiet contemplation
Cleavley Community Forest Garden in 2020
As the Covid-19 Pandemic hit in late March 2020 our plans to launch the new site in May 2020 were interrupted. Project X soon to be known as Cleavley Community Forest Garden was still some way off being ready to welcome the first groups. With the support of Salford City Council, the area that you see in the images below was cleared of several waste piles, the ground was landscaped and a layer of membrane and topsoil used to create a workable space. Over the period of several months, woodchip was spread all around the area to cover the soil, timber raised beds were built as was the Forest School Circle. Then in July of 2020, as the Covid-19 restrictions were relaxed we were able to open up the site to the public. The Forest Garden and the Garden Shop are now open every Tuesday from 1-4 pm and on a Thursday 10 am to 4 pm. From September 2020, local primary and high schools have been visiting the site to take part in both Forest School and Horticulture programmes. A successful Volunteer Group, part of an NHS Salford CCG funded project, supported by Salford CVS has been running from July to October. The group continues to meet and have been helping with further improvements around the site including the creation of lots of pathways.
Morning sunshine on the Forest Garden
This area is used for our Forest School Sessions
The Forest School Circle
A covered area used at Forest School
The Thursday volunteer team
The group was enabled via the Neighbourhood Impact Fund, an NHS Salford CCG funded social prescription project supported by Salford CVS
The Spring of 2020 - Lots achieved but still so much to do!
The journey so far! Some images from 2017 to 2020
The history of the site
Cleavley Community Forest Garden use to be a Salford City Council operated plant nursery until around the early 1990’s when the site became redundant, it had previously belonged to Eccles Borough Council from around the 1950’s. It has been very interesting over the summer of 2020 to hear stories from the local community relating to the old plant nursery and the area around the site. We have been told that prior to the M60 and M602 motorways being built that there were “fields as far as the eye could see”. Many people speak affectionately about the area, and during some clearance of the site we found an old pen with the ‘Eccles Children’s Plant Competition’ written on it. With further research we learnt about the school competition dating back to the 1960s through to the 1990’s when local school children took part in a plant growing competition and the head gardener from the Cleavley Plant Nursery would judge the results. If you have any memories about the site and the surrounding area please do come along and share your history - Here are some pictures taken just before the site was closed, we think 1993-94, including the greenhouse boiler and the pen mentioned above.
Project x - Cleavley Sustainability Hub
For us, at Incredible Education, the sustainability of our organisation has been an ongoing challenge as a “Not-for-profit” or social enterprise. We have been successful in building a sustainable business through a blend of funding and self-generated income.
In 2017 we recognised the need to diversify our work which has led us to Project X (this is our working title, we hope to involve the local community in deciding on the final name for the site), this work was primarily us, as an organisation, implementing a plan to find a new home that would become a thriving community asset offering a range of facilities and activities
In late 2017 we were offered the opportunity, by Salford City Council, to look at the potential of the old Cleavley Plant Nursery in Winton as this new site. A lot has happened over the past years and we are pleased to announce that we are working very hard to achieve this outcome.
Our Progress So far (From 2019)
When we first entered the site, it was difficult to understand the size and the terrain of the space. Although we knew the site was previously a plant nursery there were no images of what it used to look like. It is our understanding that the site closed as a plant nursery in the early 1990s.
In June 2019 we had our first volunteer day to start some clearance of the vegetation, over the following months of July, August, September and October 2019 we had further volunteer groups from Urban Vision, Beechfield Brands and SThree who helped us to open up space and to appreciate the potential of the site.
Some further clearance financed through our partnership with Beechfield Brands as their 1% for the Plant partner we brought in a machine to do some heavy clearance which has revealed a number of the old existing structures, such as the greenhouse bases and storage bays
Building a sustainable business
To ensure that we have a greater understanding of what is ahead we have engaged the services of Pulse Regeneration who are supporting us to create a detailed business plan, financial forecast, impact reporting and support to enhance our governance board. This has been achieved through a successful application to the Reach Fund.
Community Consultation
Through our partnership with the University of Salford we have embarked upon some local community consultation. Students from the university have been meeting with local stakeholders to ask them what kind of community asset they would like to see. We have also started a dialogue with Salford City Council’s Eccles Neighbourhood team so that we can get a clear picture of how our project proposal can support the needs of the local community.
Click on images to expand in full-size.
Phase one of the project (Now achieved)
Phase one is now underway, however, to enable us to achieve this piece of work we need to raise around a further £30,000 which will finance the installation of a secure perimeter fence, the building of a Forest School shelter, a tree survey and tree maintenance, and some further detailed clearance of the site.
All the above is required to ensure the health and safety of visitors to the site as we hope to have achieved by the Spring of 2020 the introduction of our Forest School activities working with several of the local Primary Schools. Our current work with local schools requires the children to be transported by minibus to Worsley Woods. The successful completion of Phase one will create a safe and exciting environment where local school children can walk to the site for their Forest School activities.
Before & After - Arial Image (click to zoom)
Phase Two of the project (Ongoing into 2021) Ideas achieved so far are highlighted
Phase two of the project will require a significant amount of funding, we estimate between £300,000 - £500,000 to achieve our ambitions for the site. Below is a list of the facilities that we’d like to create, these are by no means exhaustive and if you have any suggestions to make then please do let us know by contacting us at info@incredibleeducation.co.uk
Our aim is to create an amazing community asset which when achieved will offer the following and more:
Forest School woodland area to enable the delivery of outdoor activities associated with Forest School education.
Horticulture Education facilities that will enhance the current education programme that we offer via the Open Awards qualifications and courses.
Community growing site in partnership with Incredible Edible Salford – Open to all to enjoy and learn about how to grow your own food.
Community Garden Centre where produce and plants grown via the education programme are sold to create an additional income stream.
Community Café, potentially through partnership working with an established catering company but also supporting education in the catering sector opening up further education and training opportunities.
The ‘Nurture’ Enterprise Incubator - An exciting development proposed for the site is the development of an enterprise incubator which will include small units for rent/ hire, and which could be built on the former glass house area of the site.
Integrated workshops and classrooms that would enable the delivery of other services beyond Horticulture, Forest School and Catering. We currently run a “Working in Wood” group that has already outgrown the site at Tindall St, new facilities would enable this programme of engagement to develop – The creation of these community spaces would also be a potential income stream as space could be rented out.
Teaching space – indoor classroom space – This could be a potential income stream with rooms being rented out to other educational organisations.
Teaching space – outdoor education space that meets the requirements of the horticulture education programme – potential for development of current educational pathway offer.
Indoor Community space that can be used when the classroom space is being used.
Area to host monthly Farmers/Makers Markets.
Outdoor growing space that would be utilised to grow produce that would be given to local food banks or groups similar to Loaves & Fishes.
Café space to include a teaching kitchen – potential here to add catering to our current educational offer.
Wood Working Workshop for our Working in Wood Group.
Retail space for the sale of garden items – a Garden Centre style set-up.
We encourage visitors to the Forest Garden to walk or cycle using the Port Salford Greenway. We don’t have any vehicle access to the site, there is some local car parking with a 5 minute walk