CI Chorlton & Whalley Range - March 15

community

March 2015

Chorlton & Whalley Range

View the latest edition at www.communityindex.co.uk Delivered FREE to homes & businesses in Chorlton & Whalley Range

Š Elin Beckmann

Are you separating and unsure which path to take?

Slater Heelis has provided clear direction for over 240 years.

Our team of Resolution family specialists are here to support you with first class legal advice and provide the direction you need. The team focuses on divorce, separation, civil partnerships, same sex marriages, finances, pre-nups/post-nups and children arrangements.

Our family team all live in and around the South Manchester area; living within the same community offers us a unique insight into what affects all our daily lives.

You are just a tram ride away from one of our offices in Manchester city centre or Sale.

“ I moved to Whalley Range for its bohemian, vibrant atmosphere and being so close to Chorlton. Having the independent bars and shops all within walking distance is great not to mention the tram links to the city.�

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Get in touch with our family team

family@slaterheelis.co.uk 0161 835 3681 www.slaterheelis.co.uk

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Contents

Easter fun

8

Elizabeth Gaskell’s open house

Linsey Parkinson Editor

editor@communityindex.co.uk 07875 895604

Lesley Swann Director

Joe Beech Design

design@communityindex.co.uk

Sam Paechter Accounts

accounts@communityindex.co.uk 07939 077036

@communityindex www.communityindex.co.uk

149 Ayres Road Manchester M16 9WR

11

Apple grafting

39

On the cover Roland from Chorlton Traders tries out the new Veloplanters outside the precinct.

Deadlines for next edition Content Wednesday 11 March Advertising Friday 13 March

Contributors Chorlton Bookshop Geoff Garnett Linsey Parkinson Andrew Simpson Katherine Watson

March at The PostBox Cafe Monday 9 March

Wednesday 11 & 25 March

A creative and inspirational session for budding writers, be they beginner or accomplished. Find inspiration, support and discover that discover that all-important story line through fun exercises and creative time.

Each session teaches a new skill and includes all the materials you will need to create a beautiful piece to take home and cherish.

For beginners and experienced crafters.

Just Write

7-9pm £3 (every 2nd Monday)

The Bead Shop Jewellery Making

7-9pm (every 3rd Wednesday)

Wednesday 18 March

Saturday 25 March

One of our most popular groups continues to grow. Every session learn a new skill or recipe and leave with a tasty treat to share.

Debs and Chris guide the group to baking success.

The third of our new monthly foodies treat. Come along and celebrate the best of local Street Food on our Terrace. This month: Yakumama Latin Amercian, Madame Francoise Crepes and Dim Sum Su Oriental treats.

Cake Club

7-9pm £3 (every 2nd and 4th Wednesday)

4

Street Food Saturday

10am-5pm (every 3rd Saturday)

Tuesday 31 March

World Tour of Wine

Our tour sets off with the first of four months exploring European Wines: six wines per month £22.50. It’s on to the New World in July: four months £27.50, including food.

Book in advance for the full world tour at a discounted rate of £20 per session

Credit where it’s due • By Linsey Parkinson The banking sector’s been getting a bad press: irresponsible lending, lack of help for small business, tax avoidance schemes and fat cat bonuses are just some of the reasons that more and more of us are looking for ethical ways to borrow and save.

The good news is that there is an alternative.

South Manchester Credit Union, open for business since 2000, is run on a co-operative basis, by and for over 3,100 members.

It’s currently lending £1.3m to the people of South Manchester and holding £1.7m in savings accounts, all protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

This is a safe and empowering way to save: your money works to make a difference to the lives of individuals, rather than line the pockets of corporate shareholders.

Just like money spent locally, money saved and lent locally tends to stay in the area and we all see its benefits. Savers can earn a dividend too, when members consider that results are strong enough: last year, it was a respectable 1.25%.

Fair lending can make an enormous difference to people’s lives, helping them clear expensive debts, pay for essential items or invest in their future. Debt arrears aren’t just about financial hardship,

Find out more or become a member at

www.smcreditunion.co.uk 0161 448 0200

187 Fog Lane (near Burnage Station). Open weekdays, 9.30am-

3.30pm (Wednesdays, 1-6pm).

The South Manchester Credit Union team with Sheenagh (centre) and president of the Board of Directors, Jeff Seneviratne (right) but can also damage health, selfesteem and general wellbeing.

And when you’re on a low income, credit tends to be much more expensive.

South Manchester Credit Union, however, lends responsibly to all sections of the community at reasonable interest rates and talks face-to-face with loan applicants.

Sheenagh Young, the manager at South Manchester Credit Union says: “We take the time to listen to people and to understand their individual circumstances. When we lend money, we’re acting on behalf of all our members and so we take that responsibility very seriously.

It’s in nobody’s interest for a loan to be defaulted, so we reach an arrangement that suits borrowers

Local drop-in collection points: Barlow Moor Community Association Building 23 Merseybank Avenue Saturdays 9-11 am

St Paul’s Church Hall Wilmslow Road, Withington Saturdays 10-11.30am

and minimises the risk to them.”

Helping people avoid a destructive spiral of expensive debt is another aspect of the credit union team’s work. They offer free financial guidance on how to budget, borrow and save. They’re about to start a pilot project in Fallowfield, working with those in receipt of Universal Credit for the first time.

It’s not about promoting particular financial products and there’s no commission or hidden charges: it’s simply about giving people solid guidance on managing their own money.

South Manchester Credit Union’s AGM takes place on March 16 at The Place on Platt Lane (formerly Fallowfield Library). All members welcome to attend.

“We love seeing people’s faces when they realise they’ve managed to save more than they expected”, says Sheenagh. “Some of our members may never have been able to save before: others have significant account balances.

Whatever money they deposit with us makes a real difference: they’re investing in their own community.”

5

Coming Clean with Bathroom Angels Spring’s the time for fresh starts and nothing says Spring Clean quite like a new bathroom. But first, you need to make a key decision: indulgent, relaxing mespace, or speedy shower-and-go?

The two design options aren’t as mutually exclusive as you might think: there are plenty of tricks to enable you to create something between the two. You won’t always be watching the clock or hurrying kids out of the house and your bathroom should reflect that: there will be times when only a really long soak and a proper time-out will do.

