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Community Index magazine - July Didsbury edition
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July 2014
View the latest edition at www.communityindex.co.uk
Delivered FREE to homes & businesses in Didsbury
communitycommunitycommunityDidsbury
Good Fret work
Summer in Didsbury
We meet charity impressarios Frets,
a group of Didsbury musicians coming
together to perform for good causes. Find out
how you can get involved!
Summer’s great in Didsbury! With the return of Didsbury Car Show and the Guitar Trail in Fletcher Moss Park.
12On the coverThe Parsonage Garden Party
Deadline for n� t edition15th July 2014
ContributorsDeborah Grace Katherine WatsonNola ChesworthGeoff GarnettLinsey ParkinsonLeon HortonSteve ParleTheo AndrewsJohn Townsend
L� ley SwannDirector
Joe BeechEditor [email protected] 07875 895 604
Sam [email protected] 07939 077 036
Linsey ParkinsonMarketing & Development [email protected] 07870 988 601
Party at the Parsonage
Didsbury Civic Society, the Old Parsonage, the Friends of Fletcher Moss and Parsonage
Gardens and St James and Emmanuel are coming
together again to provide the quintessential English summer
experience.
Contents
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@communityindex www.communityindex.co.uk149 Ayres Road, Manchester M16 9WR
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The cast of characters at Didsbury Players keeps growing, so to make sure that everyone gets to be part of the action, the group is performing not one, but two plays this season.Sixteen years… sixteen long years breaking their backs in the ancient stony sands of a Nevada prison. That’s what life has been like for George and Jonah, but when their carefully hatched escape plan finally works, it seems like life is looking up again… or is it?With their plan to lie low in Las Vegas failing instantly when they win big on the slots, a chance encounter with one of the most dangerous
gangsters in town, a deal gone wrong and a German officer of the law who seems a little too interested in a potential invasion of Nevada, our heroes will have to rely on a shifty private detective, an extravagant protester and a suspiciously knowledgeable frog if they want to get out of this mess in one piece.Didsbury Players are proud to be performing this original production as part of the Manchester Fringe Festival.
Didsbury PlayersPerforming their original production at the Manchester Fringe Festival
Sixteen years… sixteen long years breaking their backs in the ancient stony sands of a Nevada prison. That’s what life has been like for George and Jonah, but when their carefully hatched escape plan finally works, it seems like life is looking up
growing, so to make sure that everyone gets to be part of the action, the group is performing not one, but two plays this season.Sixteen years… sixteen long years
officer of the law who seems a little too interested in a potential invasion of Nevada, our heroes will have to rely on a shifty private detective, an extravagant protester and a suspiciously knowledgeable frog if they want to get out of this mess in one piece.Didsbury Players are proud to be performing this original production as part of the Manchester Fringe
Sixteen years… sixteen long years breaking their backs in the ancient
prison. That’s what life has been like for George and Jonah, but when their carefully hatched escape plan finally works, it seems like life is looking up
protester and a suspiciously knowledgeable frog if they want to get out of this mess in one piece.Didsbury Players are proud to be performing this original production as part of the Manchester Fringe Festival.
Photo by TJM Designs
4th & 5th July, 7.30pmJoshua Brooks, 106 Princess
Street M1 6NGBuy tickets at WeGotTickets.com
[email protected]/DidsburyPlayers
DESIGNGRAPHIC
JoeBeech.co.ukJoeBeech.co.uk
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not making this magazine I do
07528 617 87007528 617 870
Manchester Bach ChoirSummer Concert
Saturday 5th July 7.30pmEmmanuel ChurchDidsbury, M20 6TR
Do I Hear a Waltz?Dream away a summer evening .…
Brahms: Liebeslieder-Walzer (op.52),Veljo Tormis: Four Estonian LullabiesPlus a selection of seasonal favourites.
