The meeting will be held at the Peel Building (Room LG12), University of Salford, The Crescent, M45WU and afterwards at the New Oxford Pub, Bexley Square, M36DB.

Following the AGM there will be an illustrated talk with Norman Redhead, Greater Manchester County Archaeologist and Sarah Cattell of Salford University. The topic will be 'Investigating Salford's Graveyards'.

Salford's eighteenth and nineteenth-century graveyards are as interesting as they are vulnerable, with many at risk of destruction of dereliction. The talk will concentrate on some of the City's non-conformist graveyards, their history and how they can be surveyed and recorded for the future.

Proceeds of Crime funding has been made available for projects that help to tackle antisocial behaviour in the Langworthy area*.

Particularly welcome are projects that;

• Provide positive activities for young people
• Provide opportunities that bring people together
• Help to improve the quality of the environment

If you have an idea or a project you’re involved in/are currently organising that could help, funding could be available.

Read more on the link below www.gmp.police.uk/givingback

You can also contact the Ordsall and Langworthy Neighbourhood team on 0161 603 4091or via email to OLNMTeam@salford.gov.uk for further information and/ or support with application forms.

Funding of up to £3000 is available. The Closing date for applications is Friday 20th of April.

*Proceeds of crime funding has been provided by Greater Manchester Police and additional contributory funding has been provided by Great Places, Salix, Pendleton Together and Salford City Council.

New artist’s impressions show how Canon Green Court in Trinity could look, along with a brand new 11-storey residential building.

Housing association Salix Homes has been working alongside residents and its design team -Willmott Dixon, civil engineers Elluc, and architects Corstorphine and Wright - to develop proposals to renovate the building and create much-needed new homes in the area.

The proposals were submitted to Salford Council this month (March) and include plans to fully refurbish the ageing block, with new kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, exterior re-facing and insulation.

As part of the proposals, the new apartment block will be built within the expansive grounds of the site on Canon Green Drive and includes 108 one and two-bedroom apartments.

Westminster House, a three-storey apartment block on the same site, will also get an external facelift.

Lee Sugden, chief executive at Salix Homes, said:

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“We’ve ensured that our residents have been involved with our development proposals every step of the way, and we are delighted to finally be in a position to formally submit our plans to Salford Council and unveil our bold vision for a new-look Canon Green Court campus.

“We are confident that our ambitious proposals will transform the appearance and living facilities at Canon Green Court, and deliver the essential improvement work that residents have been calling for, as well as help deliver our ambitions to provide more desperately needed homes for local people.

“Canon Green Court has dominated the Salford skyline for more than half a century and our significant investment will ensure it stands proudly for many years to come.”

 

The 1960s apartment block has provided the backdrop for several television dramas including ITV’s Prey and Channel 4’s No Offence.

Kim Ebling, director at Corstorphine and Wright architects, said:

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“The redevelopment of Canon Green Court is a fantastic project for Corstorphine and Wright to be involved with and we are confident that the proposals will complement the wider regeneration in the area and create much-needed new homes that are fit for the future.”

If the proposals are given the green light by council planners, it’s hoped that work will start on site later this year.

Salix Homes, which owns more than 8,300 properties in Salford, is investing £75million by 2020 into improving homes and communities across the city.

During a lengthy phone conversation, Paul wished to reassure the local community that he was opposed to any such proposals to build residential properties within the park, he also wished to remind people that the park and museum are publically owned and as such any changes would require full public consultation.

The article by the Salford Star can be found here: http://salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=4424

Councillor Wilson told us he had requested a meeting with City Mayor Paul Dennett as soon as the Salford Star article broke, he revealed that they had met this morning to discuss the proposals for the museum and adjoining land and he was given assurances that a full public consultation would take place. 

SalfordVoice had previously raised the subject of the park with Paul earlier this month when we attended a public consultation over the future usage of the Weaste Hotel, during our conversations, Paul made very clear that his preference for the site was always for it to be used as an enhanced leisure facility for the use of the people of Salford, we are very happy to see this position has not changed.

In a statement Councillor Paul Wilson (Weaste & Claremont) told us:

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"Like many residents in Salford, I’m keen to see the mansion returned back to its former glory.

"Whilst I accept that some development will be required to do this, I don’t think residential property in a public park is the way forward.

"My views on this are reinforced by the 2016-17 Public Parks report, this report was produced by the cross-party Commons Communities and local government committee.

