30 page Democracy IN Salford special...
POWER TO THE PEOPLE !
Issue 5 Summer 2007
FREE
Ist BIRTHDAY
SPECTACULAR… Pills n Thrills in Little Hulton Happy Mondays Bros, Shaun and Paul reveal all…
SUPERMODEL ON
WATCH THE
SALFORD BIRDIE… PRECINCT With Tweety Pie
Sinead Moynihan and PC Plum! goes shopping Rare birds booted out of BBC home
Plus…
Picking Pendleton’s Pockets
Families to be put back in towerblocks shock ?
More Cash For Urban Splash
Plus your day by day guide to all that’s happening…with attitude and love xxx
if you want to acquire a skill, improve your career or get qualified at work if you want to get on a career or study pathway if you want to learn for pleasure or personal development
has the course for you To learn more • visit www.salford-col.ac.uk and explore the interactive Course Directory
• call our Brochure Line on 0161 211 5006 • text CALLME to 88020
• call Information, Advice • email your message to and Guidance Lines centad@salford-col.ac.uk on 0161 211 5001/2/3 2 www.salfordstar.com
Photograph by Michael Spencer Jones
INTRO
Welcome to the Salford Star Birthday Summer Spectacular – we’ve got 76 action packed, people powered, passion zapped pages of marauding voices from the clued up community and its culture kids.
“Tony Wilson’s a Salford lad and he gave us lads from Salford a chance.” Paul Ryder Tony Wilson 1950 - 2007
It took 3 months to make, it’ll take 3 months to read ! Loads has happened since the last issue – we’ve had the Council
pull our funding bid, we’ve had New Order legend Peter Hook and Silky do a benefit for us (cheers guys) and we’ve been featured all over the place in the media. But if you want to keep this mag going we need your help – we need you to empty out your pockets for our £25,000 Fighting Fund (collection box places are listed below), we need you to help us distribute the mag, and, as always, we need your adverts, stories and skills. Just get in touch, contact details below…
Meanwhile, we’ve re-done our website (www.salfordstar.com) and we’re going to stick updates, blogs, links and all sorts of other stuff on there to fill in the gaps as we can only afford to come out four
times a year. Our dream is to bring the mag out monthly – any ideas ? The Star was born from a
mad idea on the back of a
fag packet. Over a year later we’re still here slowly growing and glowing. We’ve done it with your support. Thanks a zillion, Salford….
With attitude and love xxx info@salfordstar.com Printed By: Caric Press Ltd Rickits Green, Lionheart Close, Bearwood, BOURNEMOUTH, Dorset BH11 9UB Tel : 01202 574577 www.caricpress.co.uk With financial help from
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PETER HOOK DJs @ SALFORD STAR BENEFIT In July, New Order legend, Peter Hook, took to the decks as part of the Silky Productions 9th Birthday Party. The night, at the Riverscape Club above The Old Pint Pint near the Crescent, also featured Ric P & Rennie, Silky sisters Sinead and Millie, and original Silky DJs Shaun de Bauch and Blendmaster Segue. All profits from the night were split equally between the Edward Trust (chosen by Ray de Vit) and the Salford Star (chosen by Hooky).
The mag’s free but any donations welcome ! Most of the places have Salford Star collection boxes * if you would like your shop/ business to be a distribution point for the Star or if you would like to help distribute the mag please get in touch…
VICTORY ! Congratulations to Salford’s refuse workers who recently won their battle with the Council over the exploitation of agency workers...
www.salfordstar.com 3
Kersal D.I.Y. Ltd We sell knockers 187 Littleton Road, Lower Kersal, Salford. M7 3TL (0161) 792 0556 (0161) 792 7595 kersalDIY@hotmail.com Mob: 07786 523020
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Oaklands Road, off Moor Lane, Salford Nursery Manager: Julia Johnston NVQ III
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4 www.salfordstar.com
CONTENTS... 30 page Democracy IN Salford special...
Salford Star 1st Birthday Spectacular!
POWER TO THE PEOPLE !
Issue 5 Summer 2007
FREE
Ist BIRTHDAY
SPECTACULAR… Pills n Thrills in Little Hulton Happy Mondays Bros, Shaun and Paul reveal all…
SUPERMODEL ON
WATCH THE
SALFORD BIRDIE… PRECINCT With Tweety Pie
Sinead Moynihan PC Plum! goes shopping and Rare birds booted out of BBC home
Plus…
Picking Pendleton’s Pockets Families to be put back in towerblocks shock ?
More Cash For Urban Splash
Plus your day by day guide to all that’s happening…with attitude and love xxx
We said we’d bring you the biggest mag yet for our birthday special – and here it is…76 burstin’ splurgin’ pages ! There’s so much crammed in it won’t even fit it on the contents ! So flick through, tune in and get stuck into the sizzling, soaraway Star experience… Salford Cover Star Shaun Ryder photographed by Ian Tilton
ONE YEAR OF THE SALFORD STAR…a recap of all that’s gone on in the pages of the Salford Star over the last 12 months – from local kids getting kicked out of The Lowry, to the scandal of the Urban Splash millions. Plus an update on all that’s happened since…pp 49-57 Pills n Thrills in Little Hulton…the full explosive story of Happy Mondays, starring Paul and Shaun Ryder, Gaz Whelan and Nigel Pivaro…pp7-15
Power To The People !...starring Hazel and Gordon and Wolfie and the Chartists and everyone in Salford, as we undress democracy in the City in a blockbustin’ 30 page special including…. tales of shock and horror in Real Life Stories…`They nearly killed me’? You’d better believe it !...pp 19-45
Supermodel On The Precinct
Sinead Moynihan shops til she drops dead gorgeous…pp16-17
Watch The Birdie, starring Tweety Pie and PC Plum! Rare birds booted out of BBC home…pp 58-59
Picking Pendleton’s Pockets
Families to be put back in towerblocks shock ?...pp 46-48
Mary Burns…
she’s a one, and she’s back barking up all the right trees...pp61 Plus: your day by day guide to all that’s happening in the city…with reviews and previews…
Put together by Stephen Kingston and Steven Speed with help from all the Salford Stars Salford Star c/o CREST 3-5 Concord Place Douglas Green Salford M66SJ
Phone Steven on 07782 639802 or Stephen on 07957 982960 Send letters, listings and anything else to: info@salfordstar.com www.salfordstar.com Salford Star is produced by Mary Burns Community Group Salford Star is a registered trade mark
www.salfordstar.com 5
Anywhere in Salford: ü Health Trainers – helping you to plan a healthier life. ü Smoke-Free Homes – reduce second-hand smoke at home.
In Charlestown and Lower Kersal: ü Carers’ Support – support for informal carers ü Re-Energise – healthy living through exercise and nutrition Interested? Then contact Community Health Action Partnership on 0161 743 0088.
Advocacy Service Manager 16 hours a week SO1 scale points 29 - 31 (actual salary £10,594 - £11,295) Mind in Salford needs an Advocacy Service Manager, who will need to demonstrate a commitment to defending people’s right to improve their mental health and be able to manage staff and volunteers. Application packs are available by phoning 0161 839 3030, e-mail mindinsalford@ gmail.com or write to Recruitment, Mind in Salford, The Angel, 1 St Phillips Place, Salford M3 6FA. Closing date for completed applications is 17 August 2007 at 5pm. Mind in Salford strives to be an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.
with attitude and love xxx
Your healthier life!
ADVERTISE IN THE SALFORD STAR FOR AS LITTLE AS £30… Issue 2 Aug / Sept 2006
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Yes, a once in a lifetime offer because from the next issue we’re going to be starting a little ads page for anyone to advertise their shop, business, trade whatever…Thirty quid ? You can’t argue with that can you ? For thirty quid you get 16,000 copies flying all over Salford for three months…and you get to help a growing non profit making magazine for the Salford people…
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Here’s the phone number 07782 639802 – give us a bell and we’ll sort it for you Or e-mail us on ads@salfordstar.com
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6 www.salfordstar.com
THRILLS, PILLS AND LITTLE HULTON
HAPPY MONDAYS THE FULL STORY… Once upon a time in Little Hulton, lived two brothers – Paul and Shaun Ryder.
They formed the band which defined the last truly big, truly global rip-up-the-rules, all inclusive music revolution. But, as the band were about to sign a £7million record deal that would have taken them to even greater heights, the Happy Mondays exploded and imploded…The brothers, Paul and Shaun, haven’t spoken now for the last seven years… As original band members Shaun, Bez and Gaz carry the Happy Mondays name and get fresh acclaim with a brilliant new album and tour, Paul Ryder’s new band, Big Arm, release some juicy new sounds and are set to support Ian Brown on tour. Here, Nigel Pivaro, long time friend of the Ryders, gets Paul’s story…while Stephen Kingston, hears Shaun and Gaz explain the magic of the Mondays… Photos of Shaun and Gaz by Ian Tilton Photos of Paul Ryder by Steven Speed
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BROTHER IN ARMS… From the swirl surrounding Happy Mondays, to his own roller coaster battle with addiction, Paul Ryder tells Nigel Pivaro the full compelling story of thrills, pills and sibling heartaches…
For best part of three years
bridging the late eighties and early nineties the Happy Mondays were the most dynamic force in rock music and street culture. That is, until the band’s reign over British youth tastes was abruptly terminated by Shaun Ryder’s untimely decision to go out and score some badly needed H. Shaun’s trip in search of drugs was euphemistically described as `going for a Chinese meal’ but whether it was a bag of prawn crackers or China White it cost the band a £7million deal with EMI Records. The man from the record company had been patiently waiting with the rest of the band for the singer to show up for a demo rehearsal in order to clinch the deal. `Sorry guys’ stated the exec `If Shaun can’t turn up for a meeting over seven extra large, then …’ You get the picture. Shaun’s antics and adventures are well documented and have long since passed into rock excess legend. So much so that you might be forgiven for thinking that Shaun Ryder was the Happy Mondays with just a little help from Bez. But the band was co-founded, named and creatively underscored by Shaun’s younger, now more sober, bassist brother, Paul. Ask Paul about his early childhood and his relationship with Shaun and the most apparent element is the amount of love that there has always been, and still exists, for the brother from whom he has now been estranged for some seven years. They are the product of two musically gifted parents who instilled in young Paul a default appreciation of Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Happy Mondays’ name had nothing to do with New Order’s Blue Monday track, and everything to do with the arrival of Paul’s Giro... Their father, Derek, had the ability to play virtually any instrument and was himself in a schoolboy skiffle band, and later a folk group. Paul absorbed further influence courtesy of his large extended Catholic family. “We would go to my aunty Mary’s in Little Hulton” he recalls “There were nine of them all older than me so I got exposed to my cousin Pete’s 3000 plus – seriously - record collection. It had everything from 1940s Blue Grass, to Philadelphia Stax. At the same time Pete’s sisters were listening to Tamla Motown in the next room.” Paul wanted to be in a band from the time he saw David Bowie doing Star Man on Top of the Pops with that big, blue acoustic guitar. But, getting up on stage was the last thing I would have expected from him
as he’s quite shy. Paul corrects me… “No, no, I am embarrassingly shy…That’s why I used to take copious amount of drugs before I went on stage…With Shaun being a Leo and older he was so much more the extrovert, and from what I know he always loved the attention.” Most of all, they both loved music but it was never spoken about until the infamous day when Shaun came back from the Bluebell in Monton where he’d met Mike Sweeney of the Salford Jets and told him that he was in a band. “Shaun wasn’t in a band but I remember him coming in from the pub saying `I’ve just met Sweeney, I’ve told him we’ve got a band and he’s said we can support them’…And I was like `What! What! You can’t play anything!’…. `Well I’ll be the singer’ he says `And you’ve got a bass’” “I’d had this bass since I was13” Paul adds “I got it for my birthday and it had been gathering dust ever since. Shaun says `Learn how to play it!’ And I’m like `What by next week?’ So that’s where the inception of a band came from, Shaun talking bollocks to Mike Sweeney.” “We never got to support the Salford Jets” Paul laughs “And I think after that if we ever saw Mike Sweeney in the pub Shaun would end up swerving him. But later we did go and see them at the Duke of Welly on the top road in Swinton and it was good because here were musicians playing in our local pub and it encouraged us to think we could do it.” It was another year and half before they formed a proper band, with Shaun singing, Paul on bass, a drum machine, and their cousin Matt. Then the brother’s dad introduced them to guitarist Mark Day “We started to meet up in Mark’s loft and we were really impressed because he knew chords” recalls Paul. So did you never take any lessons? “It’s only in the past few years I’ve started to appreciate what chords are…“ What, all through the Mondays ? “I only just learnt in the past few years what the different strings were…I’d call them the fat one, the thin one and the one down from the fat one. That’s why it was great having Mark because he would say `Its on G7 major’ and I’d say `What string is it on ?’ Mark would point `The one in the middle, third fret down’…`What’s a fret?’ But I did have this ability to put a record on, listen to it and fumble around the strings. That must come off my dad’s side, he was self taught and when I was listening to Joy Division stuff I quickly worked out that Hooky’s bass lines were played on one finger.” In the following months Matt dropped out and after having had eight months of the drum machine they found a drummer through Shaun’s girlfriend Denise, who later became his wife. They told 15 year old Gaz Whelan he had a week to learn three songs, so he took a week off school and was in. He was accompanied to the audition by Paul Davis, who brazenly declared that he was going to join, and elected himself keyboard player, even though he couldn’t play anything.
