The sun is shining. Forever Manchester’s Roadshow van is out and about. It must be summer.
Lisa and Vicky are setting up their stall in Ardwick Green Park ready to welcome local residents.
“So why are you here?” I ask Lisa as she arranges a stack of jelly beans.
“We’re here as part of our summer roadshow around Ardwick and Wythenshawe. It’s a fun day out for local people,” she says, “and a chance for us to connect like-minded neighbours.
Read moreAs I push open the workshop door, it’s as if I’ve entered an Aladdin’s cave. Sewing machines stand in rows; textile banners are draped over one another; workstations overflow with embroidered lace, and painted artwork is strung high above it all. This place is a hub of creativity but, as I’m about to discover, it’s much, much more.
Read more“It’s about passing on our experience and what we’ve learnt to others in the community,” Mo tells me.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” I say. “But how did it all start?”
I’m in a Zoom meeting with the founding members of a new women’s group that call themselves the Dynamic Engagement Project. Even the title is exciting. One by one the women unmute themselves to tell me about their plans.
Read moreThe sun is shining and Hartfield Close Allotments are buzzing. The word is out and there’s a queue of residents, all socially distanced, come to collect their sunflower seeds.
“It’s like a celebration of new beginnings,” says Lisa from Forever Manchester who hands sunflower packs to a couple of boys. “People are really enjoying coming out, and I’m loving being back in Ardwick again after all these months.”
Read more“It’s been a tough year,” says Ardwick food teacher Haydn Bettles. “We could all do with being cheered up.”
Haydn has been inspired to create a sea of sunflowers around his school and is encouraging others to get involved too. “Each of our schoolchildren will plant a sunflower seed to bring joy and happiness… and serve as remembrance as we slowly emerge from the pandemic.”
Read moreThis time on a Monday morning the foyer of Brunswick Church would normally be buzzing. There’d be people getting help on the internet, some finishing a woman’s group and others just chatting over a coffee, maybe waiting for the free lunchtime service to start. But, of course, things have changed.
It’s not totally quiet. Behind the closed shutters I can hear lots of activity in the kitchen and, on this side, community resources manager Mo Blue is wrapping pieces of chocolate brownie. Volunteer Garry is here too, stacking takeaway cartons of chick pea curry.
Read moreI first met Zaman during the first lockdown when I was volunteering for the Ardwick and Longsight Mutual Aid Group. Zaman runs the Work for Smile charity in Longsight, a food distribution project for people in need.
Work for Smile is part of a food support network which had been providing hot meals at the Qadria Jilania Mosque in Longsight since the start of the pandemic.
Read moreWhen a call was put out asking for volunteers Denise was all for it. “I’d never done any radio broadcasting before,” she recalls. “I really liked the sound of it.”
That was back in 2017 and the Wai Yin Society were partnering with community radio station ALL FM 96.9 to start a weekly programme for the Chinese community in Manchester.
Read moreThis summer I’ve been thrilled to witness the opening of West Gorton Community Park, writes Groundwork’s Amy Wright, a brand new park in the heart of Ardwick. It’s not your average park. Yes there’s a play area, grass and trees, but also a whole host of innovative features to combat climate change in our cities.
Read moreIt was January when I last met Raph Mondale serving lentil, chick pea and yam stew at his store opposite the O2 Apollo in Ardwick. His ARMR store is part café, part health food shop, workspace and art gallery. Back then I was taken by his commitment to support the community ahead of making a profit.
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