"This morning I met with the City Mayor and made it clear that I’m personally opposed to a residential development in a public park and asked that we work together to reach a solution; I’d like to see enhanced leisure facilities within the park to enable the mansion to be returned back to public use.

"The City Mayor assured me that the outcome of the 6-month Memorandum of Understanding between the City Council and Salford Red Devils Foundation and Capital and Centric Group would be open to public consultation.

"As local Councillors for the area, we have committed to meeting with the City Mayor and Council Officers to obtain further details of the plans for the mansion and former parks depot and updating residents at the next Community Committee Meeting."

 

Buile Hill Park has a long and varied history, with links to many important historical figures, within its grounds stands the grade II listed Buile Hill Mansion, former home to a natural history museum and later used as a mining museum. It has laid derelict since 2000 with Planning permission granted to John Wilkinson to turn it into a country hotel in 2008, which received very negative feedback from locals and heritage groups.

However, the £700,000 purchase fee was never paid to the council, and the permission expired in 2014.

Since then several companies have proposed to turn it into a hotel, these never came to fruition.

We did contact Salford Council to ask them to confirm or deny the story but sadly received no response.

Update

Michael has now been found safe and well, thanks for sharing.

Michael Smith, 38, was last seen at around 10.35am this morning, Tuesday 27 March 2018, at a Primary School on Park Lane. 

He is described as a white man, around 5ft 9inches tall, wearing dark-rimmed glasses with short fair hair and stubble. 

It is believed Michael is wearing a black North Face jacket, with a dark hooded jumper underneath, as well as blue jeans and black trainers with a white sole. 

Sergeant Clare Hall of GMP’s Salford borough said:

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“Michael has been missing for a number of hours now and his family are understandably worried about where he could be. 

“We know he dropped his children off at school, but no one has heard from him since early this morning. 

“Please, if you see Michael around Salford, or think you may have seen him today, get in touch and help us to bring him home.” 

Anyone with information about Michael’s whereabouts is asked to contact police on 101 quoting MP/18/0114477. Reports can also be made anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

However, questions have been raised over the council's plans after an article published by The Salford Star (Link Below) suggests that as part of these proposed developments, housing could be built (without public consultation) upon vacant land within the public park to the side of the publically owned Buile Hill Park mansion and its historic hothouse... 

We have asked the Council for more information as to the validity of these claims and will update this article accordingly. 

See Salford Star Article: http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=4424

A report to the council’s cabinet on Tuesday 27 March has cleared the way for Dérive to start work to offer the first homes in the city at ‘Salford rents’- rents that are more affordable to local people.

The full detailed business case, which aims to start reshaping the city’s housing market, will go before Dérive’s Board in April.

Dérive aims to increase the supply of well-designed, truly affordable homes to meet local housing need and contribute to the council’s wider target for new affordable homes.

Nationally just under 5,500 homes were built for social rent in the last financial year.

Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said:

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"The housing market is broken and there just isn’t sufficient affordable housing in the pipeline to meet the needs of local people. Without the council’s intervention, the situation is unlikely to change.

“I made a commitment to build new social housing so it is really exciting to see plans for the council’s new housing company Dérive coming to life. We’re investing in high-quality truly affordable homes for future generations in the city. The rents will be our own Salford rents.”

 

The council will be the sole shareholder in the company, allowing profits of any future developments and rentals to be returned to the council.

The Business Plan commits £8.4 million of investment to deliver 67 homes over five years with a surplus from year one to be ploughed back into the ‘pot’ for more homes. The initial homes will be provided ‘off the shelf’ in partnership with housing providers and developers.

Mayor Dennett said:

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“Over time the intention is that the company will become a self-financing, ethical business which maximises affordable housing delivery, with limited financial support from the council.  It is a fantastic opportunity to generate social value and provide homes that people can truly afford.

“We have a number of council owned development sites earmarked. Our focus is sustainable sites previously used for housing or office accommodation to bring land back into use. These sites will allow us to work with others to create mixed tenure developments which secure our own high-quality Dérive homes.

“£2 million of Section 106 money funding from developers will help kick start the pipe line of new homes, just one of the ways that local people are benefitting from the growth of the city”

 

The funding projection comes from sales of properties on council-owned land, grants, section 106 funds made by developers towards affordable housing and council borrowing.

Salford City Council predicts the company will create around 136 new jobs and eight apprenticeships, with an additional half million pounds of social value generated through increasing spend in the development areas.