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At that time the band were called Avant Garde which they dropped in favour of Penguin Dice, until Paul dreamed up Happy Mondays. It had nothing to do with New Order’s Blue Monday track, and everything to do with the arrival of Paul’s Giro. After signing on, on Friday, the Giro was supposed to arrive Saturday morning, and never did, but it dropped through the letter box on Monday, hence Happy Mondays. Paul had the presence of mind to register himself as the sole owner of the name. That means that all use of the name is subject to Paul’s approval, a source of income for Paul and irritation to Shaun. The lads had by this time all left their jobs at the post office and signed up to the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, courtesy of their first manager Phil Saxe who put a thousand pounds into each of the boys’ accounts before withdrawing the cash the following day. Paul explains that as long as you could show that you had a one large in the bank you could sign off the dole for a year and get on with running a business. We both reflect that the Mondays were a product of Maggie Thatcher’s benign benefits regime, and the irony that under Blair bands like the Mondays would not have had the financial safety net to help them get on with the business of rock and roll. The years of being poor and living close to the edge had instilled in the group a communal spirit in which no one had the lead and everybody rallied round when one or the other was out of funds. From the outset the Happy Mondays’ ethos was a cross between The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist and the musketeers - all for one, one for all. For years all the royalties were split equally until the arrival of Phil Saxe’s replacement as manager, Nathan McGough. Nathan duly informed Shaun that as the lyricist he was entitled to 50% of the royalties, so putting an end to the communistic profit share. Being able to concentrate on music one hundred per cent of the time meant the band became tight and valediction came early with the release of the Mondays’ first single in 1983. It followed a gig at the then struggling Hacienda, which facilitated the band’s first meeting with
“Tony Wilson’s a Salford lad and he gave us lads from Salford a chance” music guru Tony Wilson. Paul describes Tony in glowing terms, citing him as their mentor. “When all is said about Tony, he’s a Salford lad and he gave us lads from Salford a chance” says Paul, quickly adding that Wilson’s berating him to support his brother via a newspaper letters page was out of order. “Nobody tells me about how to behave towards my brother” he explains “Everybody else will tell him he’s great, everything’s fine, because they don’t really care like I care. I love him he’s my brother and if I see something’s wrong then I’ll say it because I love him.”
“I love him he’s my brother and if I see something’s wrong then I’ll say it because I love him.”
Is he referring to the addiction? “Amongst other things, yeah”. Does he think that’s what’s been at the route of Shaun’s problem, the fact that he surrounded himself with too many yes men? “Completely” he says “Looking back on those days we were surrounded by all these liggers, who I thought of as the dark forces. There was a lot of money went missing, a lot of it happened after we split. One minute you’re on Top of the Pops and playing the Madison Square Gardens NYC, the next thing you’ve got no wages and everything is in liquidation.” Were the Mondays’ fortunes not too tied up with Factory Records? “By this time we were contracted to do a fourth album with Factory,
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9
after Pills Thrills and Bellyaches” he recalls “And it just went mental with hits, appearances bigger venues. New Order were on a five year break and the Mondays were the only earners for Factory. But they moved into new offices, they were signing other bands like Northside and the Wendys. And it was obviously going tits up. But the great thing about Tony was that he phoned up Nathan and said `This is how you get out of the contract…You do this, this and this, so we
“I was sectioned and went into Meadow Brook psychiatric ward at Hope Hospital...I thought `This is it, this is what my life is gonna be now’”... don’t take you down with us’. Then that left us free to go with who we wanted.”
sibling he is now clean, thanks to the discovery of a wonder herb called ibogaine. He tried to get Shaun interested but thinks he seems happy to continue as he is. “Shaun thinks he alright cos he’s got new teeth…`Look I’ve got new teeth, I’m fine!’” Paul mocks “`But what about the valium…the booze?’…`But look at me new teeth’…” So what was Paul’s lowest point during his addiction? “I’d split up with Donavan’s daughter, Astrella, after five years and I was just living from one fix to the next” he recalls “Shortly after that I was sectioned and went into Meadow Brook psychiatric ward at Hope Hospital. I was just sat there unable to respond to anything. I thought `This is it, this is what my life is gonna be now’...
So who did you go with?
“Thanks to the efforts of the staff I managed to temporarily recover, but the following ten years were a carousel of heroin and methadone degradation followed by cure followed by addiction again…”
“Well that’s were it went tits up for us…”
So how did he find ibogaine and what’s so different about it?
Do you mean the… Chinese takeaway?
“Ibogaine finds you” he explains “My wife was in New York visiting her old flat in Greenwich Village and she saw this herb and some write up in a shop window and noted it down. For ibogaine to work, you’ve got to want to quit. It completely re-programmes the brain, puts it back to the way it was before you started using. It also detoxes the body without the horrible pain that comes with cold turkey.”
“Yeah. band members started to lose confidence despite our Yes Please album being in the top ten. Then to compound matters there was the backlash against us in the NME, because of a journalist overheard a throwaway comment by Bez that he didn’t like gays. There was no real truth to that, Bez had loads of gay friends but this all served to fuel the paranoia among certain band members. I said `Calm down, let’s regroup, write some new songs’ and hats off to Nathan he got the head of EMI down. All we had to do was play these four songs for him. It was a no brainer... “So we’re all there, minus Shaun, going `Yeah, our kid will be here in a minute’… half an hour later…`Don’t worry he’s always late, don’t worry he’s coming’…Three hours later Shaun pops his head in the door…everybody going `Where the f**k have you been, you dick, he’s offering seven million quid here, all you got to do is play four songs’…By this time he’d got himself a raging heroin habit, he was in withdrawal and when you’re in withdrawal from heroin you can’t do anything and it’s just bad timing that on that day every dealer in Manchester had their phone switched off. That’s why he was late! Turns up ‘cos he knew we’d be going mental, made his excuses to the guy…`Sorry I had a really bad night last night…I’m just gonna get something to eat…’ So after that it all seemed to implode? “We had two gigs to do in Japan, and I found out years later that Mark Day and Gaz Whelan are conspiring to leave the Mondays and hire our one of our roadies to be their singer because they were so annoyed with Shaun. By this time I’ve also got myself a heroin habit. I’d tried it years earlier and I thought it was awful. But when I realised my marriage was over I went straight round to our kids and said `Get me some gear’. I needed to blot out the pain.” How come Shaun seemed able to function and you didn’t? “Because more people wanted to know Shaun, the fact he was the front man, more people were prepared to take a risk with him” comes the reply. After the dust had settled on the first Mondays split, the two brothers collaborated first on Black Grape and then on Happy Mondays’ reunions, but these were brief interludes punctuated by fallouts that saw Paul throw a chest of drawers out of Shaun’s bedroom window, following Shaun’s goading at an early Black Grape rehearsal. They came together again for the Mondays’ reunion in 1999 but Shaun was even more abusive to Paul. On stage Paul was not in a position to respond, having no mic, and his brother also exerted pressure to continue with drug use, berating his attempts to stop. “I had to walk away from the Mondays a second time” explains Paul “Otherwise I would have ended up killing myself…or killing him.” Paul has had a rougher heroin trip than his brother, but unlike his
He explains that the herb comes from the root of a tree found in West Africa, and, though legal in Europe, it is not widely available. Meanwhile, in the States the Food and Drugs Agency have made ibogaine illegal following intense lobbying from the pharmaceutical industry. Paul reckons they they’re worried about the affect that such a cure will have on the industry’s ability to make billions from addiction. “Imagine what the fall in methadone and valium sales across the world would do to their profits” says Paul. But for him it has been a saviour and for this reason he and his TV producer wife Angela are hoping to make a documentary so its benefits can be shared with millions of
“Liam said `The difference between me and Noel, and you and Shaun is that with us there’s no heroin involved’”.
other addicts. Paul claims that ibogaine, with the love of his family including his four children, has turned his life around. So much so that following encouragement from Ian Brown, Paul will be leading his new band Big Arm on stage supporting Brown’s tour in September. It coincides with the release of a single, Flashbacks, off the album Radiator. His only regret is that reconciliation with Shaun seems further away than ever. Could I help, I ask, by perhaps banging your heads together? “It’s been tried” says Paul “The last time was when we were both at a mate’s wedding and Liam Gallagher came over and persuaded me into going over and making it up…`Brothers shouldn’t fall out’ Liam said `Me and Noel argue all the time but we don’t end up not speaking, we get over it and make up’”. After thirty minutes of trying to convince Liam that Shaun wouldn’t have it, Paul relented and went over to his brother, whose first words to him were a Manningesque `What’s up nigger?’. Paul persisted but to no avail. On learning of Shaun’s reaction, Liam said `The difference between me and Noel, and you and Shaun is that with us there’s no heroin involved’. That’s the way it stands and though Paul is now firmly looking to a bright and creative future with his life back on track, his overriding hope is that one day Shaun will see the light and kick out the stuff that has come between them. See www.bigarm.co.uk and www.myspace.com/bigarmband Big Arm – Flashbacks...see review p63
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CloKwork
range
y a d h t r i B H a ppy r a t S d r o f l Sa Keep up the good work ! Tel: 0161 219 1330 or 07752 542446
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43
NEVER MIND THE DYSFUNKTIONAL UNCLE… HERE’S HAPPY MONDAYS Salford’s most iconic band is back, keeping it nifty and nasty. Here, the Mondays’ Shaun Ryder and Gaz Whelan reveal all about LH, nicking Hooky’s post and the birth of the hoody…
W
quote about Salford people not having “chips on our shoulders”…
“Because of legal problems” he growls through newly shining teeth “Because my brother made it difficult for us…”
“We lived on the same road as Christopher Eccleston, his family lived right opposite us on Coniston Avenue where I was born but I don’t remember him at all” he says “All I remember was that every criminal moved to LH because the police didn’t even come up there. It’s true.”
e’re sat talking about Dysfunktional Uncle, the first Happy Mondays release for 12 years, and the question kind of pops up about why it’s taken so long to get the album out. Shaun leans forward.