A bathroom should always have a calm feel, if at all possible.

Although this can seem difficult If you really want to go for an to manage with a large family, it’s indulgent space with a touch of luxury, a Victorian claw foot tub or definitely worth making the effort.

If you’re looking for a walk-in, opt a modern, free-standing equivalent, for a minimalist shower screen, low makes for a wonderful soak. You’ll tray or wet floor that’s easy to keep never want to get out! Create a clean and gives you lots of elbow feature wall with gorgeous tiles or a room. If your bathroom is small – as luxury finish and make sure there’s they often are – avoid clutter and space for lots of candles. A rich, dark wooden floor, properly sealed, overly fussy fittings to keep the look simple and streamlined. Pastel and some super-fluffy towels complete the opulent vintage look. colours such as warm, chalky pale blues can really create a restful For inspiration, advice or a noatmosphere, as well as potentially obligation quote, just get in touch. giving your bathroom character and individuality. You’ll be surprised Call Bathroom Angels, Bathroom how spacious a well-designed, Designers – Cheshire/Manchester practical bathroom can feel.

0161 610 3684

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6

BATHROOM ANGELS

Supply • Design • Install

Avoid bathroom hell with Bathroom Angels At Bathroom Angels with no showrooms and no pushy sales staff – the savings are yours…

Bathroom Angels will come to your home, listen to what you want and recommend something divine.

Every Bathroom Angels bathroom is bespoke. Get a heavenly bathroom – at Bathroom Angels.

Call 0161 610 3684 or visit www.bathroomangels.co.uk to arrange a free 3D design visit and quotation

Easter Fun The Horse and Jockey’s Easter fun day features didicar racing, petting zoo animals and a chance to make special Easter creations. And it’s all free for children aged 3 to 10.

Children and big kids alike will be able to race to their heart’s content on the didicars, all safe and sound as they are powered by nothing but the driver’s own momentum. Ranger Rob will be calling in with his wonderful animals from the mini zoo: on his last visit, he brought chinchillas – and snakes! Artists, Hilary Mahony and Matt Davies will run workshops where kids can make, print and assemble their own

Easter craft creations. And of course Easter would not be Easter without an Egg Hunt! There’ll be suitable chocolatey prizes at the end of the trail.

Because all the activities are free, parents can relax without being pestered for money every five minutes. The Jockey suggests that you bring the family for Sunday roast in the restaurant. The Sunday menu deal offers two courses for £13.95, while children can choose from their own kids’ menu.

Sunday 5 April 12-4pm The Horse and Jockey

T A C

F

KIDS’ EASTER

R

EA

H

E G ST E R G UN T

SUNDAY 5TH APRIL 12PM - 4PM

ANIMAL PET TIN G 9 the Green, chorlton, M21 9HS | 0161 860 7794 www.horseandjockeychorlton.com

8

ZOO

Chorlton Traders Association (CTA) is a dynamic group of businesses that makes things happen, whether that’s campaigning, organising events or raising money for improvements and local charities. They’re all about making sure Chorlton is a great place to live, work and play.

Here’s a thing that doesn’t happen every day: we’re starting our monthly round-up by talking about Didsbury…

Sometimes we need reminding of the reasons to be proud of where we live. So many of us hop on a tram into town when what we want is right under our noses.

Our sister organisation, Didsbury Traders has just produced a fantastic new map, which lists key attractions, features and local businesses. It’s been getting a big thumbs-up from residents, visitors and traders alike and was singled out for praise at a recent meeting of the City Council.

The free map is all about promoting our local economy and community.

It’s about keeping money in – and bringing money into – our neighbourhood. Independent businesses need our custom to survive: that’s not about being charitable, it’s about getting great service with a personal touch from people who care. Our High Streets are what make our district centres distinctive and give that village feel that we’re so proud of in Chorlton.

The map helps promote a distinct and desirable area and a visitor destination. It conveys an attractive image, makes much of its transport links and is intended to bring in tourists and visitors from other parts of town, as well as helping residents discover things they didn’t know existed.

@chorltontraders

So if it’s good enough for Didsbury….

We’re going to apply for a grant to get a similar map off the ground in Chorlton. Our plan is for local artist Anna Violet to illustrate local features and selected businesses.

This is a huge undertaking, but we believe it’s a worthwhile one: it won’t happen overnight and there’s a lot of work to be done.

We’re going to be getting in touch with all our members to request a contribution towards costs at a choice of prices and levels.

Don’t miss out: if you’re already a member, look out for updates.

If you’re not a member, we’d love you to join us. If you’re a Chorlton resident, follow us on Twitter for updates or keep reading these pages.

WLTM green-fingered Chorltonians

Pub and Shop Watch

Last month we mentioned the new community garden we’ll be creating between the library and the Sedge Lynn. We’re hoping handy Chorlton residents will be able to help us with painting, basic construction, planting and labour. We’re going to fill the garden with fruit and fragrant lovely things in time for the summer. If you can help, please do contact us. Read more on page 39.

@chorltonmarkets

info@chorltontraders.co.uk

www.chorltontraders.co.uk

Lovely new veloplanters outside the precinct on Manchester Road. Lock your bike up safely - and stylishly - every time you pop to the shops.

Our Pub and Shop Watch scheme is getting off the ground. By working together, traders and licensees can share intelligence about offenders and suspicious activity and make Chorlton safer for everyone. Greater Manchester Police are supporting the scheme – and it’s free. Get in touch with Chorlton Traders if you are interested in joining the scheme.

Membership Fees:

£15 for those working from home £25 for independents £75 for bigger businesses/chains/nationals

Chorlton Traders community content is kindly funded by a cash grant from Manchester City Council

9

A woman of substance • By Linsey Parkinson

It’s time to celebrate the Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. Not simply because March is when we mark International Women’s Day, nor because her beautifully restored home opened last year – not even because this year is the 150th anniversary of her death.

We should celebrate her as a courageous and inspiring modern woman, who played as significant a role in Manchester’s radical past as many of her more famous male contemporaries.