Over 130 11-14-year-olds from 13 schools across Salford got to meet their literary icons, with five out of the six shortlisted authors attending plus host, comedian and author James Campbell at the 15th Salford Children’s Book Award.

The 2018 winner was Murder in Midwinter by Fleur Hitchcock, who said:

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“I am really shocked to have won. Thank-you so much to all the children that voted, I am amazed.”

Fleur was presented with her award by Natalie Houston and Maisie Broderick, both aged 12 from St Patrick’s RC High School in Eccles.

The pupils went on stage and presented their view of Fleur’s book and why they voted for it in front of Salford’s Ceremonial Mayor, Councillor Peter Connor, and Councillor Ann-Marie Humphreys.

Maisie Broderick, Fleur Hitchcock and Natalie Houston (Bill McLoughlin photography).

Maisie Broderick, said:

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“It was really great to meet Fleur as we love her work”.

Natalie Houston said:

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“I really enjoyed meeting Fleur and also the event’s host James Campbell. He’s very funny and they both inspire us.”

Sarah Spence, Director of Libraries and Culture at Salford Community Leisure, said:

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“We are delighted that this year’s winner is Fleur Hitchcock for her book Murder in Midwinter which is a thrilling, fast-paced read and we thank the shortlisted authors who attended the event and further inspired our young readers in attendance.

“For 15 years, Salford Schools’ Library Service has been encouraging pupils in Salford High Schools to love reading through the Salford Children’s Book Award.  We aim to continue to inspire and engage our young people by providing the most diverse range of reading materials possible as we believe that reading different types of literature can really enhance learning, vocabulary and general knowledge.”

 

The Salford Children’s Book Award, which is run by Salford Schools’ Library Service, is designed to introduce high school pupils in Salford to a wide range of books and authors, to promote that reading is fun and enhance literary development.

Main Photo: Stewart Foster, Peter Bunzl, James Campbell, Jane Kerr (Jane works for the BBC in Manchester), Helen Dennis and Fleur Hitchcock.

The building, used as a cash and carry (Batleys), measures 100m x 50m and was equipped with a sprinkler system which activated to prevent the fire from spreading.

Firefighters tackled the blaze with eight breathing apparatus, two hose reels and one jet.

The fire is now out, the building was ventilated to clear the heavy smoke logging.

Hundreds gathered at Victoria Park in Swinton this morning to take part in a planned march upon the Civic Centre.

Politicians stood side by side with campaigners, nursery workers, parents & their children as they prepared to set off to send a strong and stable message to the prime minister and her government.

In scenes not seen in Salford in a very long time, almost a thousand people took to the streets to send home a message to the Government and anyone else that thinks they can steamroll over our City. The message was very clear "We WILL fight and we WILL WIN".

Save our Nurseries, Save our Five was that message and it was sung with pride as they marched along Manchester Road to the accompanying cheers of onlookers and the supportive beeps of passing motorists.

"I can't believe how many people are here." said one spectator, whilst another got a little emotional at seeing the support flooding into the park from all across the City.

After a few moments to compose herself and still with tears in her eyes, Dawne told us:

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"Salford people are Salt of the Earth, when they kick us to the ground we get back up and fight, it's the Salford way and we must never forget that.

"If those in power have not been listening so far then they sure as hell will be now".

The stream of people in their distinctive yellow t-shirts, marching side by side along the road, seemed to never end and we noticed several people grabbing their coats and joining in alongside them as they headed to the Civic Centre lawns where the stage was set for speeches and a mini funfair had been set up for the children.

With banners and flags waving in the crowd, Unison Salford Branch Secretary Stephen North was first to take to the podium as he thanked those assembled for their support.

Unison is the union that represents the staff and workers of the Nurseries and they most certainly have done them proudly during all of this upheaval. 

First up was Shadow Minister for Education Angela Rayner who said:

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"It's a shame that we have to be here today to discuss the services like these five outstanding nurseries that we have here in Salford.

"And it's not just a shame, it's an absolute disgrace, that this government is cutting the funding to our vital services”.

Paying tribute to all those who were involved in the campaign, she told them that it would be they who kept the five nurseries open and that the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn pledged his support and they had his backing.

Next up onto the podium to speak were representatives of the nursery workers, who started off by thanking people for their support for the campaign.

Sarah (main pic) told the crowd how since the last time they had met things had changed quite a bit:

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"We pushed back the consultation and the closure of the nurseries has been taken off the table, until September 2019.

"That's all thanks to your hard work, your attendance at meetings, your media presence and you spreading the word through petitions and leafleting has been absolutely amazing.