He knows that his brother Paul is giving his side of the Ryder sibling split on the next page… “He walked out on our band. We stayed together and he thought he was going to be a solo artist. He actually turned around and said that I’m the luckiest person in show business because I’m talentless and can’t write. He made a mistake. We all make mistakes but then he wouldn’t let it go…He was like a terrier, he’d got his teeth into it and he wouldn’t let it go. He’s going to make everyone else suffer because of his mistake…” Still not speaking to each other then ? “No”. As Shaun pauses to draw breath, Gaz tries to restrain him, he knows what’s coming…”Oh no…don’t…” he pleads… “No, I don’t go slagging my own family off” Shaun spits “It’s sad really because he’s such an unhappy bunny…so unhappy….At the end of the day our kid is a fighter and it’s all for the wrong reasons. He seems to be very angry…Put it this way, we have an album there and we think it’s a great album but if it was up to him it wouldn’t have come out. And he’s stopping me from working, Gaz from working, his cousins from working, his family from working. We still keep it all in the family firm…” Even with only half of the firm on board the new Happy Mondays launch, the album has been worth waiting for. It’s a funny, funky, sleazy, weirdly sexual slice of Shaun’s brain, punctuated by groovy, moody beats, wailing police sirens and squealing car alarms. If the druggy, re-habby subject matter of the last few Mondays albums saw Shaun reeling about feeding monkeys and stinkin’ thinkin’ this one is straight back to the bad boy, raucous, rude boy roots…`I love the dysfunctional…I like to make you feel uncomfortable’ …`Happy Mondays in the air…We’re deeeeeviants…’ It might be over twenty years since the Salford band first burst bubblegum pop but the edge is still there …and taking listeners’ psyches back to exciting smoky basement clubs. Today we’re nowhere near a smoky basement. We’re sat at the last smoking table at the Midland hotel in Manc-land, and, in true 2007 Manc style, The Midland is full of poshkies in black ties and evening dresses about to go to the opera or somewhere. On the next table sits Jeffrey Archer with his guffawing cronies…It’s been a whole history of Happy Mondays zooming from the back streets of Salford to international superstardom but they still don’t sit comfortable in this world. Thank god. Shaun Ryder, looking sassy and as lucid as ever, must have visited every top hotel on the planet and every drug planet in the universe but right now he’s taking refuge in Christopher Eccleston’s account of hometown LH in the first issue of Salford Star. And loving the actor’s
Little Hulton, on Salford’s outpost border with Bolton, was used in the sixties and seventies as an overspill during the city’s last failed redevelopment. As a piece of social engineering all it did was force Shaun and co to engineer a way out of the place. “It was just one big council estate” he explains “Some people used to go up to Bolton and Farnworth but we went straight back down the road to Salford. Bolton just wasn’t us – they had different accents, they seemed not to have the fashion sense…we looked upon them as backwards.“ Originally from Greengate, the Ryder family had got a house in LH but the Ryder kids were often staying with their gran in Swinton, and ended up going to Ambrose Barlow school in pig town, where the core of the band was formed. “Everyone says we’re from Little Hulton but my dad’s from Lower Broughton, my mum’s from Ordsall and we lived in Swinton” says Gaz “Bez went to school in Swinton too.” After leaving school “officially at 15 but really at 13” Shaun’s dad got him a job as a postman in LH, delivering mail to the area where Peter Hook’s mum lived on Cartleach.
“Salford City Council wouldn’t give anyone flats or houses…they spent all their budget on cocaine, I’m sure, or bribing gangsters” Shaun “I knew Peter Hook was from somewhere round our way and I’d get these postcards from Spain and places like that which I’d read” Shaun recalls “…I’d go `Wow, Joy Division! And here’s a postcard for his mam and dad !’…And it went in my pocket. It never got to his mam’s house.” The job didn’t last long… “At 16 years old we had to move from round there because Salford City Council wouldn’t give anyone flats or houses…they spent all their budget on cocaine, I’m sure, or bribing gangsters” Shaun laughs “We moved well away because we just didn’t get any help – no help off the Council, no help from anybody, that’s why we moved… to Fallowfield, to Rusholme, to get on the housing list and get somewhere to live.” Even so, their home city’s reputation followed the band around the globe. After some bad experiences coming back from Amsterdam in his teens, Shaun had `Swinton, Manchester’ on his passport as place of birth by the time the Mondays toured the States for the first time in ’86. “If Salford was on my passport I’d be wiped up; if Little Hulton was on
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my passport I’d be wiped up…It was only years later when it got challenged and they said `Your true place of birth is Little Hulton’…I remember getting wiped up in Dover when I was 16 and the police saying `You’re not from Little Hulton, you haven’t got a police record’”…
“If Salford was on my passport I’d be wiped up; if Little Hulton was on my passport I’d be wiped up…” Shaun While Happy Mondays were always seen as the purest Manchester,or Madchester, band, everything about them and that whole `scene’ was imported and fired by the burning attitude of Salfordians - from Tony Wilson, to Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Mark E Smith, to artists Matt and Pat Carroll of Central Station, who gave graphic front to the whole Madchester thing. Without this lot, and the birth of the Hac, New Order, The Fall and freaky dancing, Manchester would still be a crumbling grey backwater. Rather than the shiny, greedy, glass megabucks monster that’s trying to eat the city across the Irwell. Somehow, Salford’s street glam got lost in the process. But neither Shaun nor Gaz are having it that the Mancs nicked everything… “You can’t say that, it was cosmopolitan” says Shaun. What they will acknowledge is the affect of putting Salford kids slap bang in the middle of the world wide music industry… “They really didn’t have a clue where people like us were coming from” says Shaun “When we went over to America in 1986 for the original In The City it was all `You’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that’ but we couldn’t really give a flying fart – to us it was just getting on a plane and going over there – if a gig was cancelled so what ? And the word went round that we were `difficult’
“….as kids we said we would always stick together” Shaun “But the most thing we were excited about in 1986” he adds “was that we’d heard of this drug called crack cocaine and we were more into going to America and smoking crack cocaine than playing a gig – that’s how naïve and stupid we were.” They contrast this with those other so-called bad boys of pop, the over-privileged yanks, the Beastie Boys…
“When we got our first front cover in Melody Maker in 1986 I thought `Wait a minute, I’ve got to get up in the morning, I’ve got to go out, go and get some weed, score this, do that…be a nob’ead on the street… and there’s my kipper all over a music paper...I’m not having that’… so I put my hood up. On our first cover shot you couldn’t even see me ‘cos I’ve got my hood up…” “A hoody” laughs Gaz “In 1986!” A fashion was born. It was the same with the Mondays’ lyrics. Shaun isn’t having the `poet’ tag, even though his plea on the last Mondays’ album, Yes Please!, was the most lyrical rock reasoning ever to accusations of addiction…`I had to make the grass more greener, I had to make the sky more blue…’ Forget the drugs, he could have been talking for everyone in 90s Salford, and beyond. Shaun puts on a posh voice…”I’m not prepared to discuss my lyrics” he mocks. And then discusses them. “It’s like everything I ever wrote was comic strip lyrics. I’ve never written `I love you, you love me love, love love me do boo hoo hoo’ type stuff…Even when we calmed down a little bit making Stinkin Thinkin’, we kept it nasty with the lyrics. “I grew up surrounded by shit going on” he explains “and if you want to write about what’s going on around you or what means things to you, then I’m not going to write `suchabody did this’ so basically you’re writing in double meanings – henny penny cocky locky goosey goose…they’re a bunch of stoned motherf**kers who are always round your gaff selling you things – you can’t come out with his name or that name so you write in code which then gets to be really hilarious.” Just don’t try and work out the code for Jellybean, the first track on Uncle Dysfunktional, which sees Shaun transform into a rampant woman…`Now that I’m naked I’m a lady…and now that I’m a lady I’m so freeeeee’… Generally, though, the Mondays allow anyone to slip into their experience. They’re inclusive and unprecious about their work. Shaun’s proud that as influences he can site Showaddywaddy, Led Zep and Beethoven in the same breath as break beat collections Elecro 1 and 2, as well as the more obvious Joy Division, The Doors and the Sex Pistols.
“Yeah” sneers Gaz “They all met in school in Switzerland. We all met at school in Swinton…”
“The Mondays were just getting in the charts as Take That were coming up and we would never have slagged them off because they were working class kids having a go in the music business doing what they were good at” says Shaun “Most kids in boy bands aren’t privileged swotty little rich kids – I’ve got more in common with Take That than I have with some dead street cred band that are all middle class tw*ts.“
And that was, and still is, the global appeal of the Mondays – that they were just kids from Salford who got up and had a go without thinking too hard about it. It made everything fresh, punk-style simple and fun, from the sounds to the lyrics to the anti-fashion…Shaun explains:
The subject of class constantly punctuates Shaun’s chat. Maybe the Midland hotel has got his back up or maybe all this talk of LH has brought back the roots. From nowhere he launches into how the Salford attitude met the Wild West.
“I don’t think there’s one accountant out of our fathers” sneers Shaun “My old bloke was a postman, yours was an electrician…”
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“How come no-one’s made the movie ?” he asks “You’ve got these great Sioux chiefs and braves doing a travelling roadshow, and while they’re here it comes up on top one day that the American government want them back to answer charges of war crimes after they beat General Custer. They camp on the Irwell and then disappear into Salford and were never seen again. “The people say `They are great warriors not war criminals’. The reason why all these braves were never sent back to America was that the people of Salford said `F*ck off!’. They had loads of kids here and a lot of them are buried at Pendleton Church…but even now no-one’s saying nothing.” …”That’s why people from Salford know there’s something special about them” says Gaz “Must be all that Indian blood…” Which brings us back to why Salford has produced so many creative people. Why is the place so different from Manc-land ? It’s like two different planets. “Salford’s like Manchester’s East End” Gaz offers “I live in South Manchester and people there call Salfordians `scousers’ – must be the docks. I was out talking to someone I’d known for 12 years and she asked where I grew up. When I said Salford she went `That explains everything’…and then about three others agreed with her.”
“That’s why people from Salford know there’s something special about them… must be all that Indian blood…” Gaz “…But we don’t have chips on our shoulders” Shaun laughs.
few tracks down and some great vocals, and before we knew it we had eight or nine songs. We rerecorded them with Sony Levine, whose granddad is Quincy Jones who did Thriller, and Howie B who’s worked with Bjork and U2. “When I first heard the finished album I was saying that it sounded like country hiphop but having listened to it again it’s nothing like that – it’s still got that punk gene, it’s still got that rawness. It’s never going to be a nice sound.”
“The album’s still got that punk gene, it’s still got that rawness. It’s never going to be a nice sound…” Gaz It’s a sound that fired a whole generation, and the last Big Credible Pop Cult Thing. As Shaun says, it still sounds cool because, like the Velvet Underground or Funkadelic, it was so off its head originally. “A lot of the bands that are coming up today are still feeding off that” says Shaun “They’re still a part of that.” So did the Mondays ever think they’d last this long ? “Actually, yeah” says Shaun “But it’s not as simple as that. When we were kids and we started off, of course you read things like `This band lasted ten years and then split up’, and, as kids we said we would always stick together…But then obviously other people in the band came and had these ideas…”
While the Ryder family have moved from LH to Worsley now, none of the remaining Mondays still live in Salford. Shaun and Bez live somewhere out in the wilds of Derbyshire, and Gaz lives in Levenshulme after spending four years in Perth setting up an Australian record label with the older brother of Matt and Pat Carroll. Gaz returned to Britain when the band started touring again and to address the mountain of legal mess.
“You don’t get married thinking you’re going to get divorced in two years do you ?” adds Gaz.
“We had 17 cases to sort out” he explains “There’s been loads of stuff right across the board…We didn’t have management and with the advent of the internet, people were registering our name, booking gigs in America, and basically just making money out of us. All apart from two legal cases are sorted now.”
“Because I love going into the studio and creating music” says Shaun “Gaz will tell you this – I never wanted to do a gig, I wanted to keep it all for us in the studio, but if you create music you’ve then got to go out and promote it…As long as we can make albums – that’s what it’s all about.”
It’s allowed the Mondays to be re-born.
And, with Uncle Dysfunktional in tow, the Mondays are still “keeping it nasty”…
“We had a guy in London who was looking after us for a bit and he had a club and a studio” says Gaz “We used to go in there putting a
Happy Mondays – Uncle Dysfunktional (Sequel) is out now.
It’s easy to forget that this is a band split in half, with original Mondays’ members Mark Day, Paul Davis and Paul Ryder all missing. What’s left is the drummer, the dancer and the singer. So why are the Mondays still doing it ?
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SUPER MODEL ON SA Monton’s Sinead Moynihan stars in the ace drama comedy series, Drop Dead Gorgeous as a glam model travelling the world. But who needs the world when you can shop ‘til you drop on the Precinct ? Sinead Moynihan was a normal Salford girl who got spotted by a talent scout in a local café and became a top model. Then she was spotted by a tv exec and won the starring part in Drop Dead Gorgeous… playing a normal girl who gets spotted by a talent scout and becomes a top model… The show was a huge hit on BBC3 earlier in the year, and is currently being repeated on BBC1 before the new series is aired in September. Sinead’s about to become a megastar – but she’s still got to get the shopping in…. Do you come here often ? We used to live in Winton and come shopping on the Precinct with our weekly amount of money, which wasn’t very much. We’d go to Iceland and a butchers and then we’d go to Marks and Sparks for a treat. It was funny, I liked it. I also used to come on the bus with my friends from school and we’d get chips and trainers and stuff. I grew up around here… Did you go nicking ? Loads of people I knew did, but I never stole anything, I wasn’t brave enough ! Even though I was a tearaway and naughty I was dead scared of my mum – and still am – and she said that if I ever got caught doing that she’d kill me. I was more scared of my mum than the police. So where do you go shopping now – Harvey Nicks ? Selfridges ? I hate it when people who have got somewhere or are earning a bit of money don’t go where they used to – I still go to Aldi and Netto with my little boy, Dylan, and stick him in the trolley. So what delights of the Precinct are you after today? I think I’d better get my nana something for her garden as Dylan takes everything out of it. It’s a good job she’s not here…she stops and looks at everything, even things she would never buy. But she’s great, she helps everyone out in Monton, and goes around all the nursing homes in Eccles doing Holy Communion and stuff.