Middle-class Victorian ladies Isabella Beeton being a notable example - felt it their duty to visit the houses of the poor (literally ‘slumming it’), to dispense advice on how to feed a family on a budget. Sound familiar? Gaskell, on the other hand, looked beyond the surface and sought to highlight deeper causes of social injustice.

Her novels, especially Mary Barton and Ruth were highly controversial, dealing as they did with subjects of urban poverty and illegitimacy.

Her husband William was a writer, teacher and Unitarian minister at Cross Street Chapel, as well as Chairman of the Portico Library. He too worked tirelessly to alleviate poverty and educate the children of the poor. Together, the Gaskells were a respectable, high-profile couple, difficult for the patriarchal establishment to ignore.

Open House

Elizabeth was also mother to four daughters and ran a bustling household. She did all her writing at a small table in the dining room, so that maternal and domestic comings and goings ran alongside her professional work. As well as her fiction, Gaskell was a prolific writer of letters, which reveal her

Picture by Jill Jennings

to be a woman of wit and down-to-earth charm, who regularly faced that all-toofamiliar modern struggle to attain a worklife balance.

That’s the beauty of the restoration at Plymouth Grove: it’s charming, homely and elegant without being grandiose: a house to enjoy and feel welcome in, just as Elizabeth would have wanted. While William taught pupils in his study, she received visitors including Charles Dickens, John Ruskin and Harriet Beecher Stowe in the drawing room. Sir Charles Hallé taught piano there, and a painfully shy Charlotte Brontë once hid behind the curtains, to avoid meeting fellow guests.

The Gaskells’ house is filled with

stories and run almost entirely by friendly and informed volunteers, passionate about sharing them with visitors. From gardeners to conservators, room stewards to tea shop staff it’s a small, but committed team that keeps the doors open.

If you’re inspired, do call in – Elizabeth loved having visitors!

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is at 84 Plymouth Grove. It’s open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 11am – 4.30pm (last entry at 4pm). Tickets – valid for twelve months - are £4.95, (£3.95) and accompanied under 16s go free.

Find out more about volunteering at www.elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk.

Already a fan?

Join the Gaskell Society at www.gaskellsociety.co.uk

11

Last year we raised

£6,290

for Will Aid

This is a brilliant result and brings our total donations to a massive £29,571, making us the 2nd highest donating firm in the North-West.

Thank you to all of our clients who took part and for their kind donations.

• Residential conveyancing • Wills and probate • Family Law • Commercial department • Immigration • Civil litigation • Estate agency services • Wills and probate

450 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, M21 0BQ 0161 8813133 | chorlton@penninekennedy.co.uk

Acupuncture Awareness Week, 2-5 March 2015

Has Stress got the better of your New Year’s Resolutions?

In December, the British Acupuncture Council asked 5,000 people how they manage stress. Their survey revealed that more than half felt their lifestyle was stressful and that they tended to deal with it by drinking alcohol and comfort eating.

Stress can make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and 1 in 5 of us end up gaining weight. Removing root causes of stress from our lives isn’t always possible, but traditional acupuncture is an effective, evidence-based therapy that can be a healthier and more positive way to manage the demands stress places on us.

Traditional acupuncture has been practiced and developed over nearly 2,000 years and 2.3 million treatments are delivered in the UK each year, making it one of the most popular complementary therapies.

Treatments involve placing extremely fine, sterile needles – painlessly - at specific points on the body to trigger a healing response and restore balance.

You can read more about this ancient treatment at www.introducingacupuncture.co.uk As well as delivering pain relief, traditional acupuncture also helps release endorphins, our bodies’ feel-good hormones.

This in turn can help reduce

stress, improve relaxation and lead to a greater sense of wellbeing. And if you feel better in yourself, you’re much less likely to obey unhealthy impulses to overeat and drink perhaps those well-intentioned resolutions can become revolutions after all!

Acupuncture Works is a multi-bed clinic where patients are treated behind screens for absolute privacy. Because we have space to treat more than one patient, we can reduce the cost of that treatment. Prices start at just £15 for those on a low income. All our team are

07590 903 714

members of the British Acupuncture Council, which guarantees professional codes of conduct and high standards of patient care.

Acupuncture Works operates on a ‘not-for-profit’ basis. We are a Community Interest Company run on co-operative principles.

Where to find us: Wednesdays: 2nd Floor, Mauldeth House, Mauldeth Road West, Chorlton, M21 7RL 10am-6pm Thursdays: MMU Birley Fields Hulme Campus, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester, M15 6GX 12-8pm

www.acupunctureworks.org.uk

Pinkstone Local professional service Whole of market mortgage advice Comprehensive from start to finish Carefully selected protection advice

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Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage Phone: 0161 870 8024 or Email: james@pinkstonechase.co.uk Ask for James Pinkstone CeMAP Independent Mortgage Adviser Typical Fee for Mortgage Arrangement £250

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grass roots garden design design & build, landscaping, planting plans, on site consultation

Contact Severine Cochard on 07790 631 078

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14

Help wanted Brookburn Primary School Remember Brookburn Primary School’s Dolphin Den from our August edition? Volunteers and local businesses worked together to transform a neglected corner into a fantastic new outdoor play space. It’s been so popular that there are now plans to develop an area of woodland in the school grounds, this time as a wildlife learning resource.

As parents, we often have a bit of a moan about our children being disconnected from nature and spending too much time indoors with their gadgets. A safe and managed outdoor space can make an enormous difference to their quality of life: fostering

creativity and wellbeing; helping them experience and be inspired by the natural world; providing opportunities for both adventurous play and quiet time.

The proposed plans for the space include pond-dipping sessions, habitats to explore, stones to look under and perhaps even an outdoor classroom. It’s not just Brookburn children who will benefit, either: the longer-term plan is to share the facility with other primary schools in Chorlton that don’t have access to outdoor woodland.

Everyone wins, including the minibeasts!

The project is already halfway to its

funding target, so it will happen: as ever, it’s volunteers who make the difference.

Space needs to be cleared and pathways built, the pond needs to be safely fenced and gated and the pond-dipping bridge needs repair.

If you can spare some time and some labour, help raise funds, offer any materials or have any other suitable skills, the school would love to hear from you.

