An ‘underused’ gardens in York is to be revitalised thanks to a new partnership.
North Street Gardens, which overlook the River Ouse and the Guildhall, is described as an ‘often-missed’ space.
Now volunteering charity York Cares with partner City of York Council is gearing up to breathe life and vitality into North Street Gardens after securing a £6,000 grant from Nature Hubs fund, in partnership with Starbucks.
They say the gardens is “packed with potential for residents, visitors and local workers as well as providing a habitat stepping-stone in the York Green Corridor network”.
The Nature Hubs project plans to bring life back to North Street Gardens, transforming it into a vibrant wildlife-friendly hub; increasing biodiversity, and providing a safe, multi-use space where visitors can enjoy a slice of nature in the centre of the bustling city.
Over the next year, York Cares will work with the council’s environment and communities team and charity St Nicks for the work.
Rich heritage
The charity will host a minimum of five sessions in the gardens. They will tidy up the space, then protect them against the impacts of climate change by planting drought and flood-resilient plants to support and increase opportunities for pollinators and wildlife.
With hanging baskets, this will create pollinator-friendly stepping stones. Each session will involve about eight volunteers.
Later, York Cares will be partnering with York BID to install murals within the garden to add to tell the story of York’s rich heritage.
Laura Williams, assistant director, customer, communities and inclusion at York council, said: “I’m grateful to our partners York Cares for securing this funding and supporting the council to revitalise a valued green space in the city centre.
“Bringing together large city employers and the voluntary sector to add to Council resources shows the power and potential of partner working, and is a great way to improving the gardens and other community resources.”
York Cares manager Holly Hennell said: “We’re delighted to have received funding from The Nature Hubs Fund to support improvements in North Street Gardens.
We did some work in the gardens as part of our Big Community Challenge in 2023 and have since had several volunteer groups undertake work in the gardens.
‘We are very excited that we now have some resources to support this work and make the gardens a vibrant and multi-use space for all to enjoy.”
You can find out more about the project on the York Cares website.