In a week that has seen people across Greater Manchester panic buying fuel, two forward-thinking streets in Chorlton have closed off to local car traffic to start conversations on ways to reduce carbon emissions and to drive less locally.
Residents on Burrows Avenue and Westfield Road have signed up to take part in an ‘Open streets’ trial, where roads are re-prioritised for people over cars.
Neighbours on the streets are taking part in the week of change by reducing their own reliance on cars, pledging to walk, cycle or use public transport to work, school, or go to the shops.
Burrows Avenue opened the street for play and conversation from Monday to Wednesday (Sept 27-29) and Westfield Avenue from Thursday through to Saturday (Sept 30-Oct 2) and restricted through-traffic to act as a showcase on what changes people would like to see on their streets and get people talking about ‘who our streets are currently designed for?’
Burrows Avenue resident Mike Lever said: We’ve needed change on the street for a while. The number of cars that speed down this road is scary, especially at night when you feel it shaking the houses.
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“These three days have been peaceful – the last time it was anything like this was the first lockdown. It’s given everyone on the street an opportunity to come out and chat again.”
Mary, long term resident on Burrows Avenue and supporter of the project added: “It’s for the kids this. They’ve never been able to play on the street because of the cars. And now look at them, all playing together.”
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The project – the first of its kind in Manchester – is supported by Our Streets Chorlton with an aim of getting residents thinking about how they can re-imagine what could be possible on their streets when car traffic was not the main feature.
Daily activities have been taking place from 3pm until 7pm, including e-bike and cargo bike testers, talks on climate actions and the promotion of new car sharing schemes.
Data is being collected from residents across Chorlton through an interactive heatmap on the changes people would like to see to enable driving less. The findings will be shared with Manchester City Council to work on lasting solutions to reduce carbon emissions and get more cars off the road in Chorlton.
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Project coordinator Pauline Jonhston said: “It has been so encouraging to see action taken by residents on these two streets. We worked with the streets to develop and deliver a project that they care about and can get behind.
“It could not be more apt timing with people panic buying fuel. There are many alternatives to getting in the car that are better for individual health, air quality, our pockets and our planet.
“The residents here are making the case for change here and elsewhere by leaving their cars at home and trying out sustainable forms of transport.
“Hats off to Manchester City Council and our local councillors for being supportive of the project. It’s a first for Manchester that roads have been closed for three consecutive days with a play street permit and no on-street marshalling required. Only barriers and road closure signage used so that opens up opportunities to try it elsewhere too.
“In all weather, residents have got together to socialise, engage in conversations about climate change and re-imagining a neighbourhood that is less dependent on cars to get about. Now we have more data that can be shared and positive feedback, we can look at longer-term solutions to reduce unnecessary short and local car trips, leaving the streets clear for the people that need to use cars.”
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Our Streets Chorlton is a community led project funded by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund.
For more information on the project visit here, www.ourstreetschorlton.co.uk and have your say on what you would like to see improved in Chorlton on a dedicated heatmap here.
Manchester
Greater Manchester clubs and Kellogg’s team up for free kids’ football camps this summer
Danny Jones
A whole host of Greater Manchester clubs are teaming up with cereal brand Kellogg’s this summer to hold tens of thousands of free football camps for kids this summer.
Joining the nationwide initiative alongside dozens of other teams across the country, local sides including Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Salford City and more will be taking part in a glorious sporting summer helping the opportunity to stay active and entertained during the holidays.
Kellogg’s Football Camps and similar schemes from the company have been running for many years and this latest edition is set to be the biggest yet, with 300,000 completely free days of footballing fun set to be offered out to children aged 5-14 all over the UK.
With the multiple clubs from in and around the region enlisting their help, not to mention Euro 2024 and the Olympics just on the horizon, it’s going to be a great couple of months for the little ones.
With the likes of Stockport County, Wigan Athletic and other nearby organisations such as the Foundation 92 (the educational charity arm formed by the Man United’s Class of ’92 group) getting involved, the physical activity-driven programme will be a great outlet for kids this school break.
This fresh push for physical activity comes after recent research found that 90% of parentsin the North West would like their child to experience less screen timeand take part in more outdoor activities and 7/10 of mums and dads from the region feel there aren’t enough accessible activitieslocal to them.
Entry for the Kellogg’s camps kicked off this month and will run until 24 June, with around 2,500 places released every week. The sessions themselves will run throughout July and August 2024 as well as a handful in June and September.
To mark the occasion this year, they also revealed the world’s longest football scarf featuring a total of 74 different teams from England, Wales, and Scotland, measuring approximately 100m long.
The vast majority of parents polled said they felt participating in team sports can help build crucial life skills and that’s exactly what the campaign is hoping to achieve. Brilliant stuff.
Kellogg’s has long held not only a local connection to Greater Manchester but a partnership with English football in general (if you have one of those old footy cereal bowls you know all too well), so it’s nice to see them still getting involved and help parents keep their kids occupied for a little while this summer.
The sign-up process is pretty simple: merely grab a promotional box of the brand’s cereal which millions of British kids already eat for their cereal, scan the barcode to validate the purchase and then select your desired club via email to book your kids onto the free football days. You can see the T&Cs HERE.
As it happens, they aren’t the only food brand offering similar sporting freebies this year:
Featured Images — Supplied/Bolton Wanders FC (via X)
Manchester
Masked Manchester rapper Meekz bursts back with surprise gig in Piccadilly Gardens with JD
Charlie Watkinson
Local rap sensation Meekz is back, if you hadn’t noticed – he burst back onto the scene last week with a surprise gig with JD in Piccadilly Gardens.
The masked Manchester rapper is celebrating the release of his latest single Mini Me’s – and a handful of Mini Meekz posters appeared around town, pasted there by artist collective Pattern Up (then swiftly removed) last week.
Meekz continues to impress with his latest release, a track that’s quickly gaining popularity.
True to form, Meekz delivers not only sonically but visually, teaming up once again with KC Locke to create a stunning music video.
Their collaboration underscores the significance of music videos, reaffirming their lasting impact in the industry.
The video pays homage to their previous work, particularly ‘Like Me’, while also pushing boundaries with a post-apocalyptic CGI rendition of Manchester, reminiscent of scenes from GTA and Marvel movies.
This innovative approach demonstrates the remarkable synergy between Meekz and KC Locke, marking a new pinnacle in their collaborative efforts.
Following the premiere, Meekz treated fans to a memorable performance in Piccadilly Gardens, organised with JD, where he made a grand entrance by gifting miniature Air Max 95’s to his fans before taking the stage atop a large storage container.
I had the opportunity to speak with Meekz after the premiere, where he shared insights into his upcoming tape, ‘Tru’, slated for release on 24 May.
Additionally, he hinted at exclusive news related to GTA/GTA 6, leaving fans eagerly anticipating his future endeavours.
It’s clear that Meekz continues to innovate and redefine the game with each new project, and we’re excited to see what he has in store next.
KC Locke said: “In the time that the mainstream media is writing articles about the decline of the music video industry, swords and eagles are here to make a stand and show not only are music videos here to stay but they are more important than ever.
“This is a testament to community, bound by a shared vision, we rise and rise again, together, for the culture.”