Contact Firouz Thompson friendsofbrookburn@gmail.com

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15

Flavour of the month A taste of what’s to come in March

March is a month of celebration. First comes World Book Day (Thursday 5 March), when children are given free book tokens and reading is all about pleasure and fun. It’s followed by International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March - the citywide celebration of great women that’s always too big to fit into a single day. Then Manchester turns green for the annual Irish Festival (6-20 March), which celebrates its twentieth birthday this year. Here are our local choices for all three:

Alexandra Park and the Big Book Adventure Celebrate World Book Day in the park! Dress as a character from your favourite book and enjoy a Family Treasure Hunt.

There’ll be magical tales from the brilliant storyteller Andy Benfield, plus the Big Book Swap. Bring a children’s book, swap it for a different one. It’s that simple – in fact it’s even simpler: if you don’t have a book to bring, you can take one home anyway. There are goody bags for all Treasure Hunters and the café will be open too.

Alexandra Park (meet at the Pavilion) Sunday 8 March, 11.30am-2pm

Anthony Parker

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Chorlton Gas Ltd

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16

School reunion

The Women Who Made Manchester Manchester has always been known for its inspirational women: many as much a part of our city’s radical, cultural and intellectual history as its often more celebrated men (see our Elizabeth Gaskell feature on page 11). Join Green Badge Guide Anne Beswick for an illustrated talk that will include some names you’ll know, and others that you may not. What they all have in common, is a spirit and determination that helped to make our city great.

Did you – or anyone you know - attend Stretford Grammar School for Girls between 1958 and 1965? 2015 marks fifty years since the class of ’65 and that calls for a party!

Lakeside Pavilion, Sunday 8 March, 3pm Info: Anne 07505 691105

The reunion doesn’t actually take place until 7 June (at The Longfords Conference Centre in Longford Park Stadium): this advanced notice is to ask any ‘old girls’, wherever they may be, to make contact.

We’d really love as many of our former classmates as possible to come along, catch up and share some laughter and memories.

Fleádh na Mná To mark both the Irish Festival and International Women’s Day, North West Uilleann Pipers present a celebration of women in traditional Irish music. There’ll be free workshops (led by women) from noon, in fiddle, flute/whistle, button accordion, pipes and singing – beginners welcome. Then in the evening, there’s a concert with an all-female line-up, which includes Ríoghnach Connolly, Angela Durcan, Fiona Browne and a host of talented musicians.

Contact Jean Thompson (née Clark) on dand.j@ntlworld.com, or Barbara Evans (née Hartill) on bjevans47@hotmail.com if you’d like to come along – there’ll be lots more information nearer the time.

Chorlton Irish Club, High Lane Saturday 7 March, (£10, £8, £5) Info: nwup@nwup.org www.manchesteririshfestival.co.uk HLF BERRY Chorlton:Layout 1 8/14/14 7:16 PM Page 1

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17

Book reviews from

Chorlton Bookshop The Miniaturist Jessie Burton

This debut novel has caused a real stir in the publishing world. A six-figure deal from Picador has ensured the level of interest would be high.

replica of her new home.

Set in Amsterdam at the end of the 17th century, the novel follows the fortunes of Nella and the strange household in which she finds herself.

18-year-old Nella arrives in Amsterdam, eager to begin life as a married woman. Expecting to see Johannes, her hugely successful merchant husband, she is greeted instead

by Marin, her severe sister-in-law and two household servants who don’t seem to know their place. Despite this less than warm welcome, Johannes does give her a lavish wedding gift: a beautiful miniature house, a

In order to prove to Johannes that she is capable of running a household Nella must furnish this little house.

She seeks out ‘the miniaturist’, who begins to deliver strange parcels filled with objects that Nella didn’t commission. He seems to making predictions about her life that couldn’t possibly come true… or could they?

Jessie Burton creates a world that could have come straight from a painting by Vermeer or Rembrandt.

It’s a dark and mysterious novel that certainly lives up to expectations.

• Review by Jo Legerton

The Guts

Roddie Doyle The Guts is a bonus fourth novel in the Barrytown Trilogy series, which began with The Commitments.

Now aged 47, Jimmy Rabbitte is facing the family and health issues that face us all.

Not a very cheery subject for a book, you’d think, but as ever, Roddy Doyle manages to find humour in the darkest places.

25 years after introducing The Commitments to the world, Jimmy is now working for a company he used to own with his wife. Life is about to get worse: he’s been diagnosed with bowel cancer and he’s got to find a way to tell his wife and four kids.

Could things get any worse? The recession is really beginning to bite and Jimmy’s job

is looking uncertain. But, far from letting it all get him down, Jimmy does what Jimmy does best: he hustles. He’s not immune to desperation, however, and makes some truly terrible decisions that may well destroy everything he’s created.

Using mainly dialogue, laced with Roddy Doyle’s trademark irreverent humour, helps keep the story pacey and easy to read. Some familiar faces from previous books also appear, which will appeal to fans and make it a must-read.

This can be read as a stand-alone novel, but why not give yourself a treat and read the other three books in the series?

• Review by Jo Legerton

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Park life

To keep up to date on these and other activities – including the next open air theatre production – join the Friends of Longford Park at www.folp.org.uk. It’s free and you’ll receive email updates and hear about opportunities to be part of the park’s bright future.

If you’d like to become actively involved, you’ll be very welcome at the Friends of Longford Park Annual General Meeting. Janey from the cafe will be there to share the latest on Pets’ Corner and the bakery – and you can find out everything you need to know about Disc Golf!

© Copyright R Greenhalgh

There have been some really positive and welcome developments in Longford Park in the last year. The café (housed in a beautifully renovated Edwardian bungalow) has gone from strength to strength, while the Uprising Bakehouse Cooperative teamed up with volunteers to secure the future of Pets’ Corner.

Meanwhile, a crowdfunding campaign has raised over £6,000 to create a 9-hole Disc Golf course on the site of the former pitch and putt.

There’s lots more to come: an extension to the young children’s playground and the work in progress on the wildlife garden.