"We wish we could say that this was the end of our campaign but unfortunately it isn't, we are far from out of the woods and as of Monday we will be heading into a public consultation period".

Handing over to Karen from Winton Nursery, she continued by saying.

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"During this time we plan to discuss ideas to keep our nurseries open, we plan to continue with the campaign and plan to go to central government if needed to ensure our nurseries remain open under local authority control.

"We will NOT be privatised!

"We have proved that under the local authority our nurseries are outstanding, FIVE TIMES OVER and we wouldn't want to change that in any way.

Next up was Alison who spoke a little about the children who had attended the nurseries in the past, she read out a touching letter to the Mayor written by a six-year-old girl called Julia who had previously attended her nursery. Julia wrote of how the nursery teachers had helped her to learn English when she first attended and of the friends she had made there, and how her best friend followed her into a primary. She asked the Mayor not to close the nursery as her little brother had recently started there and wanted him to find his best friend as well.

Rather touchingly Julia said that when her mummy told her that the nursery had to close because they had no money, she offered to lend the May the money from her piggy bank given by her grandma and the tooth fairy so it could be kept open.

Next it was time for our local politicians to say a few words, first up was Barbara Keeley MP for Worsley and Eccles South who took to the stage to pledge her support to the campaign. Making reference to the fact that these nurseries have been given an outstanding status by Ofsted, Babara said the reports show just how good they are.

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"They told us how the nurseries are helping our children to shine in communication and language, how the children in the nurseries are independent and active learners and that children thrive in those highly stimulating environments".

She went on to read from a list of comments that had been added to the nursery campaigns social media pages, telling just how important they were to the people of Salford and just what they mean to those who attend and rely on them.

Summing up she spoke of how the City council has a renewed commitment to the future of the nurseries and how they are looking for a solution to prevent them from future closure.

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"So I am here today to show my support and to say to you I will do all I can as a Salford MP to help the City council to find a solution".

Before handing over to her fellow MP, Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford and Eccles), she told of how both of them had spoken on what they could do to try and get a meeting with the education secretary to bring it to her attention and push Salfords case.

Rebecca started by telling the crowd how heart warmed she felt at seeing all those attending the rally.

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"My mums got a saying... if you push us into a corner you do it at your peril

"Because we always come out fighting

"And that's what you have done in this campaign, your not being pushed into a corner 

"And I know you are going to fight to save these five nurseries

Pledging 101% support from herself as well as Barbra Keeley, Graham Stringer, Angela Raynor and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, she read a statement sent by the Labour leader who sadly could not make it due to other commitments.

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"Tory cuts have failed local councils and failed young children and their families, and the changes to Early Years funding formula continues to fail them.

Childhood sets the course of achievement for the whole of a lifetime, not to mention the ability of parents to work themselves.

But this Government's disregard of the funding of the key local services not only threatens the families and dedicated staff in five outstanding nurseries in Salford, but it also undermines the Government's claim that they are building solid economic foundations for the future.

"Childcare and Early Years providers must now receive the funding it needs to properly deliver thirty hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds, and Government ministers must now listen and act, and listen to Salford."

Graham Stringer MP for Broughton and Blackley took to the podium next to echo what the others had said.

It was now time for the most important voices of the day to be heard, the parents and carers of the children who rely on these Outstanding Nurseries the most.

We thought it important that you hear from their mouths just how important the nurseries are for them and how much they mean to their children, so we made this into its own video featuring just them.

One of those parents, Clare Calderwood who has a child in Winton nursery, said:

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"Privatisation is a red line for us

"We will continue to campaign to make sure these nurseries are kept open and under Council control, closure is off the table but it is only for now.

"We have achieved all this in one month, as we strengthen our campaign we can achieve more.

"Now we campaign together at Westminster, we demand the funding and we urge the Council to scrap the consultation until that pressure on the Government has happened.

"We will push forward with this campaign. Our children's future is too important to stop now."

Finally, it was the turn of City Mayor Paul Dennet who told onlookers of his 'Grim duty' to have to preside over more cuts from central government.

Citing the £198m worth of cuts to Salford budgets since 2010, Mayor Dennett took aim at the Tories who he placed the blame firmly upon for what amounts to over 50% cuts to funding.

Giving praise, Paul said it was the dedicated and passionate staff in local government and who deliver outstanding services under 'tremendous pressures', day in, day out.

Not all were impressed, however, after the meeting we spoke to several people who asked just where the money had suddenly come from and if it was going to be syphoned from other services.

