Volunteers to help make city square 'greener'
Annie Ward, a volunteer from Bingham, said it was a "beautiful thing" to be part of
- Published
A group of volunteers are helping to refresh the Old Market Square by placing 500 plants across the space.
Local businesses and eco-friendly charities have donated more than £1000 to purchase the plants and make the area greener.
People started planting at the Green Hustle event earlier this month, and planted another batch of shrubs this week.
Organisers say it is what the city needs as the square is lacking "vibrancy and colour" since the fountains were switched off.
Jack Harris is the main organiser of the planting
The project was set up by 29-year-old Jack Harris who runs Grow Notts, an organisation that works to bring more green spaces into the city.
He said: "We want to bring more life into the Market Square. It's great for biodiversity and it's great to engage the public in the work we're doing."
Sarah Manton is on the board of the Nottingham Open Spaces Forum, who has been actively involved in the project.
"At the moment, we're all feeling the lack of money in the city," she said.
"I remember when the fountains were here, and sadly, we don't have them anymore.
"We wanted to do something nice for the square and the people who use it."
Volunteers said they wanted to make Nottingham a "greener and healthier place"
Annie Ward from Bingham is one of the volunteers that came along to the planting.
She added: "It's a really beautiful thing to be a part of. You can embrace the outdoors and know that you're making Nottingham a greener and healthier place."
Harris Hanif, 33, came along to deliver food for the volunteers.
He has been volunteering with Green Hustle for three years, and despite just popping by, he still wanted to plant and get involved.
"I feel very privileged to be part of the community," Mr Hanif added. "It's great to give something back to the city."
Nottingham City Council says it supports the initiative and is happy for the group to help make the city greener.
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