community index didsbury july 2012
DESCRIPTION
Community magazine for Didsbury July 2012 editionTRANSCRIPT
communityDidsburyindex
July 2012
view the latest edition at www.communityindex.co.uk
Supporting Independent Retailer Month
2
to advertise call Lesley: 0787 589 5604 [email protected]
time out therapysuzie exley ITEC Dip., IHA
t.07970 011 820
stop smoking old habits
weight loss
insomnia
aches & pains
breaking why not
take some
time out?
anxiety
wind down
managing stress
time
weekday treatments at Haven
£5 off
(valid until end Aug 2012, on first visit)
[email protected] www.timeouttherapy.co.uk
15
please mention community index when responding to adverts
Mobile Email
07875 360 368 [email protected]
Alexander Technique
Sue Fleming MSTAT
www.alexanderteaching.co.uk
☎ 861 8848 mob 07796470163
The Burton Road Clinic Didsbury and
Chequers Road Chorlton
Pauline Leng MSTAT
www.alexandertechniquemanchester.net
☎ 445 8530 mob 07821470349
The Didsbury Holistic Centre and
Lidgate Grove Didsbury
individual sessions, groupscourses and workshops
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Contents4. Community Cookery Champions
7. Community Index
8. Summer Opera Stars
9. Live Music Review
12. All the Fun of the Wakes
14. July in Your Garden
15. Didsbury TAG News
16. On Your Bike
17. The Parrs Wood Festival
CommunityI N XD E
PUBLISHERCommunity Index
EDITOR/ADVERTISINGLesley Swann
SUB-EDITOR/WEBSITESam Paechter
CONTRIBUTIONS Didsbury Dinners, Vicky Russell, Graham
Phythian, Carol Thompson, Katherine Watson, Leon Horton
COVER PHOTOGRAPHSCarol Thompson
CONTACT USTel: 0787 589 5604
34 Manchester Road, Chorlton, M21 9PH
DEADLINE FOR THE AUGUST EDITION15th July 2012
4
view the latest edition at www.communityindex.co.uk
Building on the success of our 4-week ‘learn to cook’ course last autumn, this year Didsbury Dinners aims to teach another 100+ people how to cook, for free!
We’re recruiting a team of 12 Volunteer Community Cookery Champions to help us achieve this ambitious goal. Each member of the team will teach a free cookery course (consisting of six 2-hour cookery sessions) in Didsbury East or West wards. The team will be supported by, and accountable to, the Didsbury Dinners ‘learn to cook’ planning group, and will work closely with the local community. Free training worth over £250 will be provided.
We are looking for committed individuals who are passionate about food and cookery. No previous experience is necessary, but basic cookery skills are essential.
What we can offer you:
• free accredited basic teacher training (Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector, ‘PTLLS’)
• free accredited food hygiene training
• free training in budgeting, basic nutrition, ‘eco-cookery’, cooking without meat and dairy, and how to give a successful cookery demonstration.
To apply to be a Volunteer Community Cookery Champion, please email us your completed application form and equality monitoring form (available from http://didsburydinners.wordpress.com/communitycooking/) by 22nd July 2012.
Please note: if we receive a large number of applicants, we will close the application process before this date.
If you don’t fancy becoming a Community Cookery Champion, but you’d like to help with the day-to-day running of the project, please complete our online survey [http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WM5GNK9].
We look forward to hearing from you!
The Didsbury Dinners Teamhttp://didsburydinners.wordpress.com
Community Cookery Champions
Evening Courses 4/11/18/25th July Wed 7-9pm Drawing can't draw/can draw 5/12/19/26th July Thur 7-9pm Book Making creating a bound Journal
One-Day Courses for July/August
www.creativerecycling.co.uk40 Beech Road, Chorlton, M21 9EL
Creative Recycling Gallery
Sat 7th July Glass Fusing create small sample pieces • Sat 14th July Art Journaling collaging/painting/printing • Sun 15th July Rag Rugging for home furnishing • Sat 21st July Book Making designing cover & binding • Sat 28th July Creative Stitch creating cushions • Sun 29th July Drawing can’t draw/can draw • Sat 11th August Glass Fusing create small sample pieces • Sun 12th August Drawing can draw a bit • Sat 18th August Print & Collage Textile Art • Sun 19th August Collage Landscape
•Porcelain,ceramic,naturalstone&amticospecialists
•1stclasstiling&bathroomfittingservice• Tileloanservice•Free,noobligationmeasure"ation•Exquisitetilesatcompetitivepricestosuitallbudgets
Alberti Pavimentithe tile boutique
35LapwingLane•WestDidsbury•M202NT01614462211www.albertipavimenti.com
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guitar trail x4 A5 leaflet_PRINT.pdf 13/6/12 13:25:00
GUITAR/SONGWRITING LESSONS
Call: 07906 203388 [email protected]
www.dominickearne.com
• Experienced teacher of children & adults
• Current age range 7 to 72!• First lesson ½ price/other
discounts available• I travel to you• Learn songs, styles or grades• Learn to sing whilst playing
• Full Enhanced CRB check• Member of The Registry of
Guitar Teachers• Annual concert to showcase
your new found skills (optional)!