We have asked the City Mayor for further info on Twitter and will update this post once more information on the funding source becomes apparent.

All in all, it was a fantastic day which was summed up at the end in the words of Stephen North.

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"We're gonna fight whoever we need to fight, we're going to challenge whoever we need to challenge and we are all going to work together to continue to build this campaign, to be bigger and stronger for the marches and for the demonstrations to come.

"So thank you for coming out today

"I could not be more proud, to be in this city, Today

"Enjoy your afternoon, Enjoy your weekend, you are all absolutely fantastic".

And just like that, it was all over, FOR NOW.

The city’s booming economy means an extra 7,206 residents have registered to vote since the last full local elections held in 2016.

And with just six weeks to go before the elections on May 3, city bosses are urging all residents to make sure they are registered to vote.

Returning Officer Jim Taylor said:

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“If you’ve moved house since the last elections –either within Salford or into the city, please make sure you’re on the electoral register with your new address otherwise you won’t be able to vote.

“If you didn’t register to vote when we sent out the registration forms last summer, it’s not too late. You have until midnight on Tuesday April 17 to register.

“No-one should miss having their say on how their city is run – particularly this year when we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of success in a long, hard battle to get women the vote.”

 

Although poll cards will be sent to all registered electors, they do not have to be presented at polling stations when people cast their vote.

To register to vote, or change your details please see www.gov.uk/register-to-vote You can also register to vote in person at Swinton Civic Centre but will need to provide your national insurance number and date of birth.

In 2012 a Cumbrian farmer found two paintings in a barn. Crumbling, with torn canvases, and covered in bird excrement, the portraits spoke of a wealth gone by, and a story untold. The Cumbrian farmer, a direct descendant of the Markendales of Salford, contacted the curator at Ordsall Hall as he thought that the portraits might have a connection with the Hall.

The two paintings tell an untold story of a significant family that lived at the Hall, and who ran its surrounding farm, from 1815 to 1871. They were the Markendales. Originally from Skipton, Yorkshire, the Markendales were famed in the Manchester and Salford area for being prominent and prosperous butchers, tanners and skinners.

Funds have been raised over the last few years to restore the first painting of Ellis Markendale, which was the painting in the poorest condition, simply to ensure that the painting could be saved. Now a campaign has been launched to raise money to restore the painting of Mary Markendale.

Ordsall Hall is one of the oldest surviving houses in the UK. From the 1100s up until the 1970s, it has always been lived in. One of its fascinating characteristics is that is has had so many different inhabitants from medieval Lords of the Manor, to Tudor Knights of the Realm, “dangerous temporisers” of the Catholic faith to protestant priests in training, Victorian mill owners to the pre-raphaelite artist Frederic Shields.

On August 3^rd 1813, Ellis Markendale (1790-1853) married Mary Shiers (1790-1864.) Together, Ellis and Mary raised a family of three sons and six daughters at Ordsall Hall. When the Markendales first moved into Ordsall Hall, they only lived in part of it. It was not until 1850 that they took on the tenancy of the whole Hall and became the sole residents of the manor house. It is likely that the two portraits were a direct response to the Markendales’ newfound status and were commissioned to reflect their prominence in local society at that time.

Ellis was painted in 1851 by the artist William Scott (1797-1862) who was a portrait painter born near Leicester, England. He came from a humble background and painted portraits of those with enough money to sit for him mainly in Leicestershire, Manchester and Liverpool. He exhibited at The Royal Academy, London, and at The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. An article written by “Country Life” in the 1860s describes the portrait of Ellis as a “superb piece of work.” Ordsall Hall and Salford Museum and Art Gallery do not own any other works by the artist William Scott. Being a Royal Academician, Ordsall Hall is keen to include the restored portrait of Ellis in its major exhibition in 2018, which will be delivered in partnership with The Royal Academy as part of its 250^th birthday celebrations.

The portraits of Ellis and Mary Markendale are significant historical works of art in that they represent unique examples of a surviving physical link to a very prominent Salford family who once lived and worked at Ordsall Hall. In Ordsall Hall’s ownership, there are no surviving, original paintings of any of the past residents of the Hall – and it has had many inhabitants since the 1100s! The portraits give us so many visual clues as to the status of the Markendale family and, because Scott painted the Hall in the background of the portraits, the pictures also reveal much about the condition of the Tudor mansion house in the mid-nineteenth century. They are historically valuable because of their unique Ordsall provenance and because they tell a story that no other pieces in the Hall’s collection can.