Conductor: Jim Cooke
With guest piano duoJohn Gough & Tom Kimmance
Or website: manchesterbachchoir.com
Enquiries: Tel: 0161 366 0532Joining the choir: [email protected]
Tickets: £9 & £6 Tel: 0161 366 0532
Also at the door. Book to reserve a seat
Registered charity num
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Didsbury PlayersPerforming their original production at the Manchester Fringe Festival
4th & 5th July, 7.30pmJoshua Brooks, 106 Princess
Street M1 6NGBuy tickets at WeGotTickets.com
[email protected]/DidsburyPlayers
6
How long have you lived in Didsbury?I’ve lived all my life in the same house on Fairlea Avenue, Didsbury. I suppose that sounds boring! I have thought of moving away, but you’re so close to everything here – to Stockport, Manchester and the airport. My father fought in the Great War and I was born during the next one in September 1942. I was a late baby and, apparently, my mother, aged 46 years old, wasn’t best pleased at the news! There’s 11 years between me and my older sister, Verona! She’s still alive, but my parents died within four months of each other when I was 26.What is your earliest memory?Lying in the pram and being wheeled from the porch into the house by my mum who was billing and cooing over me. She must have got over the shock by then!
You must have seen a lot of changes in Didsbury over the years?At one time, people would stop you and ask where you could buy a cup of tea in Didsbury. Now there are so many coffee shops to choose from! When I was three, there was a family of geese on the site of Viceroy Court and the petrol station and I wouldn’t let my mother leave the village until we had seen them. One day they weren’t there and I was devastated! At one time you could get everything you needed in the village. Some Didsburyites remember the blacksmith near Evans.Which are your favourite
Didsbury places?Didsbury Friends at Emmanuel Church and Didsbury Good Neighbours in Didsbury Park. I played a gangsta granny in a recruitment
film for Didsbury Good Neighbours. It showed a
group of us planning a bank robbery. As I walked out of the
room I thought, ‘I hope no-one can see my a***!’
What are your interests?From an early age, reading’s been a passion and so has writing, including journalism, short stories and poetry. I wrote a poem about ageing called, ‘It’s Time to be Honest’, which went down very well at a recent coffee morning. I’ve been compared to Pam Ayres and that can only be a compliment! I started to learn the guitar and can play the chords to accompany ‘Achy, Breaky Heart’ – very slowly!What makes you happy?Eating the wrong things! Meeting up with old pals!Any regrets?My lovely cat, Coquette, died of cancer in 2008 and I didn’t have the courage to put her to sleep. It was only a short period, but she must have died in pain and I could have stopped that. That’s my biggest regret! My marriage was regrettable! The photos turned out better than him. Perhaps I should have had him put down!Complete the sentence, ‘I love Didsbury because …’‘ … Didsbury’s trees and Didsbury people. Didsbury has a special feel all of its own!’
Didsbury Peopleby Deborah Grace
Born in Didsbury 71 years ago, Carol Jay has lived her entire life, not just in Didsbury, but in the same house! The former shorthand typist talks about writing, changes and her secret life of crime!
Carol Jay
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� e Old Parsonage Garden PartySunday, July 6th 11-4pm
After the success of last year’s garden party in the Parsonage Gardens the Didsbury Civic Society, the Old Parsonage, the Friends of Fletcher Moss and Parsonage Gardens and St James and Emmanuel are coming together again to provide the quintessential English summer experience. There’ll be entertainment from the Robins’ Voice choir, a jazz group and Didsbury Theatre School. There’ll be stalls including jams and conserves, henna and face painting, plus the traditional fare of strawberries with cream and cream scones as well as other refreshments. All this and a super raffle too!Across at St James’ Church you can try your hand at bell ringing in the Church Tower or to have a go at hand-bell ringing.If that wasn’t enough, the Gardens themselves are definitely worth visiting for their magnificent displays of colour and rare trees. They’re looked after by volunteers
who will be present to show you round the Alpine Greenhouse and to serve ‘Bee Bee’s’ special refreshments. The Gardens received a gold award in last year’s Royal Horticultural Society’s Bloom awards and they also won the Proud of Manchester Trophy. Inside the Old Parsonage there will be exhibitions: ‘Clippedin’, a disparate group of artists with a shared love of mountaineering and the outdoors, Robert Bindloss a local painter who makes atmospheric landscapes and cityscapes and Joanne Coulthard whose subjects are often animals.Entrance to the Garden Party is free and all are welcome (access is good for most parts of the Gardens and the Church and the Old Parsonage has a ramp).