My boyfriend’s from Salford, so I’ll get him a Salford Star t-shirt, definitely. I’m also looking for a few summery dresses and tops for myself. It’s hard to get jeans because I’ve got long legs but I saw a really nice top that would be good for the beach – an orange, ginghamy thing. I love Audrey Hepburn so I’m looking for a picture of her – she’s my icon. I wear the perfume she used to wear, even though I don’t like it that much…you’d think I’d know better at 25 but I don’t. 6 www.salfordstar.com 16 www.salfordstar.com
ALFORD PRECINCT… The Precinct’s about to be tarted up and the area’s getting a makeover, how does it feel ?
I never thought Salford would become like this. I suppose it was inevitable that it would happen one day but the house prices are ridiculous. It’s really bad, I don’t know how anyone can afford to buy one. I looked at houses in Broughton Green and couldn’t believe how expensive they were…and there’s too many flats now All for the BBC no doubt… I don’t know whether people will necessarily relocate from the BBC in London because they’re used to living there and to come up here is a bit of a shock. It would be good to give the jobs to people from this area and they should give apprenticeships to kids and train them up. If they’re coming in and taking over the whole of Salford, they should give that opportunity back to people. Did you always want to be an actress ?
I was modelling for years and then someone saw my picture on the net and asked me to audition for this part – it was my first audition and I got it. It’s great because the series is shot on location in Salford and stars three people from Salford – me, Andy Knor and Linzey Cocker, who plays my sister. We never knew each other before we auditioned and then I found out that Linzey’s nana lives behind my nana. In the series we have a massive fall out and it tears the family apart… So are you going to be mega or what, after Gorgeous is shown ? I’m hoping to get into presenting because I like doing that…and I never shut up…
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Photos by Steven Speed
Me ? Nah, I didn’t do drama or anything at school. I never took any lessons in it or anything like that. I went to Eccles College and did Creative Writing, Psychology and English Language but I couldn’t be bothered going and they threw me out. My mum was like `They’ve thrown you out !’…and I was, like, ‘Oh well’.
KBS Productions “If you can’t annoy somebody then there’s little point in writing” K.Amis
Keep up the annoyingly good work.
Best birthday wishes from John and Louis at KBS Productions
www.johncrumpton.co.uk
Happy Birthday Salford Star
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It takes millions of years to make a Star and it’s only took you 12 months! Well done! Keep up the hard work, giving Salford people the truth behind the headlines and a great read. Inspirational! For apprenticeship, course & career guidance
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Welcome to STALINFORD
IT ’S TH E SU PE R SI ZZ LI NG DEMOCRACY 2007 SPEC IA L !!! Saturday 15th September is Democracy Day at the Town Hall in Swinton – the day when Salford City Council throws open the doors of its chambers and wallows in its workings...To celebrate this super occasion we’ve got a zillion page special
collectors
item supplement.
We begin by taking things way, way back in time to the
birth
of democracy in Salford when hundreds of thousands of Chartists demanded the vote on Kersal Moor…Then we ask `What the hell’s happened since ?’…
We take you on a tour of our streets on Election Day where
no-one believes the vote means anything any more…we investigate whether the Council tried to swing the election in its favour…we chart the shredded mess
that is modern day democracy as our councillors, incredibly, have to be taught how to be councillors…and we introduce
Hazelocracy
you to the new – power to the people reborn ? Yeah…and there’s a flying pig. We then take you on a journey to the land of StALinFORD, a
freedom of information is at
one party city where a premium rate and councillors
pick up loads of cash…
‘dickheads’, we have Gordon Brown, we have Wolfie Blears, we have real life shock horror stories of gaggings, near En route we have
death experiences and human rights violations…Yes, everyone’s having a laugh in the face of democracy in
yummy sunny Salford…
So don’t forget now – 15th September noon til 4pm at the Town Hall for the Democracy Day Garden Party with clowns and stuff… we’ve asked for a stall down there - do you reckon they’ll give us one ? Check out our website www.salfordstar.com to find out.
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REAL SALFORD HERITAGE
KE RSAL MOOR AND ITS PLACE IN SECU RING DEMOCRACY FOR THE WOR LD
K
Talk about yer Live Aids, Live 8s and yer Live Earths ? Over 150 years ago Salford hosted something of even bigger significance – more than a quarter of a million people demanding the vote. The modern rallies have Bono and Madonna. Salford had O’Connor and Hodgetts…
ersal Moor is now home to Salford City FC, St Paul’s School and a lot of protected bushes and grass. But go back over 150 years ago and the Moor was the site of the old Salford Racecourse before it moved down the hill to Lower Kersal. In fact you can still find some of the old racecourse cobbles in Salford City’s car park. However, on 24th September 1838 the place was transformed into the centre of the biggest demonstration ever seen in Salford. It was organised by the Chartists, it was the first Lancashire launch pad to get everyone a vote…and hundreds of thousands of people came from all over the north west to support it. The rally was called against the backdrop of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, when, in 1819 over 100,000 workers demanding rights and a vote had seen the army slaughter 11 people and injure over 500 more. It was also called against the backdrop of journalists getting jailed for publishing a `free’ press, spreading ideas that the authorities didn’t like. Indeed, all over Greater Manchester the army built new barracks to put down potential revolt by the working classes… On the day of the Kersal rally, every cotton mill in a 12 mile radius was shut, and protestors marched all the way from places like Oldham and Ashton, accompanied by over 30 bands and hundreds of banners. The Oldham banner was so big it had to be carried by six people. The Racecourse owners, who had threatened to stop the rally on the grounds of `trespass’ suddenly backed down, and the police and army kept well hidden. Some reports said that over a million people turned out but the real figure has been estimated at around 250,000, covering 80 acres of land. On the platform were three men from Salford – R.J.Richardson (a radical newsagent from Chapel Street), R.B.Cobbett (a local solicitor, publisher and son of top Chartist, William Cobbett), and J.W. Hodgetts (a radical chemist). The main speech was given by superstar orator of the day, the fiery Irishman Feargus O’Connor who accused the government of treason for not allowing everyone a vote. Hodgetts put the demands of the people’s Charter to the crowd which was endorsed 100% by everyone who attended in Kersal that day. The Charter was launched – and the rest is history. There was another, smaller, demonstration at Kersal a year later, and in the future a lot more campaigning and fighting on a national level…until, eventually, Britain became the birthplace of democracy…and, apart from annual Parliaments, all of the Chartists’ demands were met. But without the mass Kersal Racecourse demonstration, people would never have got a vote.
The Six Points of the People’s Charter Adopted in Kersal 1838 1) A vote for every man over 21 2) secret ballots 3) no property qualification for MPs so that the poor could stand for Parliament 4) payment for MPs so anyone could stand and not starve 5) equal electoral districts 6) annual Parliaments to put a check on bribery of MPs
KERSAL: The Birthplace of Democracy – So Where’s the Blue Plaque ? Salford City Council has recently announced that Kersal Moor is to be designated as a local Nature Reserve, giving it extra protection from developers who would love to get their paws on yet more prime green land. That’s to be applauded. But in all the meetings and discussions which led to the decision, the historical significance of the Moor was never even mentioned. It’s become Salford’s forgotten heritage treasure. In terms of working class history Kersal Moor is right up there with the Pankhursts and Peterloo. So why no blue plaque ? Why no visitor centre? With £53 million being spent literally around the corner by the NDC pushing a `new deal for communities’, why is that community’s own history being ignored? We asked the Council for a comment. At first they didn’t know what we were on about, then we got this from Councillor Barry Warner, Lead Member for Culture and Sport… “We need to do all we can to promote the use of open space in our city and make sure people know what a great city Salford truly is…I hope that as part of our work in creating and promoting the local nature reserve we will specifically commemorate the Great Demonstration organised by the Chartists in 1838.”
What took them so long ? Hopefully the Blue Plaque will be in place by 2038… 20 www.salfordstar.com
WHAT’S GONE WRONG IN SALFORD ? After the Local Elections in May the Labour Party declared itself `absolutely delighted’ with the results. But in many wards nearly 4 out of 5 people didn’t vote. We went around Salford on Election Day to gauge the mood of the city…
I
t’s noon at the birthplace of democracy. We’ve come to Kersal Moor, meeting place of a quarter of a million Chartists who demanded the vote, to see the results of their struggles. We’re here, at the Polling Station at St Paul’s school, right on the edge of the Moor, to see democracy in action…But there’s no-one here. It’s dead. We hang around for ten minutes. Still no-one. Then a bloke appears from the school. We pounce…`Did you know this is the birthplace of democracy ? ...How did you vote ?...Did it feel good ?...’ But no. Turns out he’s just a Tory party counter and tells us that 29 people have been through the booth so far. 29 people ? 29 people ? Shocking, we all agree. After another five minutes of embarrassed whistling to ourselves, someone finally turns up…Chartists ? Democracy ? Michael Brosch shrugs his shoulders, and says he’s new to Salford and therefore unaware of all that. He’s voting Tory to save Hope Hospital and doesn’t really bother with politics “I have far more pressing matters on my plate but I do always turn out.” We hang around for another five minutes waiting for no-one, and head off, away from the polling stations to hit the streets, to get to The People, man. Yes, to Duchy estate where, last year, only one in five voters turned out… Here we find Barbara Brennan, one of the heroic fifth…”I’m voting Labour but actually it doesn’t make a difference who gets in because, let’s face it, they’re all as bad as each other” she says “I’ve always voted Labour, and I’m not changing now. My husband has died but he was Labour so you just follow it. My dad as well….” Hardly a ringing endorsement for a council that’s flattening the centre of the city and says it’s got the community behind it….On to Langworthy Road where we meet Paula Johnson and her children… ”I don’t vote” she tells us “It makes no difference who gets in…” Over at, what’s left of, Ordsall Shopping Precinct we find Joseph Greck who says he’s going to vote Tory “But it doesn’t make a lot of difference” he adds “The Council are only doing a bit around here because of Salford Quays…” We drive to Swinton, home of the Town Hall, that pillar of local power, controlling zillions of pounds worth of regen gold. In its shadow we chat to Christine Roach. She’s not voting either…”I don’t think there’s
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anyone I want to vote for, it’s all about the lesser of evils” she says “But there’s none that I think are any good…” Further down the street we find Anne and Jean, both regular voters who just laugh when we ask if the Council does a good job…”It doesn’t really matter who’s in power or if we vote or not, they do what they want anyway” says Anne “It doesn’t matter what we want…” At the bus stop is Patrick Fitzpatrick who has no intention of voting “I normally vote Labour, thought about voting Liberal for a change this time but no” he says “Personally I don’t think it matters who gets in…” Dear, dear…Perhaps we’ll find some enthusiasm in Walkden, at the Ellesmere Shopping Centre…”I’ve not even thought about voting” says Martin Ross “To be honest, I didn’t even know that the election was today.“
An ne an d Je an
te or no wh o’s in po we r or if we vo ”It do esn’t rea lly matte r anyway” says An ne th ey do wh at th ey wa nt
t,
Then we meet Thomas Jennings who isn’t voting and kind of sums it all up…”They want you to vote for them but once you do they’re not going to sort it out, they’re not going to listen to you” he says “They say they’re regenerating certain areas but, by that, they mean kicking out the local people, sending them further out of the area and bringing in young business types and up and coming families. I’m unemployed and they’re not helping. So no, the election doesn’t really matter to us, the real people...”
Th om as Je nn ing s
…Cut to the Local Election count at Swinton Rec the same night. And ”The it’s another planet. As each result is announced and the Labour Party discovers it’s held most of its seats, mass smirking breaks out with double chins rippling into huge red rosettes. The Chartists might just be spinning in their graves. Was this what it was all about ?
ele cti on do esn’t rea lly ma
tte r to us, th e rea l pe op le”
Interviews conducted for this feature were totally random and all were included.