Thanks to generous funding from The Charles Hayward Foundation, The Skinners’ Company Lady Neville Charity, The Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund and the Friends of Salford Museums Association, Ordsall Hall was able to commission talented conservators from the Lancashire Conservation Studios to conserve the portrait of Ellis Markendale. They secured the flaking paint, removed the dirt and bird droppings, repaired the torn canvas fibres and filled the paint losses by in-painting with finely ground pigments.

The carved, gold leafed frames that surround both portraits have been restored thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Sadly, Salford Community Leisure, that operates Ordsall Hall, has not quite raised enough money to fund the full conservation of the portrait of Mary Markendale. In the portrait, Mary is seated in the Oriel Window in the Great Hall of Ordsall Hall. The view behind her shows the Hall’s gardens. She wears a black silk or satin gown, with a white linen shirt and large embroidered cuffs surrounding her wrists. On her left hand, she wears her wedding ring and around her neck hangs an exquisite gold and garnet cross pendant. Covering her head is a lace bonnet, trimmed with light pink ribbon.

We would like to restore Mary to her former glory. If you would like to donate click here or text MARY42 £10 to 70070, May42 £5 to 70070 or May42 £25 to 700.

At a meeting held last night, Paul Dennett the City Mayor of Salford announced that the five outstanding nurseries currently under threat due to changes in allowed funding are set to be given a 12-month reprieve. A move which will come as a welcome albeit temporary relief for hundreds of workers and parents who are reliant on them for work and child care.

This means that the nurseries will now remain open until at least September 2019 after original plans would have seen them closed by September of this year, the additional 12 month extension is welcomed by all and gives more breathing room for both the council and campaigners to come up with a more viable plan, however, there was a little confusion at the meeting as to the reasons why consultation needs to be started so early when at this time the council is awaiting a response from the government to its application for flexible funding.

One more sigh of relief is that the Mayor insists that the consultation will NOT have closure as an option.

In a post made to the campaign groups facebook page, as well as other groups, Unison secretary Stephen North, said:

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We are relieved that the Mayor has confirmed the status of the nurseries for the next 12 months and that he has agreed to put another £1.5m of Council money into them for that period.

However, the majority present were confused that a consultation on the future beyond September 2019 will commence as early as next week. We had a long debate (nearly two hours) on this. The view of the majority in the room (myself included) was that a delay in any changes meant that any consultation could commence either later this year or early next year if we did not receive additional Government funding and that any consultation at this point would only confuse matters when we should be focussed on campaigning.

We will continue to make our views known about the consultation, but at the same time, it should not be missed that the nurseries will stay open for at least another 12 months as Council nurseries. That means parents and workers can have security for at least another 12 months and should hopefully no longer see the need to look for other jobs or place their children in other settings.

We still need to demand the money from Government as if we secure it before September 2019 then we can keep these nurseries open as Council nurseries for the longer term. That is why the march and rally need to be as big as they possibly can be on Saturday.

 

2

It is vitally important that people still attend the rally which is to be held this Saturday 24th March, members of the public are urged to attend and meet at 11am at Victoria Park with a march to the Civic Centre and a Rally later on.

Another local media article from the Salford Star is available on this link: http://salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=4414

Demand has risen by 29% in just one year and shows the extent of food insecurity hitting low-income residents across the city.

That’s why Salford City Council, Salford Citizen’s Advice and local charities are uniting to ‘feed the city’ and come up with long-term solutions to this latest crisis, as part of the city’s commitment to fighting poverty.

Two extra food banks, in Eccles and Irlam and Cadishead, have already been opened to expand support and make sure the city has a network of emergency provision.

Working alongside that are four new food clubs with plans to create more across the city. All the food supplied to them is excess produce from local supermarkets which would otherwise go to waste. 

Salford City Council has invested £75,000 to support the Feeding Salford plan which aims to make sure no-one goes to bed hungry in the city.

Deputy City Mayor Paula Boshell said:

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“Rising prices, stagnant wages and the impact of harsh benefit changes continue to make life very difficult for some of our residents – and we anticipate more problems when Universal Credit is fully rolled out in Salford later this year.

“One in 36 households in Salford needed help with food in 2016 and we have seen numbers continue to rise in 2017. 

“Food banks do a fantastic job and will continue to be vital to helping people in emergencies but we need to expand our city’s capacity to manage donated food. People in food crisis need more intensive support over a longer period. Food clubs are a way of doing that and reducing the pressure on food banks. 

