Manchester Goes Green For This Years Dig The City

The biggest urban gardening festival starts in Manchester today. Dig the City is an annual event which hopes to get people out and enjoying the garden all year round.

Celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin is in town and told Key 103 News that Britain has a great climate for gardening. We spoke to him at the Deansgate Castlefield Tram stop which now boasts a huge ‘living wall’ with plants and flowers, while trams passing through the stop appear to move along a bed of grass thanks to blocks of sedum planted between tracks – which are already teeming with wildflowers.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has developed the stop as part of the Metrolink expansion programme, giving it two new green slate paved platforms, a brand new line of track and much improved access and passenger facilities.

As part of the unique green theme, two huge new passenger shelters cast shadows of leaves on to the platforms, which are surrounded by extensive landscaping.

After a tour of the stop, Diarmuid said: “What a fantastic entrance to Manchester Deansgate-Castlefield makes.

“It’s great to see something as functional as an urban tram stop transformed into a green space. The landscaping has clearly been at the heart of the design and it’s a great example of how, with a little thought, our public spaces can go green.

“I’m sure bringing nature in to the stop is brightening up the daily commute for tram passengers here in Manchester.”

Peter Cushing, Metrolink Director for TfGM said: “We’ve had fantastic feedback from passengers on the new-look Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop and it’s great to have Diarmuid give it his seal of approval too.

“We wanted the stop to really stand out and I think it’s fair to say we’ve achieved that. The living wall, trees, plants and sedum panels all come together to offer a unique, green and pleasing entrance to the city.”

Work is currently underway to install a new set of stairs and passenger lift at the Deansgate end of the stop, while a brand new set of steps at the First Street end of the stop is due to open in coming weeks, with the old stairs being removed.

Dig in the City – the seven day summer festival that transforms Manchester city centre into a giant green garden party with a network of living, green streets – takes place from Friday 31 July to Thursday 6 August. Find out more about a week’s worth of pop-up picnics, music and markets at www.diginthecity.co.uk.