The Old Parsonage 0161 445 7661 [email protected] www.didsburyparsonagetrust.org.uk
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Maria Kossak, ‘The Queen of Lyrical Poetry’, born in Kraków in 1891, grew up surrounded by artists and writers. Her father and grandfather were both painters, and their talents were passed on to a young Maria, who enjoyed painting as much as she enjoyed writing. It wasn’t until her second marriage to Jan Pawlikowski that Maria began to thrive as a poet. Inspired by the relationship and encouraged by her husband, Maria wrote several notable works during the ten years they were married, including her first play: Archibald the Chauffer, a comedy in 3 parts, which premiered at The New Theatre in Warsaw in 1924. Following her divorce in 1929, Maria joined the Warsaw based community of poets known as The Skamander Group and worked on her poetry extensively during the interwar period, writing twelve volumes in total. As well as her poetry, Maria made a name for herself as a playwright. Many of her plays were quite controversial at the time, touching on various taboo subjects. Maria’s talents were recognised in 1935 when she won the Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Literature and The Literary Prize of Kraków in 1937. At the start of World War II Maria and her husband Stefan Jasnorzewski moved to England, settling in Blackpool, where they remained until her death from cancer in July 1945.
Southern Cemetery
By Nola Chesworth
Maria Pawlikowska-JasnorzewskaNovember 24th 1891 – July 9th 1945
Known to fiction and film lovers the world over for his World War II love epic, ‘The English Patient’, Michael Ondaatje has created, in his latest novel, a wholly different world. Set in the fifties, the story is based on his experience as an eleven year old travelling alone on an ocean liner from Ceylon to England to be re-united with his mother.During the three week voyage, Michael and his two young friends, Cassius and Ramadhin, get to know the other guests at the cat’s table, which is situated as far away from the captain’s table
as possible. They also encounter other fascinating characters like Mr Daniels, who is transporting, in the bowels of the hold, an exotic garden, and the Baron, who with Michael’s help, breaks into exclusive suites to steal valuables. There is also the prisoner - alleged to have murdered an English judge - who is glimpsed by the three young friends as he is taken out for a late-night walk on deck.However, the story does not unfold entirely on the ship, but also takes us into the future lives of our three protagonists, where the events of the journey will play a significant,
formative part.This is a wonderfully evocative novel where the high jinks and dramas enjoyed by the trio at sea are counterbalanced by the wistfulness of seeing them in a different light from the vantage point of later experience.• Review by Theo Andrews
The Golden Egg is a detective story without a crime. This will not surprise fans of Donna Leon’s Venice-based Commissario Brunetti novels who will know that the author is often less concerned with the details of the crime itself and much more interested in the dark side of contemporary Italy - its political corruption, official incompetence and moral bankruptcy. The story begins with the accidental death of a man well known in his local community to be the simple minded, deaf-mute son of an apparently caring mother. However, Brunetti can find no trace of him in any official record. He was
a non-person. Brunetti is intrigued and is determined to discover the truth.The turning point comes when, in the waiting room of the mother’s doctor, he sees some beautiful and striking art work and is stunned to find that the artist is none other than the dead man. He needs to dig deeper.The story that emerges is one of greed, revenge, bitter religious bigotry and, above all, unimaginable cruelty. It asks crucial moral questions not only of those responsible for the dead man’s fate, but also the local community, including Brunetti himself, whose
too easy assumptions about disability also made the dead man into a non-person.Leon’s novel is very dark indeed, but it is told with humour and compassion. As always, she skilfully contrasts evil and darkness with the light and beauty of Venice itself. Not to be missed!• Review by John Townsend
The Cat’s TableMichael Ondaatje
The Golden Egg Donna Leon
Book Reviews
9
Punk ‘n’ D� orderlyMeet Chorlton’s new alternative clothing emporium
Punk ‘n’ Disorderly, the newest addition to Manchester Road’s eclectic shopping scene, is a shop of two halves. To your right, it’s tartan and black, zips, bondage and punk T-shirts. To your left is a rainbow-rack of beautiful, flowing cotton dresses and separates.Its owner, Andrea loves the variety that brings. “ We have all sorts of customers, from first-generation punks who love to share their stories, to people coming in from Unicorn (just across the road) in search of festival clothes and bamboo socks.
