New Levenshulme Business - Manchester VW Campers

News reaches LoveLevenshulme Towers (well, mine's a terrace) of another home-based business in Levenshulme - Manchester VW Campers.

The service allows users to hire and self-drive an original VW Camper van to holidays, festivals, camping trips, whatever takes your fancy. They have one van at the moment - an original 1970s model called Tommy who will be shown off at their launch night on Friday 3rd December.

Glossing quickly over the fact that the launch will be in the Nip and Tipple in (whisper it) Chorlton, there is plenty of incentive for Levenshulme residents to make the journey and meet the team behind the vans. For a start, Tommy, the star of the show, will be in attendance.

Not only that but, in keeping with Tommy's heritage, there will be a 1970s theme, with disco and funk courtesy of DJ Claud Cunningham and exciting theme-friendly food - think cheese and pineapple hedgehogs and Angel Delight. And of course no 70s party is complete without a fancy dress competition - with great prizes on offer, including a weekend away in Tommy.

The evening kicks off at around and all the info about Tommy, hire prices and contact details can be found on the Manchester VW Campers site or by following @mcrvwcamper.

Oh and the flyer you see above comes courtesy of Levenshulme resident Emily Pitts - go, local economy!

Levenshulme Christmas Craft Fairs Continue

Just a reminder to one and all that the second of Levenshulme's seasonal craft fairs will take place tomorrow at Levenshulme Library. All the details on timings and location can be found here and more info on the traders and goodies on offer are on the craft fair Facebook page.

Art Auction at POD

POD, being the artistic types they are (and soon to have their walls adorned by the winners of our photography competition) are hosting an auction of art work by Levenshulme-based creatives (oh, OK, there are some non-Levenshulme based artists too) this Friday, 26th October from 7.30pm.

On offer will be works by, amongst others, Wolfgang Webster, Emily Pitts, Pete Marsh and Ed Sprake. It's a great is chance to invest in the Levenshulme art scene (is it a scene? OK, that might be pushing it...), snap up some unique, local, Christmas presents AND proceeds from the sale go to MacMillan, so any overspending guilt can be easily offset by telling yourself it's all for charity!

Most of the pieces are available to view now in the upstairs gallery and, while you're at it, why not have a coffee downstairs in the cafe - rumour has it that mince pies are now available alongside their usual multitude of yumminess.

Hand-Made@Inspire

More wonderful Levenshulme craftyness kicks of tomorrow at Inspire with the first of five hand-made Christmas workshops.

Participants of all ages are invited to bring and share materials and ideas for all things festive - Christmas cards, gift boxes, perhaps even some winter watercolours.

The workshops are organised by Stacey, the secretary of Bankley Studios and Gallery. She's aiming for a positive and collaborative community atmosphere which is, well, it's exactly what we like around these parts and exactly what Inspire is about (my love of Inspire and all they do is bordering on POD levels, now, such is the great stuff going on there).

The two hour workshops are timed so that as many people as possible can join in and participants are asked to make a contribution of £7.50 towards the cost of materials (or £6.00 if you're already super crafty and have your own).

Session dates and times are listed below - to book your place contact Stacey on 0161 221 5171 or email stacey@sams-art.co.uk.

Wednesday 24th November - 2.00pm
Saturday 27th November - 4.30pm
Wednesday 1st December - 10.00am
Saturday 4th December - 4.30pm
Wednesday 8th December - 10.00am

Levenshulme Creative on Flickr

As a response to the LoveLevensulme Levenshulme Festival photography competition (we never did get that snappier title – LLLFPC just doesn’t cut it, somehow), local photographer Ed Sprake (whose work will be on sale at the Portico Library craft fair from 15th November) has kindly set up a Flickr group for you to post your snaps of Levenshulme.

The group can be found here and is open to anyone to add their photos or digital images related to Levy. As Ed puts it, Levenshulme is “very inner-city, but has some lovely green spaces and a burgeoning creative community. As part of the Irish quarter, it also has a good deal of pubs...” so hopefully if the nice parks don’t inspire, you a few jars will.

There are also message boards to discuss creative projects and other Levenshulme happenings (although, really, you should be telling us about those too!).

Levenshulme Craft Fairs – Weekly For Christmas

In the run up to Christmas and in the light of their roaring success over the last few months, the Levenshulme Craft Fairs will be held every week for 3 weeks from Saturday 20th November.

The venues and timings are as before and the fairs will showcase 15 designers, makers, bakers, fashion designers, printers, painters, sewers and knitters with some beautifully hand made products. All without the hassle and crowds of the city centre.

The dates for your diary:

Saturday 20th November 2010
Saturday 27th November 2010
Saturday 4th December 2010

Selling on the Web - Longsight Library

Longsight Library are hosting a sequence of free training events for budding internet entrepreneurs - perfect for all the Levenshulme crafty types who'd like to move their business online.

