Arts project transforms cannabis plant pots

Greater Manchester Police uncovered more than 120 cannabis plants during a drugs bust in Swinton last month, but instead of discarding the plant pots that the drugs were growing in they decided to put them to good use.

Local officers in Salford teamed up with Salix Homes, Ordsall Community Arts and the Beechfarm Residents Association to organise an arts project for residents living on the Beechfarm estate in Swinton.

Local children painted the plant pots in an array of bold colours and vivid designs and they were handed out to residents to fill with plants during a half-term fun day at Margaret’s Garden, on Kingsley Road, in a bid to brighten up the estate.

The project was partially funded thanks to a grant from Salix Homes as part of our ‘Your Salix, Your Say’ fund, which provides money to projects and initiatives that will help improve neighbourhoods.

PC Iain Fletcher, neighbourhood beat officer in Swinton, said: We had been planning for some time to do a community event to help bring people together and brighten up the estate. Initially we wanted to use hanging baskets, but it was turning out to be quite expensive, so after we did the drugs raid in Swinton I had a bit of a light bulb moment and thought why not recycle the plant pots instead.

This is the first time we have done anything like this, as we would normally just destroy the plant pots recovered in a drugs raid, but it’s great to see them put to good use and all the residents have loved getting involved.

Sue Sutton, our chief executive, added: Salix Homes is delighted to help fund such a fantastic community project through its ‘Your Salix,Your Say’ grant. Our successful grant scheme exists to help fund projects that can make a real difference to an area and the lives of residents and this art project is testament to that.

The cultivation and supply of drugs causes a real blight in our communities, but thanks to Greater Manchester Police, this project has turned a negative into a positive and put the remnants of drug crime to good use.