Levenshulme Photo Competition 2011 - ENTRIES NOW OPEN

Well....some of you might've noticed that the photo competition is listed on the Levenshulme Festival website so I thought I should really pull my finger out and get things moving. The even keener-eyed amongst you might even have spotted a secretive sounding NEW event for this year – I'm still ironing out the details for that but keep your eyes open and you should see an announcement on here very soon. But for now...drum-roll please, start up the trombones, awaken the Nordic choir...it's...

The second annual LoveLevensulme Levenshulme Festival photography competition (basically it's going to keep going until someone suggests a less cumbersome name – I put this challenge out last year – PLEASE someone come up with something that is less trouble for me to type). Wahooo!

There are a few changes this year but the basics remain the same:

Between now and Sunday 6th November I will be taking digital photo submissions from children, teenagers and adults. To enter all you need to do to enter is email your photo to lovelevenshulme@gmail.com along with your name, age and contact details. Please put “Levenshulme Photo Competition” in the subject line of your email.

And in exchange? Well, a good competition needs prizes and so far Levenshulme Festival have very kindly agreed to print up the winning photos and Inspire will be hanging them in the Bubble Cafe for the next year. Now that's a great prize and obviously, the fame, glamour and notoriety that comes with winning such a prestigious competition (National Geographic are fairly quaking in their boots) is worth it alone but I'd love to offer our winners some extra prizes too – are there any locals (residents, traders or organisations, maybe) out there who might be able to offer us something extra? The quirkier and un-photo related the better, I say.

I will also post the winning (and other notable) pictures on the blog and ask the photographer to share a little about what inspired them and winning and short-listed entries will be featured on Levenshulme Daily Photo.

Of course there has to be a theme and, being a fan of compilation albums (and, I admit, a bit stuck for theme ideas that aren't too limiting) I'm asking for photos to be taken to around the concept of “The Best of Levenshulme”. You can interpret that how you wish although I would ask that photos are taken in Levenshulme and the judges will be looking at how well your photo reflects the theme.

Ah, yes, the judges! I’m pleased to say that I’ve once again secured the judicial services of the folks behind both Levenshulme Daily Photo, who have very kindly agreed to give their time to sift through all the images.

I’ve also taken the decision to keep the competition open to Levenshulme residents and non-residents alike, so hopefully there'll be lots of entries from non-residents who have taken the time to visit Levenshulme and see what we have to offer (any non-residents reading this looking for ideas on what to do in Levy, there’s this blog you might’ve heard of...). That said, I’ve had ample opportunity to witness the talent and creativity of Levenshulme-folk over the last year or so and I'm holding out high hopes for the Levenshulme entries. Please send a link to the competition to your camera-happy friends who are unfortunate enough not to live in M19.

Details follow on procedures, terms etc. Please read them before you submit an entry. If I've missed anything or you have a question or even if you just want to say hello (hello!) email lovelevenshulme@gmail.com.

Deadlines
Deadline for entries is 11.59pm on Sunday 6th November 2011. No entries will be accepted after that time and the judges’ decisions are final.
Image manipulation
Try to keep image manipulation or cloning to a minimum, I think Levenshulme is gorgeous without airbrushing!
Categories
There are three categories - under 12s, ages 12-17, adults (18 and over). Please remember to state your age (or the age of your child) when emailing your entry.
Number of entries
You can enter as many images as you want. Not too many though. I do have a day job.
Legal(ish) stuff for you (boo!)
Your entry must be your own original work, must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use and must not otherwise be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations.
You will retain copyright of your entries at all times and will always be credited alongside your picture.
Legal(ish) stuff for us (even bigger boo!)
By entering you grant us a non-exclusive license to display your photograph in connection with the competition. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image. Under no-circumstances will I use submitted images for commercial gain unless it has been agreed on a case by case basis with the photographer.

Levy Tweetup - Levenshulme Festival Edition

It's that time again - Levenshulme Festival rolls into town (well, suburb) from Friday 21st October to Sunday 6th November 2011 and since we are looooong overdue a Levenshulme tweetup I thought it was timely to schedule another one during the festival on Thursday 3rd November 2011.

For the uninitiated tweetups (i.e. Twitter meetups and, trust me, that abbreviation isn't popular on Twitter either) are a chance for users of Twitter to get together, meet face to face and discuss all things social media and...non-social media. We have a really active Twitter community here in Levenshulme and the three so far (or four...I lose track, maybe something to do with the beer consumed in-tweetup) have been really well attended and very very friendly. We welcome new attendees with open arms too, so if you've never been to a tweetup before or you're new to Levenshulme please do come along and say hello.

The format is well set now and I'm not about to change it: proceedings will kick off at 8.00pm at The Bluebell, Levy's friendliest (and cheapest) boozer and will go on late into the night. But not too late -some of us have to go to work in the morning*.
*Famous last words.

Local Visit Part Two - Clock Wood Interiors

My second (and final - hey, look, I'm busy and here's only so much wanting-of-stuff I can take in a single day) stop on my visit to local traders a few weeks back was to newcomer on Levy High Street - Clock Wood Interiors. Based at the old police station, next door to the Antiques Village, Clock Wood opened at the beginning of the summer and is run by Paula Acton, with a little help from dad Dave (both pictured above).