The course is free and is run by the Manchester Digital Development Agency. Now it is in its fifth year the course covers a diverse range of topics, from creating a good commercial site and choosing ecommerce systems to AdWords and SEO.

The workshops start on Monday November 15th 2010 and run from 5.45pm – 7.00pm every Monday for 4 weeks. Participants are asked to attend all dates on the course.

To book telephone the library on 0161 227 3706.

Music Video in Levenshulme

Its amazing what Twitter throws in your direction. Today I saw that Louise Bolotin (of Inside the M60 fame) and Chris Appen had linked to a music video shot in Levenshulme. Obviously being utterly enthusiastic about everything Levy I decided to post this video -



If you are interested Sophies PIgeons are also on Myspace.

Chuffed to see that Levenshulme is in a music video!

Remembrance Sunday

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday. The new church at Inspire emailed us and asked if we would promote their Remembrance Service and because we are ludicrously Pro-Levenshulme, and all that it contains, we agreed.

So, Sunday 14th November from 10am till 11:30am there will be a Remembrance Service. The service is held at the inspire church, which is here. If you have any questions please go to their website and email them, write to them, give them a call or just wander in.

If you are doing anything else for Remembrance Sunday why not comment below and let people know? The only rule is that it must be in Levenshulme!

Levenshulme Film Club - Thursday 11th November 2010

I briefly mentioned the inaugural outing of Levenshulme Film Club here but I thought they warranted a bit more of a write up, having achieved the fairly impressive task of creating a film club in an area without a cinema.

The club has been established with the help of a cash grant from Manchester City Council, allowing them to buy some sexy film showing kit - HD projector, surround sound, the works. The film club is, therefore, a highly movable feast, although for the time being the showings have taken up residence at Inspire. Tom, who runs the club, is the husband of the lovely Kate at Inspire and, having discovered the Chorlton Film Institute, which shows films in a church over in there, got to thinking that it might be a chance to add some more variety into his film watching (he may have made some disparaging comments about Kate's taste in chick flicks but I'm sure this was some mistake on his part) and to hear other opinions. He's very keen to expand the experience beyond just turning up and watching the film and discussion groups seem an obvious place to start, but he'd very much appreciate some help with facilitating or any ideas anyone else might have. You can get in touch with Tom via the group's facebook page.

The club operates as a not-for-profit and is open to all, with film showings costing £3.50 and...wait for it...FREE POPCORN! No need to book either, just turn up on the day before 7.30pm. The first film will be Michael Winterbottom's dramatisation of the Factory Records story, 24 Hour Party People.

Beards at POD

A brief note to let you all know that POD is now the first venue outside of Manchester city centre to stock the Beards of Manchester calendar - a hairy intiative showcasing the city and some of its bushiest inhabitants. The calendars are £10.00 and all profits of the calendar sales go to the Lifeshare charity in Manchester.

We Have A Winners!

Well, after a late flurry of entries and much deliberation from the judges, I can now announce the winners of the innaugural LoveLevensulme Levenshulme Festival photography competition:

Under 12s - WINNER:
Ellie Sluyter - Age 6
The judges were impressed with the capture of a familiar scene and an atmosphere reminiscent of Martin Parr(!), especially from such a young photographer.


Age 12-17 - WINNER
Edward Billington-Cliff - Age 17
A really evocative and atmospheric photo with great use of shadow, framing and colour.

Adults - WINNER
Liam Sluyter - Age 42 1/2
Another win for the Sluyter clan, this shot of Levenshulme station was a clear favourite with the judges, who cited "sense of movement both towards and away from the viewer," and praised the "sense of place and story".

Well done to all our winners and to everyone who entered. The judges were hugely impressed with the standard of all the entries and enthusiastic about the competition becoming a fixture on the Levenshulme calendar. The winning photos will be printed and displayed in POD soon - check here for more details - POD have had a few exciting developments recently and I overdue a post of their very own.

Levenshulme, Spread Your Crafty Wings!

Christmas is coming and Emily Pitts, who recently held an exhibition in POD, is organising a Craft Fair at the Nip and Tipple in Whalley Range Saturday 11th December which she's hoping could become a monthly event. There are still a few spare places for traders and she's been in touch to see if Levenshulme can provide. You know, what with us being all creative and that. There is a small charge for stall holders to cover promotion and styling of the fair. Please contact Emily for more details.

So come on Levenshulme, I think it's high time we started shouting about what we do to the rest of South Manchester! RE-PRE-SENT!

Oh dear. I think I'd better calm down.

PLATT FIELDS PARK BONFIRE NIGHT AND CENTENARY FINALE

So Platt fields is not strictly speaking in Levenshulme. But I am fairly sure it wants to be in Leve. What large piece of park land doesn't want to exist in Leve?

