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More use and care of green and blue spaces

Over 60% of Salford is beautiful green and blue open spaces, from parks, woodlands, meadows and playing fields to wetlands, marshes, canals and ponds. There are countless outdoor places to visit, enjoy and engage with.

These green and blue spaces are essential to the success of Salford and its communities. Not just because of the wide variety of positive environmental benefits, but as they also:

  • Improve quality of life for our local residents and workers.
  • Build a sense of place and community.
  • Promote social integration.
  • Provide opportunities to connect with nature.
  • Boost physical and mental health and wellbeing.
  • Support economic growth.
  • Assist in mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Everyone can benefit from engaging with our local green and blue spaces, from businesses and schools to families and individuals. And we can all help to care for these spaces, enhancing and protecting our local communities and natural habitats.

Connecting with these spaces is important for both our health and wellbeing and the environment.

As a business, encouraging engagement for your staff with green and blue spaces offers many benefits. Time outdoors can provide stress relief, improve productivity and creativity, and when enjoying these spaces as a team, promote greater social cohesions and relations and have a positive impact on team building. Supporting the protection and development of these spaces can also enhance your social value and environmental policies.

Green and blue spaces are essential for:

  • Providing habitats for plants and animals.
  • Mitigating the risks and impacts of flooding.
  • Mitigating air, water and noise pollution.
  • Providing carbon storage and sequestration.
  • Offering relief from high temperatures.
  • Providing opportunities for food production.

There are lots of ways your teams can enjoy the outdoors and support green and blue spaces, ideas include:

  • Having ‘walking’ meetings.
  • Regular litterpicking in your neighbourhood.
  • Partnering with a local organisation that offers volunteer opportunities.
  • Sponsoring a local Eco-School to support their outdoor initiatives.
  • Adopting an allotment space for your business.
  • Organising a tree planting day with City of Trees.
  • Support time out for fitness sessions in parks and green spaces.

Contacts for support

Join us now by pledging to use blue and green spaces more. Make a pledge.