Words and photos: Michael Roberts and tephen Kingston Count photos by Steven Speed
During the Local Election last May, Ordsall resident, Judy Kendall, wrote the following letter to all the candidates in her ward, hoping to get a response that would help her to decide which way to vote. Here’s the response… I am writing to you because I am trying to decide who to vote for in the local elections for councillors. I am really concerned at the lack of affordable housing and the lack of new building projects that offer affordable housing for local residents. I would like to know your plans on this and how you intend to work to improve the current shameful figure 2% of affordable units in planning applications for Central Salford from Sept 2006 to March 2007 (as reported in the Spring 2007 Salford Star page 21). Hoping to be impressed by your response! Yours sincerely Judy Kendall There was no response from the Lib Dems. The election leaflet was posted through my door by Labour, so maybe they tried to come round, I don’t know, and the Conservative candidate came round to see me (I was out) and popped a hastily typed manifesto through the door, including as the last point, to take another look at the issue of affordable housing. I was very disappointed as it seemed to me the message was either that they did not care or it was not important to them, and it certainly did not help me decide who to vote for. I’m feeling strongly that something practical needs to be done - to demonstrate publicly that people are not happy with what is happening, but I’m not sure what…
22 www.salfordstar.com
GRASS ROOTS SOME BODIES
The one big surprise of the Local Election was the rise of Salford’s new Community Action Party. They came from nowhere and got bucketfuls of votes. So who are they ? What are they ? And why are they here ?
“Somebody’s got to do something, someone’s got to stand up and
be counted…and we’re those somebodies” says ex Labour voter Chris Dickenson, who’s lived in Cadishead all his life and got “fed up” with local politicians. “Our councillors should be fighting for the people and they’re not doing it” he insists “but people want them to…and that’s what the Community Action Party is all about.” The grass roots rhetoric is certainly striking a chord. Before last May’s election no-one had ever heard of the Community Action Party but in Irlam they stuffed the Lib Dems and Tories, and only lost to Labour by 157 votes. Meanwhile, in Cadishead, Chris pulled in loads of support, split the vote and lost Labour one of its safe seats. Overnight the Community Action Party has become a political force to be reckoned with in Salford. Much to its members’ delight… “We’d only been a party in Salford for two months before the election and we got people off their bums and into the booths, and that’s what democracy is all about” explains Richard Houlton, who nearly ousted Labour in Irlam. “For years now we’ve been de-politicised by the government, any government, but the type of leaflets and information we put out gets people interested and talking” he adds “Everything we do is honest. We’re small and we can’t afford to lie.” The Community Action Party has already stormed Wigan, where it’s had ten councillors elected, and is now spilling over the border into Salford with a very local agenda. While it has an ethical stance on improving schools, hospitals and social housing, the Party’s election leaflet concentrated on things like `vulnerable OAPs in warden controlled bungalows still asking for double glazing after a decade’… `no money to repair the roads, yet over £75,000 being spent on a sculpture for a local roundabout’…and `contesting New Labour’s plans for Port Salford’…
“Port Salford is big, and people need to know about it” says Chris, referring to the Peel Holdings’ plans for a huge freight terminal stretching from Wigan to Eccles, via Irlam, Cadishead and Barton. “If you ask the public what’s going on that land under Barton motorway bridge they all say `Salford City Reds stadium’ but that’s just a smokescreen; Port Salford is going to be the biggest freight terminal in the whole of Europe” adds Richard “The freight might come in on trains and ships but it has to leave there, so trucks have to come in, load up and drive out. Irlam will be getting possibly 8000 vehicles a day coming straight through the place. It will be devastating.”
“We’re small and we can’t afford to lie.” Chris says that when the Party has brought up Port Salford at residents’ meetings Labour councillors “have covered it up and decided not to speak about it…but it needs to be aired.” And it’s the somebodies at the CAP who are standing up and airing it. “The councillors are unaccountable, if you ask them for anything all you get is blank looks” says Richard “We thought `That’s not good enough, the only way to make a change is to be on the inside’, so we decided to become a political awakening if you like…We’re just people who want to make a difference.” If its first foray into Salford is anything to go by, the Community Action Party is going to make a huge difference at next year’s elections when it hopes to stand candidates in every single ward in the city. The Party is now calling for more members and supporters across Salford to achieve that. Anyone, it seems, can be a somebody… For more info visit www.community-action.com
www.salfordstar.com 23
DID THEY TRY TO SWING THE LOCAL ELECTION MAY 2007 ? In the week leading up to the local elections in May this year the Salford Star received many calls from residents who were absolutely horrified when a `special edition’ copy of LIFE, the city council’s `magazine for people who live or work in Salford’, dropped through their letterboxes. They told us that the mag was bigging up the Council’s achievements, and that surely this was against election rules. We set out to investigate…
T
here can be little doubt that the opening editorial in the `special edition’ of LIFE reads like an election leaflet for Salford’s ruling Labour Party…`we are committed to improving services’…the Audit Commission `reflected that many of our services are among the best in local government’…`we have set a council tax increase this year of just over 3% which is expected to be one of the lowest increases in the country’…`We have achieved a great deal…’ blah, blah blah …And it’s jointly signed by councillor John Merry, Leader of Salford City Council, together with a (kind of) smiley photo. 85,000 copies of the 16 page magazine were delivered to homes all over Salford through the local Advertiser paper, and while it did give stats on how some services are deteriorating, any quick scan would give the impression that everything was great…that Salford had been `Highly Commended’ in The Most Improved Council Award, and a headline on every spread showing How We Are making A Difference… It all seemed well dodgy, ill advised and we suspected that it might have been breaking the rules of `purdah’, whereby councils are not supposed to put out any propaganda which might swing an election. We wanted to find out, firstly, if the mag was breaking any rules, and secondly, what could be done about it if the council had been breaking those rules. We phoned the Electoral Commission – `we don’t know and it’s not us, try the Ombudsman’ We phoned the Ombudsman - `we don’t know and it’s not us, try the Department for Constitutional Affairs’… We phoned the Department for Constitutional Affairs – strapline Justice, Rights and Democracy - `it’s not us, try the Cabinet Office’ We phoned the Cabinet Office - `it’s not us, try the Department for Communities and Local Government’… We phoned the Department for Communities and Local Government `yes it’s us’, they confirmed but added `We cannot offer a view on any particular item of published material’… You what ? They at least told us where to look - paragraph 43 of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. And there it states that `Particular
care should be taken when publicity is issued immediately prior to an election…to ensure that this could not be perceived as seeking to influence public opinion, or to promote the public image of a particular candidate,
24 www.salfordstar.com
or group of candidates. Between the time of publication of a notice
publicity should not be issued…which reports views or policies in a way that identifies them with individual members or groups of members.”
of an election and polling day,
Hello, here’s John Merry’s boat race all over the intro to the mag, surely that `identifies’ a Labour Party councillor with `views and policies’ ? We thought we had a good case for the election to be called off and issued an ultimatum to Salford City Council on the day before the election… If the Council is found guilty of having broken guidelines by 5pm tonight, will it call off the local election ? Er nope...”The idea (of LIFE) is to provide information on performance for all households in the city” a council spokesman said “It does not refer to any political party or any individual councillors standing for election this year, and so does not breach any election guidelines. Thursday’s election will, of course, go ahead as planned…” We wrote back that the code didn’t say anything about whether councillors are standing or not, it just says `…which reports views
in a way that identifies them with individual members’…and there he is – and policies
councillor John Merry, a very prominent `member’. And here’s the reply from the Council’s spokesman…: “Yes, yes ‘views or policies’ ie political debate, but not a performance document. Read the whole blooming thing and you’ll see that it is also acceptable for members to be associated with service areas for which they are responsible. Just accept you’re wrong as usual and utterly lacking in perspective, for heaven’s sake…” No, no, no…we weren’t having it. These were the `views’ of the said `member’…So what could we do about it ? We were advised by the Council that we could take the matter to the Returning Officer – who was Barbara Spicer, the Council’s Chief Exec with a different hat on. She had actually co-signed the intro to the mag with John Merry, so we didn’t bother with that. What we did do was put in an official complaint to the Chief Executive’s Department – which was never acknowledged or answered. Oh, and the Department for Local Government and Communities told us that the only thing we could do was to take the matter through the courts…at an estimated cost of £25,000. Hmmm, maybe not. For 25 quid we might have thought about it. So the election went ahead, Labour won, again, and this little matter has been well and truly buried. However, it does pose the question of what kind of democracy we have. There is no independent watchdog any voter can go to when they suspect a controlling political party of trying to swing an election. Unless they’ve got £25,000 to gamble in the courts.
HOW BAD HAS DEMOCRACY IN SALFORD GOT ?
They’re having to train councillors on…er…how to be councillors…Yes, it’s got that that bad ! Y
ou couldn’t make it up, no-one would believe you…but over the next year our local councillors are going to be taught (with public money, no doubt) how to be councillors. Just in case they’ve forgotten, like…
and roll out training for Elected Members on community engagement and their roles and responsibilities”. Councillors are also going to receive “support” to “have regular contact with communities eg walkabouts, meetings, forums…”.
It’s there, in black and white, buried in the minutes of the July meeting of the boringly named Salford Strategic Partnership Board…in Outcome 24, of Action Plan 22, in Point 2 and 3 of the draft Delivery Action Plan for the Salford Agreement, in case you want to check it out. It states that between 2007 and 2008 they’re going to “develop
If ever there was an admission that Salford Council and its councillors are out of touch, this is it. Shocking but true. It’s no wonder that no-one’s bothering to vote, and no wonder that the Government is looking at other ways of reinventing the illusion of democracy.
www.salfordstar.com 25
POWER TO THE PEOP LE ? Wolfie Brown “More power to the British people”
Wolfie Blears
“Democracy should be about more than casting a vote every few years”
What’s this ? The Government is talking about giving ordinary people more power. It can’t be true, can it ? In one of Gordon Brown’s first speeches on becoming Prime Minister from around half a dozen elected reps from community committees he stated that he wants to give “more power to the British people”. Meanwhile his new Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, hasn’t stopped bigging up Salford as a model for “giving people more `say’, more power, more influence”. The Salford MP is full of this talk… “Democracy should be about more than casting a vote every few years” she says “It should be a daily activity, not an abstract theory... This Government is delivering a real shift in power to town halls, and ensuring town halls pass this on to local communities…” The Government says it is going to hand more power to councillors and they, in turn, are going to hand it out to local communities through things like the Salford Agreement. The Salford Agreement is a huge contract, running until 2010, between the Government and the Salford Strategic Partnership. It has all sorts of aims and targets, and nearly £340 million of public money tied in, to sort out the disgrace that sees this city with some of the worst life expectancy, disease, education, employment and deprivation rates in the country. One of the Agreement’s big five aims is `improving community engagement’ which is all about the community influencing decisions, to be part of the solution rather than the `problem’. The Salford Strategic Partnership, or Partners In Salford (it gets confusing), draws together almost 30 organisations and directs how the city will be improved. Together with seven city councillors it’s crammed full of unelected bodies like The Lowry, the University, North West Development Agency, Central Salford URC, the Police, the Job Centre and Salford Council officers. The `people power’ input comes
and a couple of folk from faith and ethnic groups. They equal less than a quarter of those who sit on the `Partnership’, so the `people power’ is already watered down.
