Community Gardening
Nature Based Workshops

About Us

Give it a Grow Wigan  (2021) is a community group led by The Community Patch CIC (2025). We bring people together through gardening, nature and practical environmental action in Wigan Borough.

Over the years, our activities have grown and are much more than growing plants. We create opportunities for people to connect with others, improve local green spaces, learn new skills and hopefully make Wigan Borough a better place for both people and wildlife.

Everything we do is community-led, non-profit and non-political. Whether someone joins us for a litter pick, helps maintain a community garden or attends a workshop, everyone is welcome.

Since launching, we’ve grown from a small volunteer group into a wide range of community projects, helping hundreds of people get involved with nature while creating habitats for pollinators and other wildlife.

Ali and Victoria
Give it A Grow Team

Our Story

Give it a Grow Wigan began in 2021 when two friends, Ali Ball and Victoria Finch, decided it was time to turn years of community and environmental volunteering into something bigger.

Not long afterwards, Michelle Leyland and Dawn Moorhouse joined the group, bringing the same enthusiasm and commitment. Together, the four of us have continued to shape and grow the organisation.

Ali had previously supported her daughter Ember’s #JoinEmber campaign, which encouraged people across the borough to recycle more and take part in litter picking to help protect local wildlife. That spirit of encouraging others to take action has always been part of Give it a Grow.

We started with a simple belief: environmental issues aren’t just something that happens somewhere else, and someone else’s responsibility. They’re happening here too, and small actions taken together can make a real difference.

Gardening is one of the easiest ways to improve places for wildlife, support biodiversity and bring people together. That idea continues to guide everything we do today.

Vic & Ali