Friends of Longford Park AGM Longford Park Café Thursday 19 March, 7.30pm

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21

ThePurplePages Napier Road

Claridge Road

Now that Brookburn Primary’s Dolphin Den outdoor play area is up and running, there’s an exciting new plan to create a woodland learning space at the back of the school. The space will not only help children to connect with nature and become involved with stewardship, but also develop social skills, foster creativity and give them times and places for ‘peace and quiet’ away from the business and noise of regular school life.

Darley Avenue

Please help by volunteering and follow the project on Twitter: @BrookburnPTA

We cannot do any of the above without your help.

Supporting the local community.

JP & Brimelow are Kind regards, also proud to support Eddie Ellis, MNAEA Director, JP & Brimelow

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individual sessions and groups Local hardwood firewood | Timber for joinery Mulch for local allotments Sleepers and Weatherboards Biomass woodchip

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24

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10 week afternoon course starts April 14th, 1pm. 

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www.alexanderteaching.co.uk CNHC registered 0161 861 8848

Your baby’s first adventure We all want to hold onto cherished memories of our finest hours.

We book photographers for our weddings and special occasions, so why not when our children are born? Linsey talks to birth photographer Tara Leach.

What is birth photography?

It’s simply photography that documents the birth of a child – it’s very popular in North America, but almost unheard of here. My job is usually to portray everything: from active labour to birth and beyond, including skin-to-skin contact and first meetings with siblings and family.

Is it intrusive?

Definitely not: the whole thing is done with absolute sensitivity and discretion and couples forget that

Manchester Progressive Education Children’s Community

I’m there. Birth partners can focus completely on supporting mothers: they are a part of the picture in all senses and shouldn’t be spending their time behind a camera. These are challenging circumstances: there’s lots going on, light levels are low and those key moments simply can’t be recreated. A professional photographer doesn’t miss a thing.

And the results?

The photos are, in a word, stunning: they capture the love, strength, pain and elation of childbirth. So many women have hazy memories of giving birth; so many new mothers and babies are seen in blurred, poorly lit camera phone shots. Why not create a record telling the story of your baby’s first adventure that’s as beautiful and as moving as the experience itself?

LEARNING PROVISION NOW OPEN

Contact Tara: taraleachphotography@yahoo.com 07976 945028 www.taraleach.com

It has a Reggio Emilia inspired nursery and garden.

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7 - 11

It all starts with a meeting. It’s essential for me to get a sense of not only what my clients want, but who they are, because this is a truly bespoke service: I only get one chance and I need to make sure I get it absolutely right. Personally, I think I have the best job in the world!

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Kindergarten Places Still Available Contact us today to have a look around Demesne Road, Alexandra Park, Manchester, M16 8PH 0161 226 8080 enquiries@alexandraparkclc.co.uk

25

March In Your Garden

By Katherine Watson I have just received an order from the Beth Chatto garden nursery in Essex. The garden is famous for spearheading techniques to deal with climactic change and there are really useful books accompanying the different gardens that Chatto has created - the gravel garden; the damp garden etc.

I’ve received two rather unusual forms of Gunnera: G. Hamiltonii and G. Magellanica. I also ordered two Darmera peltata, part of the saxifrage family but on steroids.

When I first moved to my current house in Old Trafford, I bunged in a random collection of plants bought as presents and purchased without any real scheme in mind. One of these plants was a Gunnera manicata - commonly called the giant rhubarb because it looks exactly like you’d expect a giant rhubarb to look - albeit a giant rhubarb with a 20 Senior Service-a-day habit. I loved it but it was way too big and didn’t sit comfortably with anything else at the time, so it had to go.

I went through a few perennial phases but just recently, I’ve been tinkering again and am being drawn to foliage and oddity; spiky yuccas and trachycarpus and even Phormium, which I went right off for a while.

Christopher Lloyd maintained that it was essential to have spiky and unusual plants in an English garden to counteract the ‘softness’ - ‘...They give an immediate lift (much like the first glass of champagne on a Sunday morning)’ So when I came to think about how to give parts of the garden this lift I started looking at smaller alternatives to G. Manicata.

The Darmera peltata have arrived as thick tubers with bright green bulbous heads and lots of leggy roots clinging horizontally underneath - something from the Mesozoic era surely - it will produce similar foliage to G. Manicata but on a smaller scale.

The other two varieties of Gunnera - Hamiltonii and Magellanica are much smaller leaved and will, hopefully, act as ground cover around the trachycarpus. All need a moisture retentive soil to do well but in Manchester we definitely have one over on Essex when it comes to wet soil.

Katherine is running a six-week Introduction to Garden Design course in April and May. For more information see her advert on page 20, or email k.l.watson@hotmail.co.uk www.fatgrass.co.uk.

Garden Design Planting Advice Consultation Service Project Managment

07989968841 www.fatgrass.co.uk 26

Tara Leach Photography

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27

The Story of Chorlton & Whalley Range Walking through Alex Park to the echoes of past • By Andrew Simpson Now, like many people I have fond memories of Alexandra Park.

It was a place I first discovered over 40 years ago when, with an empty Sunday ahead of us, we would walk out and spend the morning there. Then later it was where we took the children.

It was also a destination for some of those marches and demonstrations I went on during the 1970s and 80s and, since then, I have discovered just what a pivotal part it has played in the history of popular protest.

During the late 19th and early 20th century it was the scene of big public meetings on everything from rising unemployment to demands for an extension of the vote to women. There were also more relaxed events including the Gala planned by the Educational Committee of the Manchester & Salford Co-op in the summer of 1914.

There had been two earlier events one at Yates’ Field in Fallowfield and the other in Broadheath with ‘RACES, MAYPOLE DANCES, SPOON AND BOOT CLEANING COMPETITIONS’ as well as a ‘FANCY DRESS COMPEITION’ with tickets for refreshments at 3d for adults and 2d for children.

The earlier two had been scheduled for July 11th and July 25th, but the Alex Park gala was planned for August 15th, just eleven days after Britain became involved in the Great War, and that put an end to the Co-op day in the park. The secretary of the Educational Committee wrote that ‘at their first meeting, held 10th August, [it was] most regretfully decided to postpone

the gala’.

Now, I have yet to come across any pictures of these great public events, but my friend Ann has provided me with a pack of pictures dating from 1906. They cover pretty much the whole of the park including the lake, bowling green, clock tower, terrace and entrance.