The shop stocks a great selection of contemporary and antique home-wares as well as one-off and restored pieces of furniture, including some great Amish pieces and solid oak tables and dressers. The shop is a real treasure trove and the prices are fantastic - I saw some cute spotty crockery for only a few quid. The shop features a range of ex-display items meaning you can get good quality, solid wood furniture for a fraction of the high street price.
The shop is open throughout the week and their stock can be seen on their site - www.clockwoodinteriors.co.uk.

Levenshulme Players

I mentioned Levenshulme Players a while ago but over the last few weeks they seem to be cropping up all over the place (which is a good thing, in my book) so I thought it was high time I found out a little more about them and told you (that, you might perfectly reasonably point out, is exactly what I'm supposed to do here so I guess I don't get any bonus points for this. Pah).

The players is an amateur dramatics group who formed in January this year as a collective who wanted to get Levenshulme laughing (apparently my typos on here aren't enough). Since then they have developed quite a body of work, including:

• Recording and had broadcasting a radio murder mystery written by resident Malcolm Cowen
• Recording a second radio play which will be broadcast later this year
• Rehearsing Alan Ayckborn's Absent Friends which will be staged in March 2012
• Creating a murder mystery evening for Inspire – more details here
• Devising a play reading with audience participation to be stages as part of this year's Levenshulme festival on 30th October at M19

Quite a lot for just over 9 months, really, which is a testament to the players and their leader Beryl Beryl Cowen. I'm sad to say I've not had a chance to see the Players in action yet but if any readers would like to post a review I'm happy to put it up here.

The group have a website - www.levenshulmeplayers.co.uk - and meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm, so if you'd like to get involved contact Beryl on 0161 225 4674 or email her at beryl@cowensw.co.uk.

Local Visit Part One - Fat Frank's

Having been blessed with the rare luxury of a full weekend at home, last week I took the opportunity to poke my head round the door of a few local traders for a chat, the first being one of my personal favourites, Fat Frank's.

Fat Frank's, run by the not-so-fat-if-you-ask-me Frank and less-camera-shy Marie (pictured above) sells original 20th century prints, posters and antiques and is based in the Antiques Village.

Frank and Marie have been dealing in antique and decorative items in Manchester area for over 20 years and their main activity has always been in pictures although they always carry stock of smaller decorative pieces including some stunning mid-century home-wares I have my beady eye well and truly trained on for Christmas.

The stock in the shop is unusual and stylish, from prints by local artist Sanley Chow to a poster from the retrospective exhibition of Gilbert and George's work at Tate Modern in 2007.They also do a neat line in reclaimed bus destination signs from Hong Kong and Manchester, including the one below which I’m amazed hasn’t been snapped up by a resident yet (disclosure: I want this. Badly).


The shop is open Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays 11.00 am to 4.00pm and work can also be bought online at www.oppart.co.uk. The team are keen to be involved with the community so if you call into the shop please do mention that you read about it here.

Bankley Studios Out and About

Following on from their Open Studios sessions last weekend Bankley Studios and Gallery are exhibiting work by their resident artists at a number of venues around Levenshulme until the end of September. Pop down now for a chance to see work by the artists who live among us in Levenshulme:

Valerie Clarke at Inspire
747 Stockport Road Levenshulme

Stacey Coughlin at POD
30 Albert Road Levenshulme

Marnie Matthews, Carolyn Curtis-Magri, Philip Kennedy and Gary James Williams at Isis Café
910 Stockport Road Levenshulme

James McSharry at Union Inn
845 Stockport Road Levenshulme

For more information about any of these events or the studios visit www.bankley.org.uk, email info@bankley.org.uk or call 0161 256 4143.

Eco Street Grants

Eco Street grants are now available to Levenshulme street groups or residents associations interested in reducing the carbon footprint of our neighbourhood. Levenshulme has a growing reputation for community activism and an interest in all things green so it would be really good to see groups building on this, with the help of the council.

Eco Streets is a community grants programme open to all local groups and residents in south and central Manchester, funded through Manchester City Council. Grants of up to £2,500 are available for projects as diverse as:

• Tree planting
• Green roofs
• Reducing hard landscaping
• Energy efficiency improvements such
• Food growing projects
• Rain water harvesting
• Recycling and composting schemes

The closing date for applications is Monday 31st October. Further details and a copy of the application form can be found at www.northwest.groundwork.org.uk.

Murder in Levenshulme

Levenshulme Players, in association with Great Places Housing Group, are calling all amateur detectives to the first ever murder mystery night at Inspire on Saturday 24th September. Can you solve the case and claim the reward?

Tickets are £15.00 and include a three-course meal, as well as a licensed bar and raffle and the evening will last from 7.00pm to 10.00pm. All funds raised will be divided between the Players and Inspire.

