By Andrew Gwynne MP
TIME is an incredibly valuable resource. We’ve only got so much of it, so naturally we are all keen to use it as best we can.
This has not always been easy over the past year when we have had to spend a lot more of it than we would like in our own homes.
Nevertheless, in my view, one of the best ways to spend time is volunteering – working with others to try to improve the world around us.
This is exactly what the new volunteer group the Friends of the Tame Valley is trying to do, and I am proud to be secretary of the group, part of a fantastic team led by our chair and Denton North East councillor Denise Ward.
We are a growing group of residents who are all passionate about protecting and preserving the beautiful green spaces of the Tame Valley. Specifically, we are caring for the sections from Shepley Wood, Audenshaw, through Jet Amber Fields in Denton and Hyde and running into Upper Haughton and Whittles Meadows to Mill Lane, Haughton Green.
We have only been a formal group for one month, but we have already collected more than 200 bags of rubbish and we have big plans to secure improvements across the area.
We were delighted to hear recently that our bid for funding from the Bradley Park Community Fund has been successful. This will allow us to carry out maintenance work, habitat renewal, and restore paths, signs and fences in part of the valley.
We will carry on doing whatever we can to improve and maintain these green spaces so they can be enjoyed for many generations to come.
But it is not just the Friends of the Tame Valley. As an MP, I get the privilege of meeting all sorts of volunteers right across the constituency.
Whether they are volunteering for foodbanks, local history groups, community libraries or anywhere else, they are making a positive impact for the wider community.
I have celebrated some of their work through my Citizen’s Award, but really this has just been the tip of the iceberg when it comes to local people helping each other out.
I would love if you could get involved with the Friends of the Tame Valley (if you’re interested then email me at ajgwynne@sky.com) but I think that any volunteering that you’re able to do is fantastic.
Not only is it hugely rewarding for volunteers, but it makes such a huge difference for the wider community. So get out there, within Covid guidelines, and get volunteering.