evolve joinery
High quality work
for a competitive price
For a free quote contact Pete
07947 242 3390161 427 9317
Wooden & UPVC windows
Internal & external doors
Engineered & solid wood floors
Stud partition & plasterboard work
All aspects of internal joinery
Decking & fencing
to advertise call Lesley: 0787 589 5604 [email protected]
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read the latest edition online at www.communityindex.co.uk
Tel: 07936 884644
Blocked Gutters?
Call BenGutters Cleared & Repaired
• Loft Conversions• Extensions• Cellar Conversions• New Build• Commercial & Domestic• Refurbishment, including full re-wire & central
heating systems• Bathrooms & Kitchens supplied & fitted• Insurance Backed Guarantee if required• Plans, Planning Permission & Building Regs
0161 300 2503 07796 104 492www.cheshiregatepropertyservices.co.uk
CHESHIREGATEPROPERTY SERVICES
COMPLETE BUILDING SERVICE INCUDES:
Call John or Steve on:[email protected]
Before
After
10Community NoticeboardEvents in July
Parrs Wood FestivalSaturday July 14th 11-5pm Parrs Wood High School Lower Field
Lapwing Lane Arcade FundraiserSaturday July 14th 7pm. An evening with George Galway and friends. Tickets £7.50 Folla members £10 non members - available from Inmans. www.folla.org.ukThe Northern Tennis Club, Palatine Road
Didsbury Classic Car ShowSunday 15th July 12-5pmDidsbury Park
Guitar TrailSunday 22nd July from 12.30pm Fletcher Moss Gardens
Clubs, Societies & Groups
Acting For FunCentral Didsbury431 4794
Didsbury Amateur Dramaticswww.celestaplayers.co.uk
Didsbury Cricket Clubwww.didsburyccsports.co.uk
Didsbury Dinnershttp://didsburydinners.wordpress.comFor general enquiries/Community growing group: [email protected] Community cooking group: [email protected]
Didsbury Good NeighboursEvery Tuesday, 10-11.45am coffee morning. Didsbury Sure Start Centre, Didsbury Park07749 504298
www.didsburygood neighbours.com
Didsbury Village East Residents Associationwww.dvera.co.uk
Didsbury Village Women’s Institutewww.didsburyvillagewi.co.uk
Manchester Flower Lovers’ GuildFirst Monday of the monthforflowerdemonstrations. Refreshments at 7.15 for 7.30 start. Visitors welcome £5 St Werburghs Church Hall, Chorlton M21 0TJ Anne 881 6591, [email protected] flowersnorthwest.net
Friends of Didsbury Parkwww.friendsofdidsbury park.co.uk
Friends of Fletcher Moss ParkAlan Hill 215 0971 [email protected]
Friends of Marie Louise Gardenswww.marielouisegardens.org.uk
South Manchester Camera Clubwww.smcc.org.uk
Didsbury Over 50s Group247 2323
South Manchester U3AMeet on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 2pm, Emmanuel Church. Contact Edna 434 250
South Manchester Dance School107 Clyde Road West Didsbury, 445 5308
West Didsbury BookgroupMeets every four weeks at 7.30pm. Lively mixed group of all ages.