The New Hazelocracy But Hazel Blears’ big plan is for community committees themselves to have more power to decide how large budgets are spent. In her first major speech as a member of Gordon Brown’s Cabinet she announced a “radical vision” where local people are to be in control of a “community kitty” and Salford is already one of the pilot areas for the scheme There are eight community committees covering every ward in Salford. They meet every two months, anyone can attend and any group can apply to them for funding for schemes that will improve the local area. Last year these committees had a combined budget of £842,000 of our council tax money to play with, of which they spent £391,000 (according to the Council’s draft accounts). Salford’s community committees are acknowledged nationally as a model of good practice and have now formed the basis of the new Hazelocracy… ”where people come together, set priorities and vote on what is going to happen” …A Hazelocracy where people have a “direct say” in how their taxes are spent. If money really is power then this surely is POWER TO THE PEOPLE… Too good to be true ? We thought we’d test it out, using the Salford Star as a guinea pig…
26 www.salfordstar.com
EXPOSED: The sham democracy of the
Government’s new “people power”…
Gordon Brown and Hazel Blears can rattle on all night about giving people a “direct say” on how council taxes are spent. Here we expose it as more spin…if Salford is anything to go by… In Hazel Blears’ first major speech as Communities Before anyone from a community committee had “I think the best local Secretary she set out a `radical vision’ where local people are supposed to be in control of a ‘community kitty’, and Salford is one of the pilots for this. Through the city’s eight Community Committees, the community, in theory, has the power to choose how hundreds of thousands of pounds of our council tax money is spent. However, we believe that the experience of our community group, Mary Burns, shows how local people have no choice at all on how `devolved’ money is spent when a project is critical of Salford City Council. We applied to all the city’s community committees for funding to expand the print run of the Salford Star – an award winning free, not-for-profit community centred magazine. There is a huge demand for the mag that we just cannot meet (because we’re skint). We produce 16,000 copies which mainly get distributed around East Salford but it’s nowhere near enough and we wanted to get another 10,000 out to districts that are requesting copies, like Little Hulton, Cadishead, Irlam, Swinton, Eccles and Walkden. We also wanted to put that public funding decision in the community’s hands. After all, the Salford Star is written and produced by Salfordians for Salfordians with attitude and love xxx. The magazine, fiercely independent and not aligned to any political party or organisation, aims to give the community a voice, to make public bodies more accountable and to showcase everything great going off in the city. Unfortunately, we think we’ve made Salford City Council a little too accountable, and have given a few too many people an honest voice…
a chance to see our application to make their choice it was pulled by Salford City Council without explanation. Six weeks later – yes, six weeks ! – we got a letter from the Council saying it’s agreed new criteria “in relation to the spending of devolved budgets on publications” (ie the Salford Star), and that the Council `Directorate’ now decides whether an application “complies”. Of course, the Salford Star didn’t `comply’.
Basically, the Council pulled our application, and while we were stewing for six weeks, knocked up some new guidelines that would stop it getting anywhere near a community committee. Our application was due to go to the first Community Committee Budget Sub Group in Eccles on May 11th – the Council didn’t ratify its new `guidance’ until June 12th. The whole point about this is that we didn’t apply to the Council, we applied to the community who are supposed to have all these great new powers and a `community kitty’. And then got a reply saying “the Council is not able to offer funding”…sorry but we thought it was the community who had the power to fund. All of which makes all these new policies seem a bit of a sham. Why is Salford City Council so frightened of the Salford Star that it re-writes its policies just to stop its own community from having a debate about whether to fund an expansion of a community magazine? We’re not al-Qaida, we’re a grotty little community group in Salford trying, in Gordon Brown’s words, to “reinvigorate democracy”.
government is really good at empowering local people to take more ownership and control and they’re not threatened by it…” Hazel Blears
Dear Hazel Blears
Are you having a laugh ? We said, `Are you having a laugh?’ With attitude and love The Salford Star xxx
Dear Gordon Brown Power To The People? In yer dreams ! Are you having a laugh ? We said, `Are you having a laugh?’ With attitude and love The Salford Star xxx
www.salfordstar.com 27
HYPOCRITES ?
“Our challenge must be to create ways in which those outside of the committee room can have their voices heard” from the Salford City Council guided Salford Agreement
And What Did Members of the Community Committees Think ? “It’s disappointing that the community committees didn’t have the opportunity to discuss this and make their own decision.”
Councillor Janice Heywood, Chair, Claremont and Weaste Community Committee Budget Sub Group “We didn’t know that this application had been withdrawn by the Council…I’m very concerned that an application to the Budget Sub Group was pulled without anyone being told why until six weeks later – it’s tinkering with democracy.”
John Matthews, Chair, Eccles Community Committee Budget Sub Group “I thought it was for the community to decide on where the funding goes, not the Council. It seems to be that if your face fits and the organisation is friendly to the Council there’s no problem getting funding. They shouldn’t discriminate against groups.”
Deborah Prince, East Salford Community Committee “I find it strange that the Salford Star was set up with funding from community committee, and now we are told they don’t fit the criteria for funding. What’s changed ? They serve the community. They highlight day to day issues, they are the voice of the City and let’s be honest, the community love the magazine, we can’t wait for the next edition. We hear about the community having a say as to how funding is spent, so put this out to the community and let them decide if they fit the criteria or not.”
Councillor Mary Ferrer, Claremont and Weaste Community Committee
EXTRACT FROM HAZEL BLEARS’ SPEECH... “Giving people direct and transparent choice about how funds are allocated in their local area not only makes sure their priorities are being met. It’s a way of making them feel more able to say `this is my street, my estate, and I’m proud of it.’ Devolution right to the doorstep.”
EXTRACT FROM SALFORD STAR APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY KITTY FUNDING… “Salford Council is currently getting saluted on a national level for devolving its budgets to the local community…We believe that Salfordians should have a choice whether they want to support the city’s only independent community magazine…”
SALFORD CITY COUNCIL’S RESPONSE… “…the Council…must satisfy itself that those monies are spent to further its aims…” “…We have not found the Salford Star to meet the criteria…”
SALFORD STAR RESPONSE… “Our assertion is that this is a political decision taken by the ruling Labour group which doesn’t like to hear democratic criticism from some of the most vulnerable people living in Salford’s community…and, indeed, is trying to silence these people…”
SALFORD CITY COUNCIL RESPONSE… On this point, there wasn’t one…
HAZEL’S RESPONSE ? Er, she won’t talk to us, so here’s a nice photo instead which we think sums it up…
“community media…provides a voice for many people who are disengaged and excluded from traditional media…thereby increasing …community involvement in the democratic process…” Salford MP Ian Stewart in a House of Commons speech last April
28 www.salfordstar.com
HOW SALFORD CITY COUNCIL STOPPED THE COMMUNITY FROM FUNDING THE SALFORD STAR… After a six week wait following Salford City Council pulling our application for funding to community committees, a letter arrives from Anne Williams, Strategic Director for Community, Health and Social Care…
with attitude and love xxx
I
Issue 2 Aug / Sept 2006
FREE
t says that the Council has agreed new guidance “in relation to the spending of devolved budgets on publications” (ie the Salford Star) and that “the Council has decided that, in the case of publications [ie the Salford Star], staff from this Directorate will consider applications to determine that the criteria are met before referring the matter to Community Committees…We have not found the Salford Star to meet the criteria of taking a balanced approach and there are also instances of language which could be considered to be offensive…” We’d like to answer these allegations right here, right now and open up the debate to the whole of Salford… Balancing Balls
THE FIGHT FOR SALFORD’S FUTURE STEVE FOSTER JOHN COOPER CLARKE the most potent
people’s poet on the plane t.
URBAN CASH down turning lives upside
In relation to the Salford Star not taking a `balanced approach’ we make no apology that the magazine has a bias towards the community – to give people a voice who wouldn’t normally have one, and to hold public bodies up to account. Hello, it’s a community magazine…not a ‘let’s all suck up to the Council because we’ve got big salaries resting on it’ magazine.
Sizzling soaraway day-by-day guide to summer in the city !
However, within that agenda we do try to get a response from the Council, or any other organisation we’re covering. And the Council does respond when it feels like it (see panel). Indeed, after he nearly burst with indignation following the first issue, we let John Merry, Leader of Salford Council, have virtually a full page to respond. He’s also quoted way too often in the actual features. And in the winter edition, Countryside Properties and the Council got a two page spread to answer criticisms from residents in Lower Broughton. Altogether the Council alone has had 3375 words of response in the issues to date plus we’ve helped to promote loads of its events. That’s a lot of space that costs us thousands of pounds in extra pages from our precious, puny resources. And how many words has the community had to put `different points of view’ in council sponsored/funded mags like LIFE, New Deal, Making It Better, and the very lavish Central Salford magazine ? Exactly. That’s why the Salford Star was born. We wrote back to Anne Williams… `The Salford Star has gained national recognition for its investigative journalism - the publication was longlisted for the Private Eye/Guardian sponsored Paul Foot Award - the most prestigious journalism award in the country, if not Europe. The publication is also a Millennium Award Winner, one of only 20 in the whole North of England. Do you think that these top awards are given out to publications which are not rigorous in their journalistic ethics ? The Star also has the backing of the National Union of Journalists - does the Council believe it is judge and jury on what constitutes a `balanced approach’ above these esteemed organisations ?’ She didn’t respond to that point…
Balanced ? A few recent questions to the Council that it didn’t feel like answering… On housing… * We’re hearing terrible stories of people who did Homeswaps, and who have balancing charges from the Council on their houses, not being able to remortgage their properties and release some equity because the Council has first shout on the house. Can we have a comment on this please from someone... No response * If someone has a shared equity deal with the Council on a house does this apply too - so that they can never remortgage ? Has the council got anything in place to ensure this doesn’t happen?... No response
On Disability…
* In relation to the newly refurbished shops on Langworthy Road, are there any plans to provide disabled access? Is Salford Council aware of current disabled access legislation?...No response
On Kersal Heights Trees… * Is the Council aware that great big diggers are currently trashing trees on the Kersal Heights housing site ? So much for not doing any `ecological work’ during nesting season - we have photos and everything… Response… “Issues around removing trees during wildlife’s nesting/breeding seasons are not included in the planning agreement, they are governed by the Countryside and Wildlife Act.” Er, yes they are – it says in the planning agreement “Ecological works should avoid the bird breeding season (March - July inclusive)”…Can we have a comment ?...No response
www.salfordstar.com
29
The `Dickhead’ Files O
ffensive language ? We asked Anne Williams, Strategic Director for Community, Health and Social Care, to clarify what she was on about…Here’s her reply… “The image of a swastika in a magazine circulated in an area with a large Jewish community was likely to cause offence, as was the use of the term `dickheads’…”
DID YOU FIND OUR USE OF THE TERM `DICKHEADS’ IN RELATION TO SALFORD CITY COUNCIL OFFENSIVE ? “I don’t think it’s offensive and I think it’s right what the Salford Star was trying to say about the Council. I agree, they are dickheads”
Sarah McCulloch – on the Precinct
Oh how we laughed. For a start, we didn’t draw the swastika, we photographed it. The sign was painted on a tinned up terraced house in Higher Broughton, acquired by the Council. Three things here…firstly, one might well assume that the swastika was a comment on the Council’s policies up there; secondly, we never received one complaint from anyone, never mind the Jewish community, and thirdly, the photo in the mag was actually chosen and captioned by a Jewish person – and it’s pretty hard to offend yourself...Which leads us on to the `dickheads’, here, most definitely aimed at the Council (take us to court and prove you’re not!)… The term was used in the context of an absolutely damning verdict on the Council’s regeneration of Higher Broughton by the independent Audit Commission. We printed the Commission’s bureaucratic gobbledegook with a handy, satirical translation for the person in the street – it’s called making politics and information accessible and fun to read. We think the Council was just angry that the Report got out and Salford people had a chance to see it. Perhaps, instead of attacking the messenger the Council should try and sort it out. What was it ? £13 million of public money and “Residents of the Top Streets feel that the area is getting worse.”…Dic…Nah, we won’t use that word again…What’s better? Dipsticks’ ? D**ckheads ? Richard Tops ? Please let us know… Anyway, we don’t live in yuppy Knightsbridge (yet), this is Salford, and we reckoned people wouldn’t be offended by the term. We’ve also taken Hazel Blears’ advice that “There’s more common sense on the average street or estate than in all of the think tanks and seminars put together…”… so we went out on the streets and estates to see what people thought (see panel)...