“We’re also offering support to food club members through our health improvement service which has expertise in healthy eating and low-cost cookery.”

 

Tom Togher, Chief Officer of Salford Citizen’s Advice and leader of Salford Food Share, said:

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“We now have 200 households which are members of the food clubs.

Members can buy a basket full of food staples, such as bread, cereal, milk and vegetables, at reduced prices to make sure they have all the food they need for a week.

“Food club members and people using food banks are also offered money advice, such as tackling debts and support with challenging benefit decisions or making sure they get all the benefits they are entitled to. It’s all designed to help them get onto a more secure footing.”

 

Salford’s first social supermarket, only the second of its type in the country, opened in Pendleton last December.

Lucie’s Pantry is run by homelessness charity Emmaus. Members pay £2.50 per week and can choose food and household items to the value of £15. The supermarket has 85 members with a waiting list of 50 people who will be able to join when food supplies increase.

Jordan Marland (28/11/97) from Eccles is wanted on recall to prison. He was released from prison after serving part of a sentence for assault and is now wanted for false imprisonment and breach of a restraining order. 

He has links around the Salford area.

Anyone with information about Marland’s whereabouts should contact police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Between Monday 4 December 2017 and Tuesday 6 March 2018, police received six reports of children having their phones stolen on their way home from school. 

On one occasion, at around 3.30pm on Monday 4 December 2017, three 14-year-old boys were walking home from school on Worsley Road when they were approached by a man who asked for the time. 

Two of the boys pulled out their phones and at this point, the man demanded their smartphones, saying that he’d hurt them if they didn’t hand them over. 

They gave the man their phones and he then ran off through the nearby woods. 

Around one month later, police were called at around 3.30pm on Tuesday 2 January 2018 to Bradford Road to a similar set of circumstances. 

The most recent theft happened on the same road on Tuesday 6 March 2018. At around 3.15pm a 12-year-old boy had been approached by a man who said “give me your phone before anything bad happens” at which point he handed over the phone. 

In this case, the offender dropped the phone before making off from the scene. 

Officers are now investigating the six crimes as linked given the similarity of the offences. 

Police want to speak to two teenagers, one described as Asian, the other as black, both around 5ft 8 tall, between 15-18 years old of a slim build, in connection with the robberies. 

Police Constable Neil Wright of GMP’s Salford Borough, said:

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“It is concerning that people are targeting schoolchildren for their mobile phones, but both parents and students can be assured that we’ve increased patrols in the area at home time. 

“I’d ask students making their way home from school to be vigilant, and try to avoid drawing attention to any valuable items you may have. 

“As our enquiries into these robberies continue, I’m asking for people who may have seen anyone in the area acting suspiciously or who recognise the descriptions of the men to please get in contact.” 

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 325018w/17. Reports can also be made anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 
 

The venue, situated on Craven Drive, is operated by Salford Community Leisure and has some of the finest facilities across Greater Manchester. 

Visitors have access to a multi-purpose sports hall, a dance studio, a gymnastics and trampolining centre, indoor bowls and a full-size 3g Astroturf pitch suitable for 7/9 and full-size games.

There is also a multi-sensory room providing a relaxing environment for people of all ages and abilities and the venue is a centre of gymnastic excellence.

February’s grassroots award, which is determined by MyLocalPitch users, is based on pitch quality, venue amenities and customer experience.

MyLocalPitch is a platform for sports players who want to find and book sports venues in London, Manchester and Dublin. Users have the choice of over 9,000 venues across the cities for 16 featured sports.

Jamie Foale, Co-Founder of MyLocalPitch, commented: 

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“Manchester’s grassroots sports scene is in rude health and Ordsall Leisure Centre plays a key role in the local community. The facilities are superb and cater for a wide range of activities - well done to everyone involved at the centre.”

Mark Chew, Director of Leisure at Salford Community Leisure, said: 

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“We’re delighted to provide quality playing pitches and sports facilities across the Salford area and are delighted that Ordsall Leisure Centre has been voted for by users as the best in the area.”

Nine-year-old Charlotte Mulryan, from Broughton, won a competition organised by housing association Salix Homes to design a recycling poster.

Charlotte’s winning design has now been put up around the Broughton community to promote the importance of recycling.

Salix Homes is also handing out the poster to new residents in a bid to encourage them to recycle more.

Talented Charlotte said:

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“I think it’s very important to recycle because I don’t like to see the streets looking messy. I also make sure my mum, dad and sister recycle at home too.