There will be similar images from the same period, but what makes these particularly interesting is that the pack is complete, includes the carton they came in and the name of the person they were sent to.

Added to this, we have the name of the company which distributed them.

This was the Valentine Company of Dundee who began selling ‘topographical view photographs’ from the 1860s, along with ‘a great variety of photographic goods from single framed images, to albums, view books and booklets, pictorial greetings cards and a wide range of photographic novelties’ including their innovative children’s cut-out books.

All of which makes Ann’s pictures quite a find.

They were sent to Mark Brewer, who was living at 25 Garswood Road, Fallowfield, and the hunt is on to find more, although so far he does seem to have evaded the historical record.

Pictures: The entrance and lake, Alexandra Park, from Valentine’s Snapshots of Alexandra Park, circa 1906, courtesy of Ann Love

29

Community Index

Local groups and useful numbers Clubs, Societies & Groups Armchair Philosophers 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7.30pm upstairs in the Royal Oak pub Mary 07751 696055

Barlow International Folk Dance Group Tuesday evenings at St.Ninians, Wilbraham Road Mary 881 0955 Chorlton Afternoon Townswomen’s Guild 2nd & 3rd Tuesday of the month, 2pm Chorlton Library 881 2544 Chorlton Aikido Club Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm St Ninians, Wilbraham Rd www.lancashireaikikai.org 861 8456

Coaching Circle For life coaches and business coaches, 1st Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm, upstairs in Lloyds ManchesterCoachingCircle.com Mary 07751 696055 Community Allotment & Apiary Scott Avenue Allotment 07973 139068 or 07521 500223 uk.groups.yahoo.com/ group/grow_for_it/

Chorlton and Friends Gardening Group 3rd Monday monthly, in Chorlton Library, 7.30-9pm £3 candfgg@yahoo.co.uk

Chorlton Bookshop Book Group 3rd Tuesday of the month at The Horse and Jockey 7.45pm Details from Chorlton Bookshop 881 6374 Chorlton Bridge Club Christine 225 8854 www.bridgewebs.com/chorlton

Chorlton Bujitsu Wednesday 8pm at St Werburgh’s Church Hall 07866 312616 facebook.com/Iki. Yoyo.Dojo

30

Chorlton Chess Club Tuesday 7.30-11pm at St. John’s Social Club, High Lane 860 6929

Chorlton Circle Dance Group Tuesdays, 7.30-9pm Upper Hall, St. Werburgh’s Parish Hall, £5-7, 1st session free chorltoncircledancegroup.co.uk Chorlton Civic Society Chorlton Library meeting room. 10 March 7.30pm Chair - Mary Crumpton 07751 696055 chorltoncivicsociety.org.uk

Chorlton Community Wildlife Garden chorltoncommunitywildlifegarden. org.uk Chorlton Evening Townswomens Guild 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month, 7.30pm Chorlton Library.

881 6354

Marie Curie Cancer Care Chorlton Fundraising Group Meets monthly at the Irish Centre Julie.peters@mariecurie.org.uk

Chorlton History Group 1st Thursday of the month, 1.30-3pm at Chorlton Good Neighbours St Nininians Church, Egerton Rd South Chorlton Kung Fu Wednesdays 8pm, Albany Estate, behind Morrisons 07774 723839 Chorlton Philosophy Group Tuesdays 7.30pm, upstairs at the Lloyds pub chorltonphilosophygroup. wordpress.com

Chorlton Reading Group Once a month in the meeting room behind Chorlton library 7.30pm All welcome 881 1813 chorltonreadersgroup@gmail.com Circolo Italiano Intermediates and native speakers. Mondays 7-9pm Union Chapel, Fallowfield. 881 8314 guglielmifranco@clara.co.uk

Coffee and Craft Mornings at Chorlton Good Neighbours Thursdays 10-11.30am Wilbraham St Ninian’s Church 881 2925 cgncg.org.uk

Co-op members’ group Talks, trips, events. 2nd Wed of the month 7.30pm, room above the Hardy Lane Co-op.

Brenda 07525 071672 brenda.copnall@gmail.com

French Circle Brush up on your French with friendly native speaker. Tuesday pm, St Werberghs Church Hall 881 8314 Friends of Alexandra Park 226 7525 friendsofalexandrapark.org.uk Friends of Chorlton Meadows 881 6276 friendsofchorltonmeadows. blogspot.com Friends of Longford Park info@folp.co.uk friendsoflongfordpark.org.uk

Grand Day Out Free computer taster sessions for the over 50s in Chorlton Library, Fridays 2-4pm 227 3700 d.gilligan@manchester.gov.uk Greater Manchester Humanist Choir Sundays 2.30-4.30pm, Chorlton Unitarian Church gmhumanistchoir@gmail.com

Happiness Group 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm, upstairs in Lloyds www.ManchesterHappiness.com.

Mary 07751 696055 Intergen Volunteer opportunities for Chorlton residents 55+ to work with primary school children. Estelle 264 0089 or 07946 761785 intergen.org.uk

Lipreading and Communication Skills classes Free to deaf people and their families and friends.

Wednesdays 1-3pm at Mauldeth House 832 0444 enquiries@ manchesterdeafstudies.org Manchester Centre for Buddhist Meditation Beginners meditation classes, 8pm weekdays, 11am Saturday www.samatha.org

Manchester Flower Lovers’ Guild St Werburghs Church Hall, Chorlton. Anne 881 6591 flowersnorthwest.net Old Mancunians AFC Training twice a week at Manchester Academy 07855 947411 oldmancs@hotmail.co.uk

Royal Scottish Country Dance Society Tuesday 7.30pm, Manley Park Primary School, College Road, Whalley Range rscdsmanchester.org.uk Shakespeare House Community Centre Whalley Range M16 8NR, 282 3205 admin@r-squared.org.uk

Simply Cycling Longford Park, Athletics Stadium Mon & Fri 9.30-noon, Sun 1-3pm. All abilties and ages welcome Sue 07753 428937 Helen 07871 621778 www.simply-cycling.org Social Circle UK’s biggest social & activity network dedicated to providing free events. social-circle.co.uk South Manchester Book Club Fortnightly at The Woodstock Arms, Barlow Moor Road southmanchesterbookgroup.uk South Manchester Camera Club Mondays 8-10pm, Didsbury Methodist Church www.smcc.org.uk

St. Clements Fellowship Barbara 881 5912 or Ida 861 7158 Trafford Athletic Club Longford Park. Mon & Thu 6-9pm.