Call 445 4483 leaving your name, address & landline
West Didsbury Residents AssociationPam Siddons 445 5406 www.westdidsbury.org.uk
Arts & CraftsThe Classroom on School Lane Learn new a new craft24 School Lanewww.classroomschool lane.com
Wendy Levy Art Gallery17 Warburton Street Didsbury, 446 4880
Music & EntertainmentDidsbury Comedy Club 7pm Show 7:45pm Admission £6/£5 Didsbury Cricket Club, Wilmslow Rd, East Didsbury, M20 2ZY
JazzTuesday 10th July 8.45pm Green Street Quartet. At the Slug and Lettuce, 651 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury. creativespaceinfo.blogspot.com
Pub QuizDog and PartridgeEvery Monday 9.30Cash Jackpot667 Wilmslow RoadTel: 0871 951 1000
Stax of Soul Wednesdays 9.30pm-12 Thursdays DJ Pip Rolfe Weekend warm up till 1amOne Lounge Bar1 Lapwing lanewww.oneloungebar.co.uk 448 0101
Therapy at Sanctuary Bar Thursday night DJ 7–midnight every week.653 Wilmslow Road
Social & Support Groups
Didsbury Social [email protected] www.didsburysocial. jigsy.com
New Family Social UK charity for LGBT adopters, foster carers and their children. Meets every two months in south Manchester.newfamilysocial.co.uk email: [email protected]
Useful Numbers
Didsbury Library 227 3755
Environment on Call 954 9000
Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service 905 1100
Manchester City Council234 5000
East Didsbury Councillors
Andrew [email protected]
Andrew [email protected]
Bridie [email protected]
West Didsbury CouncillorsMark [email protected]
Carl [email protected]
David [email protected]
email your listings to [email protected]
Community I N D E X
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Tickets: £10, £8 (Concessions) £4 (Kids) Tickets available via: www.alexanderwall.co.uk
07782 390224 or at the door
S u m m e r O p e r aS T a r Salexander Wall
Tenor
Samantha Chambers Soprano
per Nielson piano
emmanuel Church, Didsbury, m20 6Tr12pm on Saturday 28th July
a concert of popular opera arias and duets with two of the North-West’s finest singers.
Alexander Wall, a local Tenor from West Didsbury, returns for a one-off performance with Soprano, Samantha Chambers and Pianist, Per Nieslon. They all studied at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music and are joining forces in a programme which will include some of opera's greatest tunes. Both singers have performed in some of the world's most prestigious opera houses, including The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Please come and support these talented local artists in what should be a great afternoon of music-making.
Summer Opera Stars
Ecos offers the full range of arboricultural services, from planting and formative pruning through to complex dismantling and emergency call outs. Our professional service is sensitive to both our clients’ needs and to environmental concerns.
Ecos Consulting also offers a professional surveying and consultancy service.
All timber removed is maximally upcycled to produce sawn planks, firewood, woodchip biofuel or compost.
An efficient, competitive service from Manchester’s only treework social enterprise.
Ecos and Ecos Consulting are trading names of Greater Manchester TreeStation Ltd
www.treestation.co.uk/ecos — 0161 231 3333
Eco-friendly Treework
Hannah and LoisMay 31st, The Castle HotelWhen my never-on-time friend suggested we go to her friends gig, I wasn’t in the best of moods when she turned up an hour late. Unaware of who the band was, I was relieved to know it was at The Castle Hotel (Oldham Street).
Despite its slightly drab exterior the larger-than-you-think pub is welcoming and cosy with an excellent jukebox. Squeezing our way through to the back room my friend provided a brief description of the duo; “They’re really chilled out and cute; they have sweet lyrics and an awesome harp”. More in the mood for an angry rock gig, I secretly start praying they wouldn’tsingaboutflowers,trees and heartache. As we
queued to go in I felt my spirit lift as my hand was stamped with the face of a kitten and I was told I am on the guest list. ‘Back of the net!’ as my friend would say.
The womb like room had a calming atmosphere; with warm coloured lighting and small wooden stage crowned with fairy lights. A small, quiet introduction was made by two young women; Hannah and Lois and soon the honey toned vocals anddreamysoundingharpfilledthe air. They have a good stage presence; its hippyish and not in a pretentious way. You can’t not be driven to tranquility as you listen to Lois’ plucking of the harp against Hannah’s high, delicate, sixties sounding voice; especially during a moving song ‘Carrie Anne’ which offered
a dose of nostalgia. Both are pretty to look at and its hard to not be charmed by their slight nervousness which lead to one of them unable to work out why the keyboard wasn’t working (it wasn’t plugged in). Although their tone suggests they are inspired by the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, their old country music style plugs a shine towards Dolly Parton.