“I don’t find it offensive really…I think they’re knobheads, personally, t*ssers who don’t do anything…”
Phillip McKessy – on the Precinct
“I’d call them worse than that… they’re just lazy b**tards, simple as that really. They don’t know what they’re doing, just getting paid for sitting on their a***es all day”
Paul Jacobs – on Langworthy Rd
“I think it’s totally true because they are…I’d call them very similar to that but it begins with SH and has got a T on the end and then `heads’, because I think that the way they are treating people regarding this regeneration is absolutely atrocious…”
Ms Hunt – on Mocha Parade
But we don’t believe that this is about swastikas and dickheads – this is about democracy, freedom of the press and the use of public money to support that. It’s also about a city council trying to manipulate and control the flow of information and opinions. The Council talks about creating ”ways in which those outside of the committee room can have their voices heard” but when those voices are damning, it’s a different story. Every day we get swamped with hype from developers, governments, councils and commercial companies with their huge advertising and PR budgets. Last year, for instance, the Council spent £1,853,000 of local taxpayer’s money on `marketing, promotion and advertising’, an increase of over £200,000 on the previous year. All we wanted was a few crumbs of the money we pay in council tax to try and help balance that out a bit. We’ll say it again, the community never even got the chance to discuss it. Hazel – where’s your `power to the people’ now ? We’ll be posting all of the correspondence relating to the funding application on our website www.salfordstar.com
Do you find the use of the word `Dickheads’ in relation to Salford City Council offensive ? Please take part in the poll on our website www.salfordstar.com or write to us and let us know. We’ll publish the results and your comments in the next issue…
Let’s talk about really offensive practices, Anne… Salford Council’s Anne Wiiliams signed the letter saying the Salford Star used language which some people might consider offensive. Last April, Anne gave an interview to Public Finance e-mag where she admitted that councils have been increasing charges and getting some of the most vulnerable and poorest people in society to pay for their care…Anne said:
“Even in very deprived areas we can still take money from people’s disability allowances…” Never mind the Star language, Anne, some might find this council
practice slightly more offensive… 30 ww
SALFO D D SALFO
P
PAVDA AVDA
WHO’S DRIVING THE REGEN BUS ? Part 1. The University of Salford
The lowest regen profile in Salford is kept by our University…yet behind the scenes the palace of IN academia stands to benefit loads as it rapidly expands forever outwards. And the University certainly has its Salford to see which doors people placed in powerful positions. are open, which doors are For instance, its vice chancellor, shut and which doors get Michael Harloe (unelected), is Chairman of the Board of Pathfinder slammed in yer face… (maybe a conflict of interest there ?) which is behind all the demolitions and developer activity going on in the city, and he’s also a big wig at Central Salford URC (Urban Regen Co) which is currently re-designing the city with the aim of promoting “social benefits”.
VELCOME TO STAL FO D
VELCOME TO STALINFO D For democracy to work, everyone agrees that you need open government – because if you don’t know what’s going on, if you can’t get hold of information, then the
powers that be could be doing anything behind closed doors…it’s called transparency and accountability, and without that, trust in elected politicians and those who
handle millions of pounds worth of public money can, kind of, get eroded…
Every week the Lead Member of the Council, John Merry, meets with the Chief Executive, Barbara Spicer, plus various other officers and councillors to discuss the most important stuff that’s going on in
the town hall. For five years the minutes of these meetings plus all the reports have been posted on the Council’s website - and then, in May, after the Salford Star actually dared to print the publicly
available information, puff! they were gone forever. Now, no-one’s allowed to know what the Lead Member’s getting up to in his chambers…
Since 2003 the Manchester and Salford Pathfinder has been instigating virtually all of the re-shaping/ destruction of Central Salford – demolitions, developers, everything. With a mere £221 million of public money to play with since 2003. Yet, to date there has been absolutely no way the
public or press can easily find out who makes those decisions, where the money’s going, who sits on its Board or anything.
that Pathfinder put in place “appropriate arrangements…to be publicly accountable for its decisions”. A website with `research and Board decisions’ was promised by December 2006. It didn’t happen. The Audit Commission told them to sort it out by March 2007. It didn’t happen. After
the Salford Star started making noises in March, it took Pathfinder three months to get back to us and a website was promised for `early July’. Guess what? Still no website… Now it’s promised for early August…Still no website. Don’t hold yer breath.
A sign of a good one party state is how comfortable its politicians are. Here in Salford, where the same party has been in power and virtually unopposed for 30 years, the politicians
are doing rather well for themselves…
and special allowances. And that’s before expenses. This includes £36,339 for Leader John Merry, £23,472 for Deputy Leader, David Lancaster, and £21,927 for the eight Lead
Members – all of whom are getting well above the average household income for Salford.
Salford Council is duty bound to post on its website all the decisions it makes… isn’t it ?
Kersal/Broughton/ Blackfriars Primary School Review (Cabinet) 22.5.07 (ref:7835)
Missing Decision Notices…
Salford Innovation Park/ Manchester Science Park (Econ Dev) 20.3.07 (ref:7657)
So come with us on a unique journey through the corridors of power in
THE LEAD MEMBER CASTRATES HIS MINUTES Tragically, just before he
took his minutes down, the Lead Member endorsed six Principles in Good Governance, two of which were about “transparent decisions” and “making accountability real”.
FIND THE PATHFINDER… It took three years for the Government’s independent watchdog, the Audit Commission to even notice. Then, last December it `recommended’
$POT THE POLITBURU 28 out of Labour’s 42 members will be sharing well over half a million pounds this year in basic
Harloe knows all about the “social benefits” of regeneration – he’s the bloke who continues to defend the (publicly funded) University barring Lower Broughton’s community from using its swimming pool. Of course, the University and Central Salford have both signed up to the city’s new, gleaming Community Engagement Strategy, which aims to “bring about rapid change for the better in the most deprived neighbourhoods and communities in the city”.
WHO’S DRIVING THE REGEN BUS ? Part 2: Central Salford URC
Facilitating an expected £2 billion of investment in the near future, with, according to its business plan, the help of over £8 million from Salford City Council coffers, Central Salford URC is directing the regeneration of the city and is responsible for all the `beautiful, beautiful Salford’ noises coming out Tenants in West Salford May, winning the ultra glam of every glossy leaflet. But what is (housing) 22.5.07 (ref:7836) Local Authority Website of the thing up to behind closed doors? No-one knows because there’s the Year… absolutely no public record of its That’s just a few. And minutes or meetings that we can there’s just not enough space “This success…shows find…even though it too has signed to print all the details of our commitment to up to that Community Engagement missing minutes. But we’d innovative and effective still like to congratulate communication…with those Strategy which also promotes being “transparent about how Salford City Council which who live, work, invest and decisions are taken”…and “making `triumphed’ at the Good visit our city” said Council accountability real”… Communication Awards in Leader, John Merry.
CARRY ON COMMUNICATING ! Traithlon World Cup Event (Leader of the Council) 23.1.07 (ref:7391)
Offer Document to
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31
SALFO D D SALFO
P
PAVDA AVDA
VELCOME TO STALINFO D
VELCOME TO STALINFO D
NO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION part 1: Section 12 We thought, in the interests of an open society, we’d find out what Salford City Council has been saying about us in secret, so we stuck in a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get all correspondence relating to Salford Star and Mary Burns. A month later, we got a letter from the Chief Executive’s Directorate saying that Salford City Council does
“hold information” on us but, under Section 12 of the Act the “council is not obliged to comply with your request and will not be processing your request further”. The reason we were given is that to “locate” and “extract” the information would cost the Council more than the Act’s limit of £450 - that is, over two
and a half days work for one person @ £200 per day (who’s fetching the info – Wayne Rooney…being carried by the Queen?). The letter goes on to say that the Council might comply with the request if we name specific officers or councillors who might be holding the info (what, are we psychic now ?). Although even if we do that
“I cannot guarantee that this will be the case”… Freedom of Information? In yer dreams – they just get around the Act by pricing you out…and the Government is about to erode the Act even further just to make sure it’s an official sham.
NO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION part 2: Section 36 and 43 (how many sections has this Act got to stop anyone from getting any information?) Way back in February we thought we’d have a go at getting some truth on the proposed Oasis Academy at the Quays, so we stuck in a Freedom of Info request to the Government, asking for all the e-mails relating to the project. In our dreams ! At first they said it would cost us over £600 to gather
the info (‘cos it would have been more than three and a half day’s work for one person on £25 per hour – giz a job). We asked what we could have for free, and ended up with a pile of useless e-mails to and from people at Salford Council, Oasis and the Government - with loads of stuff blacked out - basically arranging
meetings and wishing each other `Happy Christmas’ – no financial stuff, nothing of interest to anyone…
Info Act because it would “prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs… and commercial interests”.
It came with a note adding that the Secretary of State, no less, had said that we couldn’t have “some information” (ie the juicy bits) under Section 36 and 43 of the Freedom of
In other words, `If you think we’re going to let a snotty-nosed little mag in Salford have our secrets, think again’…
NO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION part 3: Environmental Information Regulations (you what ?) Under the Freedom of Information Act we asked to see all the agreements and contracts between Urban Splash and the Council relating to the Chimney Pot Park housing development. We also
asked to see all e-mails between officers and councillors about the Urban Splash development, so that we could pass this on to the good citizens of Salford. Yeah right…
They had 20 days to deliver it but `due to the complexity and volume of your request’ and because our request falls under the Environmental Information Regulations they’ve given themselves another four
weeks. What’s the betting that the reply comes back as `What, you want us to tell you how we managed to chuck £15million of public money at Urban Splash ? Well, under Section 98.fu you can just go sing’ ?
NO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION part 4: Section 36 and 43 again... We asked under the Freedom of Information Act for information relating to something very odd, where the Council provided
`short term finance…up to the sum of £359,000’ connected with the Higher Broughton Development. Fishy ? Dunno. Under
Section 36 and 43 of the Act a three page letter came in explaining that, although ‘there is a public interest in ensuring that the public is
aware of how much money is being spent’...you can get stuffed...
PROPOGANDA In the financial year 2006/7 Salford
City Council spent £1,853,000 on `marketing, promotion and advertising’, an increase of over £200,000 on the previous year. Yep, all those glossy leaflets telling us how great life is IN Salford don’t come cheap…
Done Deals and Consultations… Everyone in Salford has long suspected that community consultations are more about box ticking than actually listening to anyone – is this the proof ? The excellent Charlestown and North Grecian Street primary schools were singled out for closure earlier this year, to merge into a new school in Lower Broughton, and for the Charlestown Primary land to make way for a new playing field for Albion High. Public consultations were held in March where parents expressed their concerns and handed in petitions. Yet the finance for the new playing field had already been allocated in February, according to a report by the Council’s Head of Finance. Was it a done deal ? Meanwhile, in a report by the Lead Member for Children’s Services to the Cabinet the following May, the parents’ concerns were addressed before the official decision to shut the schools was approved. One of the main concerns was that “the motivation for closure is to provide the full complement of playing fields required for the Albion High School and provide a selling point for the new houses in Lower Broughton”. All the other points raised by the parents about class sizes, travel and care were addressed…apart from this, oddly enough.
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YOU WA NNA HEA R VOIC ES ?
H ER E T H EY A R E ! The new Salford Agree ment, guided by the City Counc il and endorsed by its partners including the Unive rsity, Central Salford URC, Prima ry Care Trust, and the Community Comm ittees, has community empowermen t as one of its core princi ples. It says…
“Ou r cha llen ge must be to create ways in whi ch tho se outside of the com mittee roo m can have their voic es hea rd…” …so we thought we’d help.
rs…h ead ne sio en …p rs to oc …d ds ki ol ho sc t go e W te ache rs…mums, dads an d gran nies… May we present to you some
VOICES FROM SALFORD…
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WE WERE BULLIED INTO SILENCE ! THEY IGNORED US !
Salford Council is currently trying to close the oversubscribed, brilliantly performing St George’s High School in Walkden. Here, Deputy Head, Peter Fisher, describes how they tried to silence staff opposition, while ex-pupil, Adam Fletcher, re-lives the shock of hearing the Council’s Chief Planning Officer admit that he hadn’t been listening to anything being said at an official consultation on the closure…
A
s part of the Ofsted process, schools have to complete an on-line Self Evaluation Form (SEF) which informs the judgements of Ofsted inspectors. Added to this St. George’s RC High School in Walkden has been told that it will receive no funding from the £160M Building Schools for the Future windfall received by Salford City Council from central government. To kill two birds with one stone our headteacher, Philip Harte, asked his part time support staff - invaluable professionals such as teachers of the visually impaired and hearing impaired experts (all Salford City Council employees) - to provide the school with a statement. A statement which would aid the writing of the SEF and help this oversubscribed, popular and successful school gain access to the funding the council was denying it. John Stephens, Deputy Director of Children’s Services, discovered this and warned staff by email that they must remain silent; the decision to close the school had nothing to do with performance (so why close it John?); that comments from council staff were ‘unnecessary’. To make such a statement was contrary to civil service rules – even though council employees are not civil servants. Mr Harte said that he thought the restriction was draconian and a limit on workers’ freedom of expression…”We were told it was not appropriate for employees to comment in their professional capacity on any decision made by the authority. However we were simply asking for statements on how the school performs and the work it does.” “For people to be banned from giving their professional opinion is a restriction on their freedom of speech” he added “They are being bullied into silence.” Peter Fisher
I left St George’s last year and really
enjoyed my time there, so when I heard there was to be an official consultation on its closure at Salford College, me and lots of other people from my year went down to try and do something about it. When we got there they sat us in this room with a member of the consultation team and the Chief Planning Officer for Salford. I knew that Harrop Fold school nearby was getting re-built on a different site and asked the planning officer if the Council could build a new school there for St George’s. I looked at him for an answer and then he said to me “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that”, so I said it again and the second time he said “I’m sorry I didn’t know where you were going with that – I wasn’t listening properly”. I said to him `So you mean I’ve come all this way for this consultation, I’ve travelled from the other side of Manchester, and you haven’t listened to a word I’ve been saying ?’ He said “I didn’t say that”, so I asked him to repeat what I said. He went “Sorry I didn’t catch it all”. And the other man who was with him explained it to him. And then he said “It’s not viable”. I told him that he’d completely ignored me, and then he just started talking to me almost as if I was a little schoolboy. This is something we all felt really passionate about and we were all really annoyed.