Min age 9. Tonya 881 4488 www.traffordac.co.uk

Whalley Range Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club 5-6: Fri 6.30-7.30pm, Y7-10: Fri 7-8.30pm, Seniors (16+): Tues & Thur 6-9pm. £4 Kingsbrook Road, whalleyrange. play-cricket.com Whalley Range Forum JN8 Youth & Community Centre, 82 Cromwell Ave, M16 0BG 881 3744 communityforumwhalleyrange@ gmail.com

Whalley Range 4 Wildlife wr4wildlife@yahoo.co.uk wr4wildlife.wordpress.com

Arts & Crafts Adventures in Painting & Drawing Tutor led art group.

Tuesdays 1-3.30pm, Chorlton Park Adult Learning Centre rowojo@hotmail.com Penny 256 3528

Art Fusion Amateur artists.

Tuesdays 7-9pm at St Clements church hall. First session free then £5 ahomersham@ntlworld.com www.artfusion.org.uk Crafty Sew ’n’ Sews Friendly sewing group with a professional tutor. Mondays, 6.30-8.30pm (except second Monday of each month) Co-operative Hall, Hardy Lane. Angela 225 6931

Chorlton Alternative Art Class Life drawing, all abilities welcome. £6. Weds 7.30-9.30pm The Edge Theatre www.chorltonalternativearts.com Chorlton Art Group Tuesdays, 10am-12 noon, St. Werbergh’s church hall. Brenda brensidebeck@aol.com Chorlton Knits 1st and 3rd Thursdays at Lloyds, 6-8pm

Chorlton Mosaic Group Relaxed Mosaic evening class, Thursdays 7.15pm-8.45pm tracey. cartledge@icloud.com Tracey 860 0387 Chorlton Sewing Club 1st Thursday of the month 7.30-9.30pm Chorlton Library chorltonsewing.wordpress.com

Co-operative Sewing Group Fridays, 10am-12pm Cooperative Hall, Hardy Lane Pam 07906 311455

Dolls House and Miniatures Group 2nd Monday of the month, 8-10pm, Whalley Range venue.

Ann 07814 861285

Manchester Sing Out Choir (Gospel Choir) Tuesdays 7-9pm St Johns Centre, Old Trafford. manchestersingoutchoir.org msochoir@live.co.uk

Stitched Up Textile workshops 881 7141 www.stitchedup.coop

Entertainment Chorlton Film Institute Ida - 19 March. 8.10pm, film starts 8.30pm £5 St Clements Church

Chorlton Folk Club Thursdays 9pm Ellesmere Rd Cricket Club

The Edge Theatre Singing, drama and ukelele workshops M21 9JG edgetheatre.co.uk Folk Songs and Tunes at The Beech 1st & 3rd Wednesdays for Songs, 2nd & 4th for Tunes.

Beech Road, Chorlton, M21 9EG

Therapy & Support Groups Breast Cancer Care Walking Group Every other Friday at Chorlton Water Park bestfootforward@ breastcancercare.org.uk

Chorlton Anxiety Group 226 3871 Chorlton Good Neighbours Support for older people 881 2925 helen@ chorltongoodneighbours.org

Manchester Diabetes Support Network Mike 860 5688 diabetesinmanchester@gmail. com

New Family Social UK charity for LGBT adopters, foster carers and their children. Meets every month in south Manchester. newfamilysocial.org.uk

Rainbow Families 07903 397108 rainbowfamilies@hotmail.com

Local MP

John Leech - MP 8 Gawsworth Avenue M20 5NF 434 3334 johnleechmp@parliament.uk

Are you part of a voluntary or community group?

Tell us about it - editor@communityindex.co.uk

31

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Drink Smart in Chorlton Get a free and confidential NHS Drink Smart pack Simply text the word SMART followed by your name and address to 81025.

Your personal details will only be used to send your pack by post.

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All rights reserved, not to be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the copyright owner. March 2015

Drink Smart in Chorlton Free self-help packs If you like to unwind with a nice glass of something, you may have experienced first-hand some of alcohol’s short-term effects - especially when some evenings, the odd glass becomes two or three glasses.

Be it a bad night’s sleep, lack of energy the next day or weight creeping up, current estimates suggest that over a quarter of Chorlton residents feel the effects of binge drinking at least once a week.

This equates to over 3,000 adults in the area who might not realise their drinking habits are putting their long-term health at risk, and around 700 children living with at least one

parent who regularly drinks above the lower risk limits.

Free NHS Drink Smart packs will be on offer to Chorlton residents all through March as part of a new campaign that hopes to increase access to self-help in the area. Packed with handy hints and tips, people will be able to check how much they are drinking and work out whether they need to cut down.

For a free and confidential Drink Smart pack by post, simply text the word SMART followed by your name and address to 81025 (standard text message rates apply).

35

karl hutton fitted furniture

handmade furniture in solid wood fitted shelving • bookcases • libraries • studies • alcove cupboards • hand built kitchens established in 2000

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Sport in Chorlton

By Geoff Garnett

Football: Unlucky Range just lose out Once more, heavy overnight rain saw many games postponed, but Whalley Range FC were able to play their delayed Lancashire Amateur Cup quarter-final at Kings Road against Leigh Phoenix.

Range were hoping to join Bedians in the last four, but were short of several key players due to suspension, holiday and work commitments. They were soon 2-0 down to a well-organised Phoenix, but got their act together to level at 2-2 before the break, with strikes from Damien White and Timmy Kinsella.

With five minutes to play the great effort made by the Range teams looked to have paid dividends as a neat finish from Jimmy Gill gave them the lead for the first time. But Phoenix grabbed an equaliser in the dying seconds to take the game into the dreaded penalty shoot out. Phoenix kept their nerve to win 4-2.