The venue provided an idyllic setting for the talented folk duo; slotting in perfectly in the bohemian back room away from the beard infested, Victorianesque, ale-swilling bar area. The audiences reaction; occasional whispers of “wows” and looking blown away at one another assures us that these two are destined for big things.
Vicky [email protected]
soundcloud.com/hannah-and-lois
Live Music Review Vicky Russell
9
to advertise call Lesley: 0787 589 5604 [email protected]
10
RETIREMENT APARTMENTS COMING SOONCOSGROVE COURT, CHORLTON CUM HARDY
0800 919132 www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk
News that will make you smile...
McCarthy & Stone is coming to Chorlton-Cum-Hardy
For more news & information from the McCarthy & Stone Group send to: Freepost RSCB-BRLE-HYKJ, McCarthy & Stone Retirement Lifestyles Ltd, ALTRINCHAM WA14 5LXYou may be contacted via the methods of communication for which you have provided details. Where a mobile number has been provided, you may also be contacted by SMS or other electronic means.
Title Name Address
Postcode
Email Tel and/or Mob
Interest: Yourself Other New Properties Previously owned Chorlton/Disbury.CommunityIndex1.7.12
✁
• Residents’ Lounge • Guest Suite • Lift to all fl oors • Landscaped Gardens
McCarthy & Stone can offer older homebuyers a way of life that means there is less to worry about.
We build our developments with an abundance of security features to minimise the risk of crime.
Each apartment is fi tted with a smoke and intruder alarm. There’s also a security TV camera at the main entrance. When someone calls, residents can see who’s there before they let them in simply by switching channels on their TV set.
Having other like minded people living in the same building adds to the feeling of safety and social activities in the residents’ lounge creates a sense of community.
Another reassuring presence is the House Manager, who looks after the general running of the development and acts as a good neighbour to the residents.
In case of personal emergency, residents know they can rely on the 24-hour emergency call system, which is installed throughout the development.
To start enjoying a McCarthy & Stone lifestyle give us a call.
Later Living is safer and more secure with McCarthy & Stone
• House Manager • 24-hour Emergency Call System • Security Entry System
11
RETIREMENT APARTMENTS COMING SOONCOSGROVE COURT, CHORLTON CUM HARDY
0800 919132 www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk
News that will make you smile...
McCarthy & Stone is coming to Chorlton-Cum-Hardy
For more news & information from the McCarthy & Stone Group send to: Freepost RSCB-BRLE-HYKJ, McCarthy & Stone Retirement Lifestyles Ltd, ALTRINCHAM WA14 5LXYou may be contacted via the methods of communication for which you have provided details. Where a mobile number has been provided, you may also be contacted by SMS or other electronic means.
Title Name Address
Postcode
Email Tel and/or Mob
Interest: Yourself Other New Properties Previously owned Chorlton/Disbury.CommunityIndex1.7.12
✁
• Residents’ Lounge • Guest Suite • Lift to all fl oors • Landscaped Gardens
McCarthy & Stone can offer older homebuyers a way of life that means there is less to worry about.
We build our developments with an abundance of security features to minimise the risk of crime.
Each apartment is fi tted with a smoke and intruder alarm. There’s also a security TV camera at the main entrance. When someone calls, residents can see who’s there before they let them in simply by switching channels on their TV set.
Having other like minded people living in the same building adds to the feeling of safety and social activities in the residents’ lounge creates a sense of community.
Another reassuring presence is the House Manager, who looks after the general running of the development and acts as a good neighbour to the residents.
In case of personal emergency, residents know they can rely on the 24-hour emergency call system, which is installed throughout the development.
To start enjoying a McCarthy & Stone lifestyle give us a call.
Later Living is safer and more secure with McCarthy & Stone
• House Manager • 24-hour Emergency Call System • Security Entry System
12
Roll up! Roll up! Catch the greased pig and keep your family in bacon for a week. Pull a funny face through a horse’s collar and win some ale. Eat an entire wax candle for a cash prize. Or if the thought of that turns your stomach, consume a treacle-loaf in one go. Win some money at the races: on foot, with wheelbarrow, or on a donkey. Try your luck at the prize stalls.
The patch of open land between what is now the Didsbury Inn (once the Ring o’ Bells) and the Old Cock Inn was the scene of some decidedly original entertainment back in the nineteenth century.