My collection of dresses and hippie-style clothing is by Nomad. They’re all fair-trade organic cotton and I’m their only stockist this side of Hebden Bridge.” The shop is a mix-match of a Hebden Bridge boutique and Affleck’s Palace. Its handsome mannequin, Unbreakable Ken, now has his own fan club after making his Chorlton debut wearing nothing but a dog collar. “It was while I was still setting up the shop and I sort of forgot he was in the window. I looked up to see a crowd of people pointing, laughing and taking pictures of him!” Andrea is also launching a bespoke label with a social enterprise that
trains young unemployed people to become dressmakers. If you need a unique outfit - a statement prom dress, a medieval gown or a suit you won’t find at Burtons – never mind the you-know-whats, get in touch.
By Linsey Parkinson
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Alexander Technique Alexander Technique Alexander Technique Alexander Technique
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Stroll down Ford Lane; before you get to the river you’ll pass the Didsbury Sports Ground, home of Didsbury TOC H RFC and Burnage Metro FC. Re-building has transformed the old clubhouse into a brilliant events space on two levels, complete with bars and cafe. This is the new base of Frets who are currently planning a series of open mic nights, Sunday concerts on the terrace, as well as using the clubhouse as a new venue for the Didsbury Arts Festival. The spark that formed the charity support group, Frets, came out
of a guitar and singing course tutored by Chris Layhe. Chris was a member of The Icicle Works, who released five albums between 1984 and 1990. Touring with the band gave Chris the perfect background to deliver the Frets mission; a place
where inexperienced musicians can learn the skills for live performance and an opportunity for established musicians to use their talents for good causes. Interested? Email Dave on [email protected]
Didsbury musicians band together for good causestogether for good causes
Friends and family of Didsbury teenager, Josh Merrick, raised more than £17,000 for charity in just one weekend!The cash will fund heart screening for sports-loving young people who may be at risk from an undiagnosed heart condition. Rugby player, Josh, died in his sleep last year after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. The 19-year-old had had no previous history of a heart condition and had just passed his final fitness exam to become a Royal Navy engineer.More than 300 guests attended a sell-out Pink Pig & Prosecco Spring Ball, which was held in Josh’s memory on 16th May. The event, which took place at the Waterside Hotel in Didsbury, raised £12,600. Guests included staff from St Catherine’s Primary School, Didsbury, where Josh was once a pupil, and friends from Burnage Rugby Club where Josh had been a member. Family and friends knitted pink pigs which were sold on the night to boost funds.Josh’s mum, Karen Merrick said: “Josh loved parties and pink pigs and Prosecco were two of his favourite things! It was a fantastic evening and wonderful to see so many of Josh’s friends there. And the very next day, friends and supporters took part in the Great Manchester Run to raise a further £4,500. Meanwhile, Josh’s younger brothers, Keir, 19,and Caine, 16, squared up for a charity football match which boosted funds by another £213.75. The grand total raised over the weekend was £17,313.75.Karen added: “This was an incredible achievement over an unforgettable weekend! I’d like to
thank everyone who has supported us in raising both funds and awareness of this vital cause.”Since Josh’s death, friends and family have raised £35,000 for the Josh Merrick Memorial Fund which supports the work of the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). According to CRY, every week in the UK 12 apparently healthy
young people die of undiagnosed conditions which could be picked up from a simple ECG test.
Remembering Josh MerrickFundraising weekend boosts life-saving campaign in memory of Josh Merrick
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Photo by SJT Photography
DIDSBURY SALES748a Wilmslow Rd Didsbury M20 2DW0161 448 0622 email : [email protected]
DIDSBURY LETTINGS
721 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury M20 6WF 0161 445 2300 email : letti [email protected]
ThePurple
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PagesSales & Lettings
Recent months have seen a real boost in the local property market and in turn we have seen an increase in clients looking to purchase that perfect investment.With two vibrant villages, picturesque parks, superb schools and an array of busy bars, it’s easy to see why Didsbury is as popular as ever.With over two million households now letting in the private sector, an investment in this area can offer a good long term return through both rental value and capital growth. Here at JP & Brimelow, we can offer honest and practical advice, from current market trends right through to tips on presentation and marketing to help our investor clients make those important decisions.Our Lettings team have many years experience specifi cally in the Didsbury market and we would welcome the chance to introduce our services to you. We would also like to take this opportunity to offer any new client a discount of £100 to be redeemed against our lettings services throughout June and July on production of this magazine.Please don’t hesitate to contact myself or a member of our team on 0161 445 2300.
