Pride of our alley!

YASMINE LEADS AMAZING TRANSFORMATION

- SAFFRON OTTER

A GARDENER has helped turn the alleyway behind her house from a dumping ground into an urban paradise.

Yasmine El-Gabry, 30, would have never considered herself to have 'green fingers. She dismissed gardening as a pastime for 'old people' until she left her home in California for a new life in Moss Side.

Yasmine, a policy officer, moved to Manchester for her post-graduate studies eight years ago and while she chose to stay, she found she craved outdoorspac e. Used to beaches and forests on her doorstep, her next best thing was Platt Fields Park.

Frustrated by the mess of her back alleyway, infested with rats and dirty mattresses, she and a few neighbours began clearing the space and giving it some TLC. Now, roses and honeysuckle have taken over, along with strawberry and cucumber plants - it's Yasmine's special place to relax and unwind.

"I really like being able to come home from work and hang out and potter around somewhere that's nearby," Yasmine said. "It's a nice way to decompress, I really appreciate it." The once grotty ginnel has come a long way from when she and her husband purchased their property on Newlyn Street in 2017. It was in such a state they couldn't step out in it.