Greater Manchester Probation Trust

Community Payback in Manchester

Community Payback cleans-up Piccadilly

Community payback teams have carried out a major clean-up in Piccadilly Gardens and in streets around Piccadily station as part of a pioneering new scheme.

The teams are offenders serving a community order with a requirement to carry out high profile work that benefits local communities.

The work involved clearing out behind junction boxes, under and around street furniture and behind grilled or recessed parts of buildings. They also cleared out tree pits and tree guards and removed stickers, flyposting and graffiti. The work was done in Canal Street , Store Street and Sparkle Street around Piccadilly Station and in Piccadilly Gardens

Cityco, Manchester’s city centre management company is co-ordinating the community payback campaign with Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Probation Trust.  There are plans for the scheme to be rolled out to other open spaces in the centre and eventually across the entire city. Businesses, residents and partner agencies of the groups involved will be consulted to determine areas where the teams should work.

And eventually it’s hoped that people serving community these orders will be offered training in planning and assessment and business administration skills  and in some cases may be offered work placements.

Councillor Paul Andrews, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services said: “The community payback team will be able to carry out a thorough cleaning of Piccadilly Gardens reaching those areas which can’t routinely be cleaned.

“This is worthwhile work which will benefit everyone who visits, works or lives in the area and will provide meaningful work experience for those serving community sentences."

Gordon Reid, Chief Executive of Cityco added, “ Piccadilly Gardens is one of the most visited areas in the city and this initiative is going to help further enhance that location as an attractive and welcoming space.  
 
“We are confident that the scheme will be a success, so much so that we are already considering plans to roll out the programme to other areas of the city centre.”

Caroline Edwards, Community Payback Manager, said: "A supervisor and teams of between six to eight offenders worked on the scheme, cleaning, picking up litter and removing glass from the area. Following this pilot, we will be meeting with the partnership organisations to discuss further projects."

Community payback cultivates team work in Wythenshawe Park

Manchester’s pioneering community payback teams have been working alongside local groups to carry out a major refurbishment of the horticultural centre at Wythenshawe Park.

The teams, wearing high visibility community payback vests, have been working in the glass houses. With the support of the Friends of Wythenshawe Park Horticultural Centre, they have been painting, planting, refurbishing the water features and installing an information point in the old potting sheds.

A new Environment Factory is also being created where local schoolchildren can get hands on experience of horticulture, growing plants and learning about composting and the environment.

Manchester City Council's executive member for culture and leisure, Councillor Mike Amesbury said: "The horticultural centre is an asset to the park and provides a valuable resource to local schools and the wider community. This work has made the centre even more attractive and accessible to local people."

Ian McDougal, Park Warden, says: ‘We couldn’t have done this work without the Community Payback teams and the huge contribution from the many other groups committed to improving this area of the park. We hope this will be a popular attraction for the children of Wythenshawe and further afield, encouraging them to learn about cultivation and the environment."

Caroline Edwards, Probation's Community Payback Manager in Manchester, said: "A minimum of six offenders have worked in the park six days per week totalling 10,000 Community Payback hours over six months. The offenders are constantly learning new skills and working as part of a team to improve their employability,  with the communities benefiting from the work  they have completed when they visit the park grounds. Community Payback are delighted with the feedback from the park wardens and the friends of Wythenshawe Park and will be continuing to work in the park in the future."

Much of the funding for the re-vamp has been donated by the Friends of Wythenshawe Horticultural Centre either by contributing from their own funds or securing money from local cash grants.

Residents and offenders work together during Crumpsall clean-up

Residents joined forces with a community payback team to clean up the Lion Brook area of Crumpsall.

During a two-day operation, residents and offenders worked side by side to drag rubbish and waste from the brook.

The work was completed in Crumpsall as part of Manchester City Council's Proud Of Campaign and follows consultations between the council and local people.

Under the community payback scheme residents are being encouraged to nominate work they think should be carried out by offenders. To nominate work you can go to www.gm-probation.org.uk where there is a link to community payback and a nomination form,  or telephone the Manchester Community Payback office on 0161 224 0231.

Manchester City Council Deputy Leader, Councillor Jim Battle said: “By working together the residents and the community payback team have made a significant improvement to this area. It shows just what can be achieved through teamwork.”

Diane Sefton, Community Payback Officer, said: “The project has gone really well, the offenders, working with residents, have made a massive difference to the area.”

Caroline Edwards, Community Payback Manager, added: “This is one of many Crime and Disorder respect project's that Manchester Community Payback teams will be working on throughout the city over the next 12 months,  taking on various types of clean up projects to improve communities for  Manchester's residents and visitors.”

The Proud Of Manchester campaign aims to recognise the positive aspects of living in Manchester’s neighbourhoods, encourage sustainability and reward good citizenship. It is a year-long campaign themed around the four seasons with the launch organised to coincide with the start of spring. Throughout the year, various activities have been planned around looking after yourself, caring for your neighbours and your neighbourhoods and helping to ensure your community provides a bright future for the next generation. The campaign also encourages communities, residents’ associations, schools, youth groups, older people’s groups and other organisations to arrange their own events and activities.