Star turn must have been the gentleman with the dimensions of Peter Crouch who drank a pint of buttermilk, then swallowed small raw potatoes whole. Punters forked out a penny to put their ear against the man’s stomach to hear the spuds going splosh into the liquid. No, I’m not making this up. It’s in a book written by Alderman Fletcher Moss.
The festival began with the traditional rush-bearing procession on August 5th (St. Oswald’s Day), then from the following Sunday the village celebrated the annual Wakes holiday, when all shops and factories closed for a fortnight. Rush-bearing had an ancient purpose: that of spreading rushes onchurchfloorsforinsulationtowards the end of summer. The tradition remained for many years in the form of a procession (firstmentionedinWithingtonin1603) and later accompanied by Morris Dancers and a band. The rushes on the cart were arranged intoatalledificeadornedwith
flowers,andfromwhichtherewere hung various tankards and spoons, often of silver. The horses that drew the cart sported extravagant decorations on the top of their head. Fletcher Moss states that the rush cart which did the tour of the south Manchester villages was made up at William Mee’s Farm (later Hobson’s Hall Farm) in Chorlton. This was on the site of the present cricket ground at the end of Ellesmere Road.
The early August celebrations in Didsbury in the late nineteenth century were in two distinct phases. The more respectable affair was the Horse and Horticultural Show, held in fieldstothesouthofStennerLane.
With the arrival of the railways and cheap passenger travel, the Wakes underwent a fundamental change. Gradually home-grown activities were supplanted by a mass exodus to the seaside towns. Entertainment on tap
took the place of the traditional recreations, but you can’t help feeling something was lost. With the possible exception of the business with the greased pig, it sounds like fun.
All the Fun of the Wakes Graham Phythian
Graham’s book on local history South Manchester Remembered published by The History Press, is out now, available at all good bookshops.
Chasing the greased pig. Drawing by Rob Hall, based on a detail from an 1859 wood-engraving.
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DIDSBURYWINDOW CLEANING
houses • shops • flats • offices
Tel: 07936 884644didsburywindows.com
NACS member
www.acornchimneysweepingservices.co.uk
Call John0161 445 3650
CHIMNEY SWEEPING SERVICESAcorn
open fires, boilers Agas, multi-fuel stoves, birds nests removed
15
please mention community index when responding to adverts
Mobile Email
07875 360 368 [email protected]
Property Repairs Chimneys
PointingRoofs
Gutters
Free Est imates
M Duffin
0161 789 664007944 729 608
please mention Community Index when responding to adverts
14
July in your Garden by Katherine Watson
Garden DesignPlanting AdviceConsultation ServiceProject Managment
07989968841www.fatgrass.co.uk
Using water in the garden has gone in and out of fashion, but it has been suggested that we have lost thousands of ponds from gardens and countryside in the last one hundred years due to farming techniques, popularity and maintenance issues. However, having water in the garden is starting to become popular again mainly due to the rallying cry of conservationists and garden makers keen to preserve (or create) habitats for a range of wildlife and insects. So following on from a long tradition of ‘natural’ representations of water, made popular in China as a form of ‘Shan Shui’ (outdoor Feng Shui) and adopted on a very large scale in England during the landscape movement of the 1700’s, we are being encouraged to create our own little oases in the form of a wildlife pond.
A pond can attract more variety of wildlife than any other single feature in the garden. Ifyoucandowithoutfish(andthe accompanying, ubiquitous plastic heron), a wildlife pond can provide a breeding space for frogs and toads as well as a habitat for a host of other creatures, from water snails to pondskaters. You might even be luckyenoughtoseedamselfliesanddragonflies–suchastheCommon Darter, Sympetrum striolatumortheAzureDamselfly,Coenagrion puella (“Prehistoric bedragoned times, Crawl that darkness with Latin names…”).
