The Good Life

We used to have an allotment on the Tonbridge Road site, before it got a bit too much to tackle when our own little "nursery" got established. I guess Miriam was a few months old when we decided to transplant the leeks into our own back garden and abandon the War of the Weeds. We were sad to give it up, though, because for the previous two years it'd been a great place to burn off energy, get some fresh air, improvise fences and, occasionally, grow something to eat.

So I'm mighty chuffed to know that the Levenshulme Community Allotment Project is still ploughing ahead and providing local people with a chance to get back to the land (without the massive time commitment in getting a plot started and keeping it running). Like on Saturday afternoons between 2pm and 4pm when folk can just rock up and get stuck in. (See photos in the gallery below right).

And there's even a Spring Fair this Sunday (5 April) between 1pm and 4pm. You can get in touch with the wonderful Ruth Jacobson (ruthjacobson@o2.co.uk) for more information. Looks like there'll be plenty of stuff for kids to do too (sunflower planting, name the chicken...)

When I went up to take some photos a few Saturdays back, Ruth paused for a moment, looked up from her digging, and said she'd got a lovelevenshulme postcard from someone a while back. So thanks to whoever sent that one.

A chance to get creative on The Loop

I liked the sound of these events when I read about them in the Reporter, so here's Rachel's press release:

The Friends of the Fallowfield Loop Sculpture Project

The Friends of Fallowfield Loop have been funded by the National Lottery through Awards for All for Local Artist Rachel Ramchurn to create a series of public sculptures for the Fallowfield Loop in Levenshulme. These Wood Sculptures will be installed at the beginning of May 2009.

The following free events celebrate these sculptures and the local environment:

Art in the Park: Join in as Community members, professional artists and passers-by construct amazing sculptures using stones, twigs, leaves, grass, mud, wood chippings and other park treasures. Two workshops are being held in Highfield Park inspiring and energising people to care for and protect Highfield Park, The Fallowfield Loop and Levenshulme. Float your sculpture on the pond, hang it from a tree, hide it in the grass or show it off!

Dates: Sunday 5th April, 12.00 until 3.00pm; Sunday 19th April, 12.00 until 3.00pm

Venue: Follow signs to The Picnic Area, Highfield Park, Levenshulme.

Free to all ages. Bring a picnic and your wellies.

Find a site for the Sculptures: Bring your bike and come and help decide where to site the sculptures whilst enjoying an invigorating cycle on the Fallowfield Loop. Suitable for cyclists of all ages and abilities.

Date: Sunday 3rd May, 11.00am

Venue: Meet at the lattice Bridge on the Fallowfield Loop (just east of Broom Lane Bridge)

Free event. Bring your bike!

Teachers Workshop: Free one off session for teachers working in Foundation Stage, KS1 and KS2 offering practical skills and guidance on how you can plan and develop creative sessions for your summer term of teaching which link into other curriculum areas and use the local environment.

Date: 2nd April, 4.00pm-6.00pm

Venue: Levenshulme Baptist Church

For more information or to book your place please email Rachel Ramchurn at rachelclementine@gmail.com

More information about events: Please contact Rachel Ramchurn on 079606 13786 or email rachelclementine@gmail.com. For more sculptures see http://www.rachelramchurn.blogspot.com/. For information about Friends of the Fallowfield Loop please contact Dick Venes on 0161 224 3843 or check out: www.cycle-routes.org/fallowfieldloopline.

The Fallowfield Loop sculpture Project has been devised and led by Local Artist Rachel Ramchurn with generous support from Friends of the Fallowfield Loop and Sustrans. Funded by the National Lottery Through Awards For All.

[Photo courtesy of Rachel Ramchurn.]

Brightening up

I wish I could say that I'd noticed the new mural at the Beliz café as I drove onto the Moseley Road off the Kingsway roundabout, or the opposite way, but somehow I didn't. So it took an article in the South Manchester Reporter yesterday to jog my memory about Liz and Ben's very own art competition to brighten up their own little corner of Levenshulme. (Proof that even the outer edges of Levenshulme are proud to be part of what's going on. No jumping ship to Burnage or Fallowfield for these guys.)

So after topping up the supplies of lovelevenshulme postcards at the Village Stores and Isis Café, and chatting to the Library manager to see if they'd join the growing list of postcard outlets, I biked over there to check it out for myself. And absolutely gorgeous the mural is too. I'll have to wait until the Easter holidays to check out the food (Beliz is only open Monday to Friday) but until then we've got another Levenshulme landmark for our kids to look out for when we're out and about.