Greater Manchester South
Greater Manchester Mayor visits Northmoor Hub and new unit tenants announced
Great Places was delighted to play host to Andy Burnham who recently officially opened Northmoor’s brand new Hub, part of our £400,000 refurbishment project in our anchor neighbourhood.
The five-month renovation project, delivered in partnership with Casey and IGL Surveying Ltd, also saw substantial improvements made to the Iconic Beswick Co-op Building, home to the Northmoor Community Centre and the existing retail space at the front of the building.
Our Community Investment Team also ran a campaign to find organisations to fill two of the retail units, inviting proposals from all sectors and looking to hear from private, public, community and voluntary organisations. The response to campaign resulted in 25 applications, which were finally whittled down to three for residents to vote for two via customer survey.
We’re pleased to announce that Levenshulme Youth Project (LYP) and Longsight Project Space by PROFORMA Arts were the two successful applicants and will be moving into the units.
LYP has been established in Longsight and Levenshulme for over 10 years, and will be using the unit to create a safe, caring, youth-led space where young people can learn, develop and build towards a brighter future. They cater for young people up to the age of 25.
Young people in the area will be able to have a strong sense of ownership of this youth centre, where they can learn a skill, have a voice and make a positive contribution to their communities.
Longsight Project Space will be an accessible space with activities and exhibitions created for, by and with the local community. There will be film screenings, talks, provision of creative workshops and digital skills courses as well as showcasing of art and creativity as ways to improve learning and inclusivity in the area. There will also be a small affordable art shop with souvenirs and LPS will commission socially engaged artworks created by local artists through residencies and research into the area.
Longridge Neighbourhood Update
It’s been a busy few months for the team based at our Longridge Anchor Neighbourhood in Knutsford.
Phil Davies and Collette Blease from the team recently rolled up their sleeves and joined some eager young volunteers and customers Sunday Funday litter pick of the local area. Phil even managed to make it a family affair by enlisting the help of his son Toby. Friends of St John’s Wood provided the equipment on the day and the weather helped to ensure an excellent turnout.
The team set to work and by the end of the day had made a sweep of Longridge and the woods, filling plenty of bags collected the following day by Knutsford Town Council and ANSA.
Along with the litterpick, the team has also been working with Cheshire Police on organising monthly joint walk arounds and visits. Keep an eye out for the next one and, if you see Phil Davies or Cheshire Police walking down your street come out and say hi.
Also don’t forget if you have any concerns you can contact Phil on 07464 676701 or email: phil.davies@greatplaces.org.uk
Salford Team partner with Mancunian Way on project to tackle antisocial behaviour
The neighbourhoods team in Salford has been working with the award-winning charity, Mancunian Way to look to tackle anti social behaviour in the area.
The charity specialises in street-based engagement and looks to target supporting individuals who don’t necessarily want to be engaged but are the most in need.
The initial three-month project has involved Great Places’ Salford team and Mancunian Way working closely in our anchor neighbourhood of Seedley and Langworthy.
The purpose is to share information, identify those involved in antisocial behaviour and to work with those individuals. This approach is different as it looks to get to the heart of the problem in a positive way, reaching those who wouldn’t usually engage with services. To date the project has been well received and is seeing positive results in terms of tackling antisocial behaviour in the neighbourhood.
Remember that if you are experiencing issues related to antisocial behaviour you can report this by contacting our customer service team via our website or by calling 0300 123 1966. For more information on Mancunian way visit: http://mancunianway.org.uk
Love Your Garden create kitchen garden for local hero Margaret Mary
Great Places customer Margaret Mary recently received a surprise visit to her new Salford home from Alan Titchmarsh and ITV Love Your Garden team.
Alan and the team were called in by members of the local community in Salford where Margaret Mary works tirelessly, helping to transform the lives of recovering addicts and people with mental health issues via the community kitchen. Here she manages to provide both food and a helping hand to turn people’s lives around.
The team set to work transforming her outside space – the first garden she’s ever had – into a pretty yet functional space where she could grow food for the kitchen but also relax and enjoy her environment, in thanks for the many people she has been able to help.
However, this extra special garden also had an added stipulation from Margaret Mary, a passionate recycler, that it used as many existing materials as possible to create an eco-friendly as well as organic garden. Alan and the team accepted the challenge and were able to use sustainable timber, used pallets and barrels as planters and even an old bath to create a pond in which to grow watercress!
Margaret Mary, the passionate cook and local hero, was delighted by the results.
“I am absolutely bowled over by what they did, it’s brilliant.”
If you missed it be sure to check out ITV Hub where you can watch the episode that aired on October 28.
Manchester Cares
Manchester Cares is one of the organisations that recently received support through the Great Places Community Resilience Fund.
They work to tackle social isolation by linking younger and older neighbours across Greater Manchester. The community network of younger and older neighbours looks to help tackle loneliness and bring communities and generations together through a variety of projects and activities. These include social events, friendship projects and outreach activities.
If you would like to get involved or receive support from Manchester Care, please contact Community.Investment@greatplaces.org.uk or you can self-refer via their website https://manchestercares.org.uk/home
Welcome gears up to spread some Christmas cheer
The Welcome Café is now back up and running and is gearing up for Christmas and is looking to provide support for local families over the Christmas period.
As well as preparing food parcels for families who need an extra helping hand for Christmas, the centre is also planning on distributing 140 sacks of presents to spread some extra Christmas cheer for children in the area.
Following closures in the past 12 months the weekly schedule of classes and groups is now back up and running, including the Tuesday’s English Group and the Art Group on Thursday. Plans are also afoot to launch a group for parents with children who have additional needs and a parent and toddler support group.
As well as the regular groups, remember that counselling services available are also availble for people who may be struggling and want to talk to someone while they wait for NHS mental health service support. Customers can also access support on housing, benefits and budgeting advice and a range of community support services.
For more information on everything on offer at The Welcome visit https://thewelcome.org.uk