Opinions differ as to how big the pond should be but there is a general consensus that your pond should be at least 70 - 80cm deep at some point in order to prevent total freezing and therefore protecting wildlife over winter. Creating a shallow area and at least one sloping side allows birds to bathe, hedgehogs to drink, and amphibians like frogs to get in and out of the pond easily. A range of depths in a wildlife pond is also recommended to provide the necessary spaces for different plants of which there are many types. Deep-water aquatics (such as Nymphaea - the Water Lily) have their roots in water that is 45cm (18in) or more with their leaves standing outabovethewaterorfloatingon the surface. Marginal plants grow in the shallow water around the edge of a pond in planting baskets standing submerged in water. Submerged aquatics
live completely under water including the useful oxygenator Lagarosiphon major (which also goes by the less impressive common name – Pondweed) and free-floatingplantsdriftabouton the surface of the pond with their roots dangling in the water. Examples include another popular oxygenator Stratiotes aloides (Water Soldier) that marches and multiplies through the water at an incredible rate. Both the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (wwt.org.uk) and the RSPB (rspb.org.uk) provide useful lists of pond plants to avoid. If you don’t have oodles of space, then a smaller area or small containers may still be useful to wildlife. Old sinks or half barrels may still provide a home for aquatic insects, and breeding areas for dragonflies.
Katherine Watson, Fat Grass Garden Designs
to advertise call Lesley: 0787 589 5604 [email protected]
Independent Retailer Month is a global "Shop Local" campaign that runs throughout July. The campaign highlights the important role smaller, local, independent retailers play in the communities they serve, the local economy they contribute to, and in the retail sector as a whole. To help celebrate this fantastic initiative TAG! cards for 2012 will be on sale for £2.50 from local shops below while stocks last.
TAG! is a Loyalty Card scheme for local independents. Over 50 Didsbury independents have very generously joined together to form a Didsbury Community loyalty scheme which can be used to raise money for local
causes and enables you to save when you shop locally and independently. TAG! cards can then be used in any of our Community schemes in South Manchester so that even when visiting other areas you can seek out some wonderful independents and save there too.
Here are a selection of Didsbury TAG!membersyoucanfindthefull list of Didsbury members and their offers at www.tagpassiton.com
Didsbury TAG News
www.tagpassiton.com
Rumpus Toys 10% off spends over £20
Cheese Hamlet 10% off spends over £15 (Mon-Thurs)
Fresh Save 10% off spends over £5
Withington Cycles 10% off
Harriet & Dee 10% off spends over £20
www.independentretailermonth.co.uk
Special thanks to Jayne Crawshaw from Didsbury Community Association for all her hard work in organising the lovely bunting in Didsbury Village along Wilmslow Rd in time for the Jubilee Celebrations and annual Didsbury Festival. A special mention too to all the following local businesses and Associations
Thank You!
for their generous donations and contributions.
Gascoine Halman, The Deli, Saints & Scholars, Dog & Partridge Pub, Oxfam, Andrew Graham Shoes, Hallmark Cards, Evans Fish Shop, Ashley Brown's Hairdresser's, Zayn News Agents,The Royal Oak Pub, Axons Butchers, Urban Grill, The Crown Pub, Didsbury Community Association and Didsbury Civic Society.
Hopefully with more traders involved next year, the bunting will be extended to other areas of Didsbury too.
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Summer’s here (apologies if it’s not) and I guess it’s time I dusted down my rusty old bike and hit the kerbs again. Get some exercise. And what better way to do that than to feel a warm breeze on your face as you whizz past all those joggers in their funny looking Lycra getup? Sorry joggers, but some of you put me in mind of extras from a camp sciencefictionshow.BuckRogersanyone?
No, pedal-power, that’s the thing. Not only is cycling an effective form of low impact exercise (improvingaerobicfitnessandreducingtheriskof coronary heart disease), but it’s good for the environment too. Recent statistics show that 50% of all journeys made in the UK are two miles or less, which most of us can achieve on foot or by bicycle rather than driving; while Manchester Friends of the Earth are keen to encourage us to cycle to work, and not add to an already polluted atmosphere.
Don’t panic. I’m not getting on my soapbox. Truth is, my bike spends much of the year reared up on its back wheel, squeezed into the hallway cupboard. Besides, I’ve got no lights, the steering is off and the brakes are a wee bit dodgy. And my bike’s not much better.
But in summertime, like any mad dog or Englishman, I grab at the chance to get out and about. Not so much on the roads, you understand; I’mnervousinheavytraffic,notfondofbreathingcar fumes, and being screamed at by irate,
gas-guzzling idiots isn’t my idea of fun. But I’m lucky enough to live on the edge of Mersey valley, with its neighbouring nature reserves, which amounts to a good stretch in either direction, not a traffic-lightinsight. For the city-dwelling two-wheeler who rarely gets out to the sticks, it’s something of a godsend. Try it. Not only
isitacostefficientdayout,butit’sagreatwaytobring the whole family together.