Lucy Brown MARLALettings Manager
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Now, I like ghost signs and this one intrigues me.It is situated on the corner of Burton Road and Montrose Avenue. Today it’s Woodall and Atkinson, the plumbers and back 1911 an Ernest Banks is listed as a joiner.Ghost signs are the last reminder of firms which once flourished and have now gone. They were painted in the sides of buildings and a few can still be seen. But most are fading fast, weathered by years of rain, sun and neglect. Some have even been painted over but stubbornly the lettering still forces its way through reminding us of a grocery shop or painting business. Most will not be with us for much longer, and when they’ve gone, the record of the people who had them made, along with their stories will vanish.And that, I think, is a shame.Not least because many of the signs were themselves works of art, carefully planned, beautifully executed and a comment on what we bought and who we employed. Today the same publicity will appear on facebook sites or pop
up in freebie newspapers and community magazines.Most were for local consumption, became house hold names for a few generations and have been forgotten. So while there will be the odd listing in a street directory and telephone book along with a name in the census record and the rate books, nothing of substance will have survived. The accounts, the adverts and trade cards will have vanished along with the popular stories of each of the businesses. So this just leaves our ghost sign.Now, there may just be people here in Didsbury who remember
Jamieson’s. The hunt is on! I shall be off to trawl the directories now that Central Ref has reopened, and I am hoping that someone will read this and beat me to the story.Image; from the collection of Andy Robertson
Read more on the history of Didsbury in Andrew Simpson & Peter Topping’s new book Didsbury Through Time.chorltonhistory.blogspot.com
Didsbury � rough � meGhost signs: a reminder of the past
by Andrew Simpson
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• More equipment for more efficient �rewood-processing and delivery• A biomass powered kiln so that we can dry our sawn timber ourselves, without using fossil fuels• Increased working capital
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Didsbury � rough � meGhost signs: a reminder of the past
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Do I Hear a Waltz? Summer ConcertSaturday 5th July, 7.30 pmEmmanuel Church, Barlow Moor RoadDream away a sultry, summer evening to the seductive sounds of The Manchester Bach Choir. Brahms: Liebeslieder-Walzer (op.52) Veljo Tormis: Four Estonian Lullabies and a selection of seasonal favourites.Piano: John Gough and Tom Kimmance. Conductor: Jim Cooke£9/£6 on the door or fromwww.wegottickets.com/ManchesterBachChoir 0161 366 0532We are recruiting new members – come and join us now! www.manchesterbachchoir.com
On July 20th, Didsbury Guitar Trail is back for another year with musicians performing throughout picturesque Fletcher Moss Park.Proceeds raised from the day will be donated to Music In Hospitals, a charity that aims to improve the quality of life for adults and children through musical performance.
Summer in Didsbury
Didsbury Car ShowSunday 13th July, Didsbury ParkCalling all automobile enthusiasts! July 13th sees the return of Didsbury Car Show with over 80 vintage, classic and custom cars exhibiting in Didsbury Park to raise money for Christies Hospital.In addition to the huge selection of cars on display, the event also promises a junior go karting competition.www.didsburycarshow.org
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Didsbury Guitar Trail
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July In Your GardenBy Katherine Watson
I have always been a proponent of getting shot of lawns in very small gardens, in favour of larger planting beds, but I do appreciate that this isn’t always possible (kids, trampolines, partners with cylinder mowers). I also have to ‘fess up to having a small patch of lawn in my own garden on the insistence of my partner who can’t bear the thought of another big bed crammed with (expensive) ornamental grasses and perennials. To be honest, it functions well as a restful ‘horizontal plane’ taking the eye to the back of the garden without busy interruption but it requires quite a lot of maintenance – or so I thought. On a recent trip to Holker Hall in the South Lakes, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the gardens with head gardener Yvonne Cannon. Holker Hall - pronounced ‘Hooker’ in that strange posh ‘St. Johns’ (sinjens) kind-of-way, sits in 24 acres on the Cartmel peninsula and is a lovely mix of formal, woodland and meadow gardens with some interesting modern additions in the shape of a pagan grove by Kim Wilkie and a modern maze garden with standing stones reminiscent of Glastonbury. The first stop took us to the Summer garden and out onto one of the four lawns that surround the Prunus lusitanica pergola. This felt a bit naughty, being British and used to obeying the ‘stay on the path’ rule, but Yvonne made a point of saying that walking on grass was encouraged at Holker and there is good reason. The lawns are a delight - springy, lush, relatively weed free with criss-cross mowing strips (created by rollers on the back of big expensive mowers of course) – the whole group took to performing a strange paddling motion with our feet as if walking on a water bed. The key, according to Yvonne is not to feed the lawn at all and not to scarify in autumn but instead to lift the blades when mowing and leave the clippings. The clippings feed the grass and the longer grass retains more moisture than a lawn that has been scalped.Unfortunately I’ve got a hover which puts paid to the blade lifting – and the stripes – but I am going to try and leave the clippings and see if that makes a difference.