For more information contact Sarah on 0161 447 5120 or Heika on 07579 008 189

Bankley Open Studios and Hung, Drawn and Quartered

Bankley Studios are once again opening their doors this weekend for their annual Open Studios days. Bankley's 33 artists will be showing work inside their studio spaces, as well as a fantastic exhibition in the gallery space – Hung, Drawn and Quartered - a selection of artworks by artists from Liverpool-based Arena Studios & Gallery. The exhibition will continue to hang every weekend until 2nd October, with entry free to all.

The studios will be open this Saturday and Sunday from 11.00am – 5.00pm each day and Bankley are holding a special preview event from 6.00pm this Friday with refreshments and a DJ. For anyone wanting to bring children along to the Open Studios day time sessions, Stacy Coughlin will be holding mini-workshops in her space (studio 11) to keep them entertained and creative for a little while.

The Studios are located just on Bankley St, just off the A6, near Tesco and Iceland. On-street car parking is available around Bankley Street and Chapel Street.

Levenshulme Festival - Last Chance for Listings

As I mentioned a month or so ago, Levenshulme Festival, which is now in its 13th year, is fast approaching and you now have just 24 hours left to list your event for this year’s festival in the printed guide. Listings are free of charge and organizers need the following information for inclusion:

• Date of event
• Type of event (see below for details of categories)
• Time of event
• Event venue address and name
• Contact telephone number
• Any other details
• .jpg file if you would like a picture accompanying your listing.

Lots of events have already been submitted and can be viewed at the festival website. Events for inclusion in the guide should be emailed to rockfest24@hotmail.com.

I’m hoping to pull together some good LoveLevenshulme events for the festival soon and will let you know as soon as they’re confirmed and I will be previewing my pick of the listed events at the start of October – let me know if there’s anything you’d like us to cover – lovelevenshulme@gmail.com.

Listing categories:
Arts - This includes Art/Photo Exhibition/Workshops - Literature Events - Poetry Events - Plays
Dance - Any kind of Dance Event/Workshop
Sport - Any Adult Sport
Childrens Sport - Any Sporting event aimed at Children
Childrens Event - Any event aimed at Children
Community event - Such as over 50's clubs, Halloween walks, Party in Park Event - Open Days
Live Music - Any event which involves live music
Pub & Club - Quiz nights, club nights, Karaoke etc
Food - Cake competitions, food tasting evenings, Themed nights like Caribean night etc

Inspire Ideas Night

Inspire, Levenshulme’s award-winning community space, are hosting their second ideas night and ideas forum this Wednesday, 14th September. The meeting starts at 7.00pm and aims to capitalise on the lst event, held in July, where ideas for how to make the centre even more relevant to everyone in our community were put forward. Everyone is welcome to attend to discuss and propose new cutting edge ideas about how Inspire’s space can be used to entertain, educate or service our community.

The format for the evening is as follows:

7.00pm – Ideas - a chance to discuss and propose new ideas and plan together how to bring them about.
8.00pm – Refreshments
8.15pm - Forum – discuss how the Centre is being run and how we can develop the Forum’s role at Inspire and engage the wider community
9.15pm – Close

The centre is now so much a part of Levenshulme that it’s hard to believe it’s less that a year old, but it’s true – they’ll be holding their 1st birthday party on 29th October and I’ll post more details on that soon. In the mean time, the centre is looking to bring together people experienced at using Facebook and other social media to assist them in enhancing their online media presence. If you can help but can’t come to the meeting please contact phil@philframpton.co.uk.

Art Auction

Advance warning here, although I’m sure I’ll add more information as I have it (I will, I will), for the 2nd annual art auction at POD, this year with added after party. Woop!

The Art Auction will take place at POD on Friday 28th October from 7.00pm. They already have donated work from Paul Wolfgang Webster, Ed Sprake, Xavier Pick and Pete Marsh and are looking for further donations from Levy and beyond so if you know anyone who’d like to help raising money for cancer charities get in touch with Helen Weaver via the event’s facebook page.

Last year’s event was a massive success and POD was packed on the night so this year the festivities will move over the road when the auction is done and you can party into the night at The Klondyke Club.

More details very soon….

Tonbridge Road Allotment Show - Tomorrow!

Last year’s Tonbridge Road Allotment show was one of the first things I covered when I took over LoveLevenshulme so it seems only appropriate that I should heave myself out of my non-blogging hole to tell you all about this year's festivities (the usual excuses).

This year’s show takes place this Saturday – 3rd September – at St Mary’s Church on Elbow Street and promises a whole heap of delights, including, but not limited to, fruit and veg competitions, with auction and of the entries after the judging, children’s entertainment and advice on growing your own fruit and veg.

The day starts at 2.00pm and will run until 5.00pm. I can’t make it (the summer of weddings continues apace for me in Solihull) but last year Ed Sprake took some lovely photos and if anyone wants to give me a brief report on what g’wan I’m happy to put it up here.

There’s a really strong allotment community in Levenshulme and we’re blessed with not one but three sites (is that right? I have a sneaking suspicion they breed…) so I’d encourage anyone to go along and see what they’ve been up to. It’s free and, who knows, you may be as enthused as I was last year and vow to make more of your own green space (and, if you’re like me, lose momentum and produce a few sad looking strawberries and some teensy tomatoes).