Don’t have bikes for all the family? No problem. Arek Bartniczak opened The Bike Barn, opposite Jackson’sBoatpubonRifleRoad,twoyearsago.Offering repairs and bike hire from Wednesday through to Sunday (10am to 6pm), Arek’s mission is simple: “I want to get the whole family out cycling. We can provide all the equipment you’ll need: child seats, helmets, trailers, bikes for all ages - and childrenunderfivegofree.”Notonlythat,butArekcan also provide family-friendly cycle routes, with places of local interest and natural beauty along the way to engage your little ones or simply stop for a picnic. What more could you ask for?
So go on. Do your heart a favour. Do the planet a favour. Do your wallet a favour. And get on your bikes and ride.
Useful Contacts:www.fixbikego.comMobile bike repairs Tel: 07789 021 860
www.loveyourbike.orgManchester Friends of the Earth Cycling campaign
www.kenfosterscyclelogic.co.uk374-376 Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton, M218AZ
www.withingtoncyclesltd.com26 Burton Rd, M20 3EB
www.the-bike-barn.co.ukBikehireandrepairshop,RifleRoad,Sale,M332LXoutside Jackson’s Boat Pub
www.gmcc.org.ukGreater Manchester’s Cycle Campaign
On Your Bike Leon Horton
A course to help you work in your community on energy-saving &
environmental issues
For bookings & info email: [email protected]
Engaging Communities on Climate Change
Wednesday 11th July 2012
17
please mention Community Index when responding to adverts
Saturday 14 July, 11am-5pmParrs Wood High School Lower Field
The Parrs Wood Festival 2012
Hosted by 104.9 imagineFMLIVE on stage: Reconnected, Forbidden Juice, Be Minor Live entertainment all dayHuge Funfair Artisan MarketFoods from around the worldPimms tent and beach barNew car arenaCasinoHog roastFun Olympics family competitionChance to win an ipod2
Fun for all...don't miss out!
A great family event bringing Parrs Wood High School and the Didsbury community closer together.
CHESHIREGATESOLAR PANELS
www.solar-panel-uk.com
Generate FREE electricity for life!Reduce your Energy Bills by up to 50%
Reduce your carbon footprint
YOUR LOCAL SOLAR PV INSTALLER
Call us now for a FREE quotation 0161 300 2503
The Didsbury Handyman City & Guilds multi skilled Tradesman
Domestic & Commercial Public Liability Insurance
0777 852 3088
Environmentally AwareSmall works always welcome
Carpentry • Joinery • Electrical • Plumbing Kitchens • Fencing • Built in Furniture • Decks
Gates • Shelves • Locks • Hardware
call Nick
v
www.enhanceitwithwood.com0161 8619870 07969 115946
Built in and free-standing furnitureand storage solutions to improve
how you use your home.
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N A Evans Electrical ServicesFamily run, serving South Manchester for 25 yrs
Tel: 0161 881 6705 Mob: 07711 032 761
• No job too large, no job too small. Quality above all• Energy saving and eco friendly advice and installation• Inspection and Testing, Installations, Maintenance and Repairs• Weekend and out of hours work • All work fully guaranteed and to relevant regulations
Trustmark / ECA / City and Guilds / Part P and JIB approved/ MIET
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Basement Conversionshome office • gym • playroom • wine cellar • bathroom • wetroom
Best Cellars North West • Unit 128 • 792 Wilmslow Rd • Didsbury • Manchester • M20 6UGwww.bestcellarsnw.co.uk
best ce arsbasement conversions
northwestTel: 07921 710 563 Roy Nesbitt
September 2009.indd 14 14/08/2009 01:05:00
Tel: 0161 300 0530 Mob: 07921 710 563
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CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANERS
• FAST DRYING SYSTEM• FREE STAIN & ODOUR REMOVAL• STAINGUARD PROTECTION• 10% RETIRED PERSONS DISCOUNT• ALL WORK IS FULLY INSURED• ALL FURNITURE MOVED BY OPERATIVE
Fully trained to NCCA standards
We are a local company based in Chorlton
Ring or email for a FREE ESTIMATE
07742 369 231or leave a message on 0161 881 4822
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Mobile Email
07875 360 368 [email protected]
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