Action from Whalley Range v Leigh Phoenix (Phoenix in orange shirts)

Golf: White Rose star enjoys the Red Rose experience Chorlton Golf Club assistant professional, Adam Hodkinson (pictured) enjoyed a distinguished career in Yorkshire as an amateur at Hallowes GC, Sheffield.

Adam represented Sheffield, Yorkshire and England at u16, u18, u21 and men’s levels and came very close to qualifying, as an 18-year-old amateur, for The Open Championship at Carnoustie in 2007, losing out to Scott Drummond in a play-off.

He joined the professional ranks at the age of 20 and played for three years on the Alps Tour. He

did reasonably well, winning one tournament and finishing 13th in the Order of Merit in 2010.

But an injury in 2012 saw him unable to play for two years. He began playing again near to the end of the current season, winning a pro-am and finishing fourth in a PGA Order of Merit competition.

Adam, who joined the professional team at Chorlton earlier in the year, said: “I’m enjoying working at Chorlton and have found it very easy to fit in with the professional team and the friendly members.”

37

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07766 704 851 luciebrione@hotmail.com Washing machines Washer dryers Tumble dryers Electric cookers/hobs/ovens Freestanding dishwashers I’m a member of: The Washing Machine Woman

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Seymour

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3 Piece Suit .................. £9.00 2 Piece Suit .................. £8.00 Coats Full Lenth ............ £8.00 Coats 3/4 Length ......... £6.85 Trousers ....................... £3.85 Jackets ........................ £4.85 Skirts Plain ................... £3.85 Skirts Pleated ............... £4.85 Dresses ........................ £6.20 Pullovers ...................... £3.50 Shirts ........................... £1.75 Ties .............................. £1.75

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Easy graft?

Chorlton’s new community garden Between Chorlton Library and the Sedge Lynn there’s a small, but mysterious piece of waste ground, enclosed by railings.

There’s actually nothing much inside it, but that’s all about to change…

Chorlton Traders, working with Manchester City Council has secured funding from the Clean Green Fund to create a community garden over the coming months.

The plan? To grow fruit - pears, plums, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, rhubarb, figs, cherries - and more varieties of apple than you can shake a stick at!

We’re lucky in Chorlton: Unicorn stocks a wide selection of English apples, but they’re actually just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of apple varieties, but the ones you tend to see in shops

What is grafting and why don't we grow apple trees from pips?

When you're choosing an apple tree there are two main considerations: what variety of apple you’d like, and how big you want your tree to grow. The size of the tree is determined by its root: its variety, on the other hand, is all

and garden centres aren't necessarily the ones that will thrive here in the North. Hilary Dodson, from the Northern Fruit Group, has years of knowledge and experience of what works best in our very special climate.

Hilary will be running a grafting workshop in March: find out how to graft your own apple trees, help make trees for the community garden – and take something about what’s above ground.

The grafting process involves connecting a cutting (or scion) from a tree whose apples you want, to a root stock which will give you the size of tree that's right for your garden. It's the way nearly all fruit trees are made and has been for thousands of years.

home with you too! The grafting wood you’ll be using is specially selected to do well in Manchester gardens.

Cost is £15, which includes lunch and two apple trees to keep.

Places are limited and booking is essential: lesley@communityindex.co.uk Chorlton Library Meeting Room, Saturday 14 March, 11.30am-4pm You can grow an apple tree from a pip. That said, even if you know the variety, you can’t actually be sure of the kind of apple it will produce. Perhaps more importantly in our urban gardens, you have know way of knowing how enormous your tree will eventually become!

Chorlton Library Community Garden Apple Grafting Workshop

Saturday 14th March 12.30 - 4pm £15 including lunch and a grafted apple tree to take home with you!

Delivered by Hilary Dodson of the Northern Fruit Group working with Chorlton Traders email: lesley@communityindex.co.uk to book your place

39

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Please note: Community Index accepts no responsibility for transactions entered into or work undertaken by any of the businesses advertising in the Index or any loss, harm or damage arising from using any of the products & services listed.

Horse & Jockey PostBox Cafe Unicorn Grocery The Vegi Deli

8 4 10 15

Photography

Fat Grass Garden Design Grass Roots Green Designs

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Plumbing

Chorlton Gas Select Plumbing & Heating

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Pinkstone

14

Harlequin Decorating Carol Smith Traditional Decorator

36 6 20

Gardening

Gas Safe Engineer

Health & Wellbeing

Interiors

Joinery & Furniture

Locksmiths

Mortgage Advice Painting & Decorating

We clean your oven… so you don’t have to Call today to have your oven, hob, extractor or Aga professionally cleaned

Tara Leach Photography

27

Clare’s Cat Care PetPals

16 32

BG Plumbing Hana K Plumbing Select Plumbing & Heating

35 38 20

The Washing Machine Woman

38

M Duffin

20

We Are Adventurers

44

Social Circle

41

HLF Berry Penine Kennedy Slater Heelis

17 12 2

Tree Station

24

Playfire Design

41

Manchester Veterinary Clinic

21

Dig Vintage

33

Pet Care

Repairs Roofer

School Holiday Club Social Club Solicitors

Tree Services Web Design Vet

Vintage

881 8162

Domestic & Commercial Electricians For all general electrical work

• No call out charge • Free estimates • Fully guaranteed

Ian Glancy Mob Tel: 07580 765765

www.ovenwizards.com 42

www.chorltonelectric.co.uk

We are Community Index We’re proud of where we live.

We shop local and support independent business.

We celebrate the things that make Chorlton & Whalley Range special.

We publish two free magazines: a Chorlton & Whalley Range edition and a Didsbury edition.

Each goes to 5,000 homes in one half of each area, then 5,000 in the other half the following month. We also deliver to shops, cafes, libraries and other places every month.

We keep our advertising rates as low as we can, so we can offer a service to sole traders and local independent retailers. We talk straight, we don’t hard sell and we won’t go glossy.

Let’s hear it for butchers with plastic grass in their windows; cafe owners who give names to their coffee machines, and great builders that take three sugars in their tea.

Keep the magazine handy and support the local independent businesses that advertise with us.

Money spent local stays local, so let’s keep South Manchester interesting.

Find out more about advertising with us at communityindex.co.uk or call us on 07875 895604