Anyways tonight is Platt Fields Park Bonfire and Centenary Finale!! From 5pm until  9:30pm at Platt Fields will be a bonfire and fireworks, with a difference this year – more and bigger fireworks, some special treats just for the centenary including a host of lanterns made by local children.

The fireworks will be at 19:30pm, with a bonfire at 20:00. There will be hot mulled wine, hot and cold soft drinks, food from around the world and a funfair all evening.

For further information, email: email@plattfields.org.

Levenshulme Director in Sale Theatre Festival

Much as we don't like to talk about "the OTHER places" there are some pretty nifty things going on in the rest of Manchester and some of them cross over into LoveLevenshulme territory:

Waterside Arts Centre in Sale is hosting the Exodus Onstage Refugee Theatre Festival this weekend which features One Night There, a play written by exiled Iranian director Bhean Ali and translated by manchester-based Crystal Stewart.

The play is directed by actor and director Borhan Mohammadi who lives in Levy, having arrived his own eight years ago, aged just 15. Despite a real passion, he had no previous experience in theatre as he said there were no opportunities in Iran. “If you’re not born into a theatre family, then there are not many openings for you. Amateur and community theatre doesn’t really exist.

“Manchester, especially Contact theatre and Community Arts North West has given me amazing opportunities to get involved with theatre. I am now working with the National Theatre of Wales, helping to create a site specific show.”

The play is showing at 8.00pm on Friday 5th November and again on Sunday 7th November at 5.00pm. Tickets can be purchased by calling c on 0161 912 5616.

Take Away - Desi Point

It must be obvious that I am a sucker for take away food.

However, I am a disciplined middle class chap and so I need an excuse for take away. Excuses are easy to find. This week we moved house (we remain in beautiful Levy) and moving house is a cause to celebrate. How do we celebrate in the Simmonds household? Curry. Simple.

So I and two friends went on the hunt for a Levenshulme Curry house and we found Desi Point.

Take away curry is always a lottery. Are you going to get a few bits of chicken floating in a lake of boiling oil that has been dyed orange? Is it going to destroy you from the inside out for the next 48 hours? I approach a new take away establishment with all of these concerns.

However, Desi Point was a successful step of faith! I had a Chicken Bhuna and there was very little oil and a whole range of flavours. I didn't feel sick half way through and was impressed with the quantities.

Lets be clear, it is not expensive and the food is good for the price range. However, I am happily going to make it my local take away.

Does anyone else have some good suggestions for take away in Levenshulme?

Desi Point is here

Record Fair - Levenshulme Library - Saturday 6th November 2010

ALL FM are holding a fund-raising CD/record/book/DVD fair in Levenshulme Library this Saturday, from 10.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00om to 4.00pm (the library closes for lunch, which I think is very sweet and quaint and, as I've pointed out before, a good excuse to go to The Bluebell for lunch or visit Village Stores).

If you would like to donate items for sale take them down to the station on Albert Road any time this week and ask for the duty manager or senior member of staff.

I've been meaning to write a bit about All FM for a while now. The station covers the whole of Greater Manchester, although its focus is on South and East of the City Centre and having a community radio station in our midst is a great thing for Levenshulme, especially one that is so keen to be involved with the local area.

Until recently the station received funding from a variety of public bodies. However, the threshold for privately sourced funding has now been raised so they are looking for ways to involve the folks of Levy and local businesses in their programming. There are a wealth of facilities available at the station and I will endeavour to visit and put together a full report in the not too distant future. In the mean time if you have any ideas get in touch with Jason, the station's Community Radio Trainer (and Comedy Guru, apparently).

Our Lovely Visitor

Much touted on this blog and her own, Sam of mightaswell came to visit us last Sunday as part of her ongoing tour of Manchester's many villages. Her report is thorough and favourable so I'll leave her to do the talking, but here are a few photos I snapped on our tour:

We ate cake

@lauriepink (on whom more soon) drew a naked man

Some cans of Super Skol hid coquettishly behind a phone

We didn't go in here.
But we did go in here.


(In case you were wondering I'm not putting an entry into the photo competition, for fairly obvious reasons of fairness, but I still love Levenshulme and I also like taking photos)

Levenshulme Inspire - Up and Running. And Meditating.

Levenshulme Inspire had it's grand opening this weekend, to much fanfare and with Sir Richard Leese cutting the ribbon. They're off to a great start with bookings coming in for the many rentable community spaces in the converted church. Inspire are really keen to engage with the community and welcome ideas for events - more details of the spaces available are here.

Starting weekly from tomorrow the Social Media space will play host to introductory meditation classes. The classes are open to all and run from 7.30pm. The classes are free although donations are welcome. Phone 07809 612 684 for more details or look out for the posters in Tesco or around Levenshulme.

Thursday 11th November will see the first Levenshulme Film Club night, with a showing of 24 Hour Party People. Tickets are £3.50 and can be booked by calling the Film Club on 07313 461 222 for more details. The showing starts at 7.30pm.