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Golf: Northenden looks forward to another 100 years
Sport in DidsburyBy Geoff Garnett
Didsbury Golf Club’s Junior Captain Callum Shaw (pictured) sets a great example to all as he has not allowed autism to diminish his dedication to the sport.Callum hit the 10,000,000th ball at the range in December and he still practices there every day; making a 60-mile round trip from Myerscough College with his dad Andy.Last year he won two club majors and the inaugural Order of Merit and against all expectations he was offered a place at Myerscough Golf
Academy.Didsbury junior organiser Tim Dibble said: “I had no hesitation in rewarding the hard work, dedication and family commitment by inviting Callum to become Junior Captain to follow Sana Ahmed, who is this year’s Cheshire Junior Girls Captain.“There needs to be a change in how golf clubs provide junior golf if we are to develop strong junior sections and juniors like Callum are indeed rare and must be given the
support needed. “The club have reduced junior fees considerably to encourage new away members, as I believe that juniors should be members of as many clubs as possible.“We’ve also introduced 9-hole qualifiers to help juniors balance their education with family, recreation and sport.”Callum added:” It is a real privilege to be Junior Captain and something that my dad and I never thought possible.”
Northenden Golf Club has just completed its Centenary and is now moving into the next 100 years with renewed optimism. Club chairman Roland Harris said: “In 2005 the club took the momentous step of rebuilding all 18 greens to USGA standard. This last twelve months have shown the
wisdom of the decision. “Throughout this time the course has remained open despite significant weather problems and members and visitors alike have enjoyed superb greens all the year round. We have recently hosted two Cheshire County events for the first time in many years.
“Across the United Kingdom golf clubs are having to cope with unprecedented change. Out of necessity Northenden Golf Club has faced up to the pressures and is emerging stronger and better able to meet the challenges of the future. Bring on the next 100 years!”
Golf: Callum provides a great example
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Clubs, Societies & GroupsActing For Fun Central, Didsbury 431 4794Didsbury Civic Society didsburycivicsociety.org.ukDidsbury Cricket Club didsburyccsports.co.ukDidsbury Good Neighbours Every Tues 10-11.45am coffee morning. Holt Pavilion, Didsbury Park 07749 504298 www.didsburygoodneighbours.org.ukDidsbury Ladies Probis Club Alternate Monday afternoons in East Didsbury. Joan Woodall 434 2532Didsbury Lawn Tennis Club Bob Peel, 445 0465 didsburyccsports.co.ukDidsbury Players celestaplayers.co.ukDidsbury Village East Residents Association dvera.co.uk Didsbury Village WI didsburyvillagewi.co.ukDolls House and Miniatures Group 2nd Monday of each month, 8-10pm, Whalley Range Venue. Ann 07814 861285 Eat Green free cookery school, food bank, garden tool libraries and community growing activities. [email protected] www.eatgreen.co.ukFord Bank Residents Association fordbankresidents.org.uk Frets community guitar and singing, Fridays 10am, Didsbury Sports Club 07813 121478Friends of Didsbury Park friendsofdidsburypark.co.uk
Friends of Fletcher Moss Park Alan Hill 215 0971 [email protected] of Marie Louise Gardens marielouisegardens.org.ukManchester JKF Karate Club Didsbury MMU Sports Centre, Tuesdays 8.30pm Ben Pollock, 07894108944Oneness Deeksha Meditation Saturdays 11am-12 at The Didsbury Parsonage. Donation £2 Christine 07734 072040. South Manchester Camera Club Mondays at 8-10pm, Didsbury Methodist Church smcc.org.uk Didsbury Over 50s Group 247 2323South Manchester U3A 1st Tuesday of the month 2pm, Emmanuel Church. Edna 434 2509West Didsbury Bookgroup Meets every four weeks at 7.30pm. Lively mixed group of all ages. Call 445 4483 leaving your name, address & landlineWest Didsbury Residents Association [email protected] westdidsbury.org.ukWithington Civic Society Roger Smith 445 1473 withingtoncivicsociety.org.uk
Social & Support GroupsManchester Diabetes Support Network Details/ venues/ monthly dates etc [email protected] 860 5688/07414 635992New Family Social UK charity for LGBT adopters, foster carers
and their children. Meets every month in south Manchester. newfamilysocial.org.uk email: [email protected]