“I’m very excited to see my poster up around the area where I live and I can’t wait for my friends to see it.”

 

Charlotte’s poster beat off stiff competition from dozens of other entries, impressing judges from the Broughton Trust charity with its bold colours and eye-catching design.

Ben Cruickshanks, neighbourhood manager at Salix Homes, added:

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“Recycling is a huge issue, particularly in Salford with the introduction of three-weekly bin collections.

“The more we can encourage people to recycle, the more we can keep that rubbish out of landfill sites and we hope that Charlotte’s fantastic design inspires more local residents to keep on recycling.”

 

Photo Caption: Charlotte with our neighbourhood manager Ben Cruickshanks.

· Country is better protected than ever against flooding, including 1,900 properties in Salford thanks to £10 million scheme

· Every £1 invested in flood schemes saves £10 in damages

· A new approach is needed to tackle flood risk in 21st Century

As he revealed that every £1 invested in new flood schemes saves the economy £10 in damages, Sir James Bevan said that despite huge advances in flood protection, what worked so well in the past will not be enough in the future. Rising sea levels and higher populations in built-up areas will mean new approaches are needed to combat increasing flood risk.

Since 2015, new flood schemes completed by the Environment Agency, including Salford’s £10 million scheme, have benefitted more than 100,000 homes but to continue building on this success new 21st century approaches are needed. These include a call for greater business investment, quicker emergency response and increased use of natural flood schemes, in addition to ‘hard’ defences, in order to reduce the impact of flooding on communities around the country. He questioned how these challenges should be dealt with and suggests that more concrete – simply building our flood defences higher and higher – is not the answer.

As he laid out his thoughts on the future of flood protection, Sir James Bevan said that tough questions had to be asked about what to protect. He questioned whether there might be a case for considering future funding priorities.

He said that everyone has a part to play to reduce flood risk and that homeowners in flood risk areas should know the risks and what action they can take – and he praised communities and flood groups who have already taken great steps in this area.

The Salford Flood Alleviation Scheme, which consists of a 28-hectare flood basin, was officially completed in February this year. It provides protection to some 1,900 properties across the Lower Broughton and Lower Kersal areas – Lower Broughton was affected by the devastating floods that struck the city on Boxing Day 2015.

The flood basin sits within a meander loop of the River Irwell and protects surrounding properties by holding up to 650 million litres of water – the equivalent to 260 Olympic-size swimming pools during flood conditions.

Sir James Bevan said: 

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“Almost every day in this country, when rivers and tides rise, rain falls and storms blow, thousands of people sleep safe and unaware that they are being protected by flood defences.

“But what works so well now – and has done in the past – may not be enough in the future. Over the next fifty years, if we are going to give the country the best possible protection against flooding, we are going to need a different approach.”

 

The Environment Agency manages flood risk on over 36,000km of river, 9,000km raised flood defences and over 22,000 flood structures – from the Thames Barrier to local pumping stations. Since 2016, it has upgraded its response capability with more than 6,500 staff trained and ready to help protect communities when floods threaten, 40km of temporary barriers, 250 mobile pumps, and 500,000 sandbags. Partnerships to help respond during incidents have also been strengthened – including with the army.

Government is investing £2.6 billion in flood and coastal erosion risk management projects between 2015 and 2021.

After being inundated by people claiming to be seeing bright orange lights in the sky, we did what any reputable news organisation would do. We pledged our allegiance to our new alien overlords and hope to be spared an anal probing.

After realising it was not actually aliens, we bravely jumped in the car and headed out towards the source, which turned out fortunately to be a controlled gas burn from the flame stack at the Shell Chemicals plant in Carrington.

We already knew that it was not a building on fire as we asked the fire brigade who told us it wasn't but being nosey we decided to have a gander for ourselves.

After spotting the strange glow in the sky, people flocked to social media to ask the question, 'What on or off earth is it?'. The glow which could be seen far and wide in the direction of Irlam had people suggesting it could be everything from an attack by Russia to Aliens.

The spectacle was caused by the flame from the smokestack illuminating the low clouds directly above it, this could be seen in many areas of Salford and Manchester and we have to admit, up close and personal it was pretty darn spectacular.

So there you have it, not a UFO, nonetheless we are still pledging our loyalty to the little green men on the off chance they do return.

And until the next time, Nanoo Nanoo and all hail the mighty Emperor Lrrr of Omicron Persei 8.