Groundwork
in the Northwest

Local action, regional impact

Improving quality of life from Blackburn to Birkenhead

The Northwest – what’s your view?

“This is a fantastic region. Some of the most vibrant cities in the country, cool cultural assets, growing economy, great environment from Cheshire woodland to Lancashire moorland.”

“The Northwest is depressing. Look at the stats. You die here years younger than in the south. Neighbourhoods where every second house is boarded up and ASBOs are more common than GCSEs. Don’t get me started about the state of the environment”

At Groundwork, we’re passionate about the Northwest. It’s where we began as an organisation and where we focus a large proportion of our work. But we recognise that it’s a region of contrasts with some communities experiencing a much better quality of life and environment than others.

We work with partners to make a difference to local communities and make our vision of sustainable development and better quality of life a reality. We provide locally tailored solutions to a diverse group of social and environmental problems, which impact on economic success.

How we make a difference

Groundwork supports communities in need, working with partners to help improve the quality of people’s lives, their prospects and potential and the places where they live, work and play. Our vision is of a region of sustainable communities which are vibrant, healthy and safe, which respect the local and global environment and where individuals and enterprise prosper.

We work alongside communities, public bodies, private companies and other voluntary sector organisations to deliver projects and programmes that benefit:

people – creating opportunities for people to learn new skills and become more active citizens
places – delivering environmental improvements that create cleaner, safer, greener neighbourhoods
prosperity – helping businesses and individuals fulfil their potential.

Through our work we aim to help people make sustainable development a reality, respecting nature’s limits and supporting the concept of One Planet Living(1)

We deliver projects and programmes, manage contracts and deliver services that can help:

build safer and stronger communities
by engaging with local people and helping them achieve their objectives; improving the environment around housing; delivering community safety measures; greening neighbourhoods and creating community pride

promote health and well-being
by promoting cycling and walking; improving and increasing access to open space; helping people grow food; encouraging people to be active in their communities

support local skills and enterprise
by providing training and work placements for the unemployed; by helping people with long-term health conditions gain skills and confidence; developing employment programmes based around environment and regeneration; encouraging the sustainability of business environments

provide young people with something to do and somewhere to go
by involving them in local regeneration projects; providing activities to divert them away from crime; creating new outdoor facilities for sports and socialising; building their confidence through personal development programmes

reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change
by helping small and medium sized businesses to reduce their impact on the planet; encouraging recycling and resource efficiency; providing sustainable development education within schools, businesses and the wider community; encouraging community-based solutions

(1)One Planet Living is a joint initiative of WWF and BioRegional.

Charity registration number: 291558
Company registration number: 5172628