Useful NumbersDidsbury Library 227 3755Environment on Call 954 9000Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service 905 1100Manchester City Council 234 5000
Didsbury East Councillors Andrew Simcock [email protected] Wilson [email protected] Adams [email protected]
Didsbury West CouncillorsJosie Teubler [email protected] Ollerhead [email protected] Ellison [email protected]
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Knit yourself � tter
25
Knitting, knitting, knitting – what can I possibly say about knitting that might be of interest? Well, it’s an aerobic exercise that improves fitness, reduces the risk of obesity and can help fight against heart disease... Except that it isn’t. It isn’t, it doesn’t, and it can’t. And yet according to a recent study in Psychology Today, there are many health benefits to be had if you take up this truly artisan craft...Knit one, purl one... drop a clanger. It isn’t every day you find yourself face-to-navel with a man in the pub who looks like a rugby player. But when I recently mocked the ancient art of knitting, questioning the sanity of the woolly-minded, I was quietly but firmly informed by this giant who could squash me like a fly that not only was ‘casting on’ an inexpensive and wholly positive experience, but that he himself was an out and proud knitter.It was a rude awakening, and one which could have seen me in need of stitches. As it was, as has often been the case, a better man than I suggested I should go away and think about my life. And of course, me being me, I did just the opposite. Instead, I got to thinking: are there really any health benefits from making scarves and baby bonnets? And the short answer is yes. British physiotherapist Betsan Corkhill - who founded Stitchlinks in the city of Bath to promote knitting as a therapeutic practice - regards knitting as a “constructive addiction” that can replace bad habits such as smoking or binge drinking.
She believes that many chronically ill or disabled people can overcome a feeling of aimlessness simply by taking up knitting: “The rhythmic repetitive movements put us in the present moment, distracting us from mulling over the past or fear of the future. This relaxation response is known to bring down blood pressure and the heart rate, and helps to prevent stress.” Corkhill also reports that knitting appears to be a pain-reliever, since: “Pain doesn’t originate where we feel it, but in our brains. But the brain can’t concentrate on two compelling activities at the same time. Knitting can quite literally take your mind off pain.”But we don’t need studies to tell us that staying occupied is good for our health. For those of us who are ill, unemployed or simply bored by so-called ‘social’ media such as Facebook, we know that having a hobby of any kind, particularly when it involves social interaction and results in product; releases serotonin, improves our mood and makes us happy. My sister Karen - a witty little knitter, who once presented me with a knitted Dalek - agrees: “To me, knitting is about having a creative outlet. I also like the idea that it connects me to the past as it seems increasingly important to keep old skills alive in a society that relies heavily on technology. Both my children have taken an interest and it’s rewarding to know that I’ve passed on a skill.” Personally, I’m not ready to take up the needles myself - unlike that rugby player in the pub
I don’t have the arms for it - but if you’re keener than I am you might like to check out the Chorlton Knits group who meet at the Lloyds pub on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month. A beer, a baby bonnet and a bonding session in a sociable setting - if that isn’t good for your health, then all I hold to be true is little more than a lie. Oh, by the way. The rugby player who could have squashed me like a fly? That was a yarn.
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By Leon Horton
BathroomsBathroom Angels 5
Building & MaintenanceBest Cellars 20Leapfrog Interiors 11M & H Building Contractors 20Window Wise 18
CarpenterDidsbury Carpenter 20
Chimney SweepAcorn Chimney Sweeping Services 26
CleaningOven Wizards 26Profresh Carpet Cleaners 20
CopywritingChin Up Duck 12
Estate AgentsJP & Brimelow 14-15
GardeningFat Grass Garden Design 21Green Designs 16
Graphic DesignJoe Beech 4
Health & WellbeingAlexander Technique 12
HR ConsultancyPride In People 10
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