After that, they let us into the main meeting where the education officer was talking. The planning officer came in and I raised the same point again. I said `I’ve already raised this point before but he wasn’t listening to me’. He turned around again and said “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that”, so he was completely ignoring me again. It felt almost like they’d already made the decision and weren’t really interested in listening to us. When the consultation results came through 80% of people disagreed with the decision in our area yet the Council don’t seem to be taking on board local people’s views on the closure. In a way this campaign against the closure has empowered young people because we’ve formed the St George’s Action Group and we’ve been e-mailing national politicians and councillors. Lots of councillors wrote back and some said that even though they didn’t agree with us it was good to see young people getting involved in what’s happening in their local area. All except councillor Warmisham, who’s the head of children’s services in Salford. He replied `You obviously don’t understand the facts’. That’s all we got off him. And he’s supposed to be encouraging young people to put forward their views. Very strange…. Adam Fletcher
34 www.salfordstar.com
THEY BREACHED MY HUMAN RIGHTS !
Guy Griffiths was involved in a campaign to try and save his house from demolition and dared to try and use a publicly funded photocopier to produce a leaflet critical of `the Leader’… Apparently, the Leader had “a discussion” with the Neighbourhood As part of the campaign to try and save my house from demolition – and myself from being evicted - I went up to Broughton Resource Centre to photocopy a leaflet critical of Salford City Council, and, in particular Council Leader, John Merry. The staff refused to allow me to use the photocopier to do it. I complained that this breached my Human Rights. A subsequent review by the Audit and Risk Management Unit (ARMU) agreed.
The review stated that my Human Rights had been breached on the following grounds – Firstly, that they didn’t have a sign above the photocopier saying `Nothing critical of the Leader can be photocopied’. Secondly, nobody else has their photocopying material checked, only me. And thirdly, that they wrongly banned me from reproducing material because they thought it might be offensive to the Leader.
Manager telling him that he found previous material I’d produced to be “offensive” and “libellous” - and it was on that basis that they refused to allow me to use the photocopier to reproduce anything “relating to the Leader”. Yet the review by ARMU showed that the Manager hadn’t actually seen anything I’d produced previously about the Leader, nor had he even seen the stuff I was trying photocopy at the time. He just made the decision on the basis that I would offend the “feelings” of the Leader… After the review I got a letter stating that my Human Rights had been breached under Article 14, and an apology “on behalf of the Directorate”…
THEY IGNORED OUR COMPLAINTS ! W
hen you make an official complaint to Salford Council they promise to acknowledge it within five days and to let you have the result of a senior officer’s investigation within 20 days. Nearly a year ago, many parents of children at Oakland’s Nursery in Kersal made official complaints about its closure. No-one got a reply. Some Oaklands’ mums tried to trace the trail … Last October Postman Pat delivered lots of official Salford Council complaint forms to the Town Hall, along with hundreds of signatures petitioning against the closure of Oaklands Nursery. Even though the complaints were supposed to be acknowledged within five days nobody heard anything ever again. We tried to find out what happened to them and e-mailed the Council…”would you be kind enough to advise whom these complaints were forwarded on to, as not a single one has been acknowledged or answered to date…” The Council rep replied that they “were passed to a committee clerk in keeping with procedures and I will find out how it is being dealt with from there, and will come back to you as soon as I can…” Two weeks later, nothing…So we wrote back “Is it likely the forms have been destroyed ?” The Council replied “please be assured the petition is still intact and the views of the parents have been taken fully into account…the letters have all been responded to…I hope that makes sense…” Well, no, not really. The letters were different from the official complaint forms which still haven’t been acknowledged or responded to. And the Council still haven’t told us what happened to them. Some of us spent a lot of time and heartache filling out those forms, believing that the Council took complaints seriously - it was our kids’ future that was at stake. We also believed that the Council would be accountable to the people who pay to keep it going. But none of this seemed to have made the blindest bit of difference. We say to the Council `If you haven’t torn our complaint forms up – first of all, show them to us…and then, respond’…
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They’re Closing A unique nursery, based at The Cornerstone, and set up with Salford’s regeneration money, is in danger of closing any day through lack of funding…
Right at the heart
of the £88 million regeneration of Langworthy and Seedley, and across the road from the Urban Splash Chimney Pot Park housing scheme which has just had another £5.5 million thrown at it, parents have been protesting about the imminent closure of the SAYF (St Ambrose Young Families) Project which is fast running out of money. SAYF is one of the few successes for the existing community that has come out of the regeneration millions, with its state of the art facilities based at the six year old Cornerstone building. It responds to the needs of young families in the area, going way beyond mere childcare and into training courses, holiday breaks, trips, volunteering opportunities and parenting guidance. Most of all SAYF is a space where isolated mums, dads and grandparents can bring their under fives and meet other carers. “I’ve been coming for six months and it’s a godsend for me” says Diane Barton, mother of 19 month old Joachim Adeoti “It gives me a whole lot of relief because he’s dead active. I can come here, just sit down and talk to other mothers while he plays, socialises and learns lots of things. I’m gutted, really disappointed because there’s no other place like this is in Salford. I really don’t know what I’ll do if they shut it, probably just end up staying in.” SAYF was funded by an £80,000 lottery grant and £25,000 from Sure Start, with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) paying half the rent. That has now all been withdrawn, and, even though the Cornerstone has halved the rent to cover the loss from the PCT, the project is in dire danger of folding.
Sure Start ran two consultation play days with a budget of £20,000, alongside a marketing budget of £15,000. Tots were coming home from local nurseries with things like branded key rings, pencils and plastic bags. Meanwhile, SAYF continues to struggle and campaign. Earlier this year parents had a picnic picket of the Town Hall which led to the Council’s lead member for Children’s Services, John Warmisham, to having a meeting with parents about SAYF’s future. Unfortunately councillor Warmisham wouldn’t speak to the Salford Star while at the project or be photographed with the tots but he did issue a statement through the Council’s press office… “This project has been active in the area for some time, and does a good job. I’m working closely with them to see if there are other sources of funding we can find to help now the Sure Start programme funding has ended. I am hoping Spurgeon’s and Salford Primary Care Trust may be able to help, for example. Hopefully we can help them find a positive outcome.” But parents at SAYF believe that councillor Warmisham’s children’s services should step in with the funds. “It’s great that there’s £88 million coming into the area but it has to be spent where the families want it” says Lee Rowbottom “It’s quite simple really – let’s have £100,000 of your £88 million and we’ll go away…” “The Council should keep it open” says Diane Barton “They can fund Urban Splash but not mothers like me who need it…”
Meanwhile, Sure Start has diverted its resources to the new Larkhill School Children’s Centre which doesn’t provide the same services as SAYF. “The councillors are telling us that what we’re offered here will be replicated over there and I’ve proved that isn’t the case but they’re not listening” says Lee Rowbottom, who has been bringing his two year old son Harry to SAYF for a year, “Larkhill will be a creche where you drop your child off, whereas here it’s not about leaving them which helps the parents as well as the children. The children’s centre offers one session like this a week which I’d probably use but what would I do the other days ? For instance, on Tuesday there’s a breast feeding session and that’s no good to me ! “At the end of the day” he adds “Sure Start has got the funding to run a children’s centre and that children’s centre is not being run for what the vast majority of the families around here want.“ Sure Start has cut it’s grant of £25,000 to SAYF, yet elsewhere in the city its money is flowing. For instance, in Kersal and Charlestown,
Councillor John Warmisham head of Salford Council’s children’s services wouldn’t speak to the Salford Star, or be photographed with the SAYF kids. We asked our 7 year old resident artist to draw him so he could be featured...
36 www.salfordstar.com
Our Nursery !
The SAYF Parents Speak Out… “There are other playgroups in the area but nothing like this. You bring your children and there’s everything that they love to do – there’s an outdoor area and creative activities, and also an informal network of parents sharing tips and hints while their children play lovely together. But no-one wants to fund us.” Louise Ferguson “I bring my granddaughter, Lia, and I know it sounds silly but I feel that I’ve got a life again. You go to places like this and you’re out meeting people and Lea loves it – she’s really come out of her shell. If they shut this where would we go ? Before, we’d just do a bit of shopping and then go home.” Cheryl Spindler “I bring my 11month old daughter, Millie, but I used to bring my other daughter too. They’ve both loved it, it’s brilliant. I really think it’s disgusting that they’re trying to shut it. There’s not many centres like this around and the few that are open they are not willing to fund. It’s really bad. We’re hoping and praying that we’ll stay open.” Lindsy Lagoe “I’ve been bringing my two year old daughter, Shannon, here for a year and it’s really good. Everyone here is dead friendly, it’s a safe place for the children to play together and I only live across the road so it’s ideal. It’s good for the children and the parents as well because we get to meet other parents too. I don’t know what I’ll do if it shuts as she’s too young to leave in a crèche. Everyone’s against the closure.” Stacy Boston
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THEY NEARLY KILLED ME !
For ten years the MacDonalds have lived with the stress of having a home in the Seedley demolition zone, in the shadow of Chimney Pot Park. Then, a few months ago, it all became too much… I
’ve lived on Norway Street in Seedley for 20 years. It’s a nice street with smashing neighbours, we’re very happy here and don’t want to be chucked out. Five years ago the Council told us `Your house won’t be coming down and you’ll be given a back garden’. Then they said they were thinking of knocking it down. And now they’ve finally said it’s definitely coming down. Altogether it’s been going on for over ten years, and it’s the not knowing. They kept saying we’ll find out next month, or the month after that and it never comes. You spend your life worrying, you can’t do any decorating, what can you do to your house ? I’m got so annoyed and stressed with it all that I think it caused the stroke I had in April. We don’t know where we’re going to go, we’re in our 60s now and we don’t need all this inconvenience. I believe there’s been £88 million gone into this area but there’s been no benefits to us. How has it helped people like us, in our street ? It hasn’t. There’s been a consultation that cost a lot of money
and it achieved nothing – absolutely nothing. We’d go to lots of meetings and, at the end, know as much as before we went in. They said that `We will consult with everyone whose house is coming down and we will listen – if the majority want them to stay up they will stay up’ - that is a load of nonsense. Whatever they want to do they will do. Everybody here wants to stay but it hasn’t made a bit of difference. I don’t believe a word they say any more, they’re just a shower. Our house is habitable, has been for a hundred years, and will be for the next hundred years if it was staying up. At the last meeting my wife went to they said that they want to build on the spare land at the back, and that they didn’t want people from the new buildings looking over at our back yard. So our house is coming down. Yet in the past they built our hopes up, they talked about giving us gardens and off street parking…
Ian and Irene MacDonald
I suggest you ask the Council how they feel about me having a stroke through all this stress...
20 www.salfordstar.com 38 www.salfordstar.com
THEY TRIED TO BLACKEN OUR NAME ! A letter of complaint about the Lower Broughton Regeneration and the move to new houses was sent to the head of housing at Salford City Council, signed by residents whose houses were being demolished. In a written response to a journalist from the Manchester Evening News, councillor Peter Connor, the Council’s lead member for housing, accused the letter writer of pressurising people to sign. Here’s what the people who signed the letter had to say when they found out… The quote from councillor Peter Connor: “We have details of one letter which we understand has been signed by nine residents in addition to the person who wrote it. We have also heard of complaints by local people of the person who wrote the letter, saying that they were being pressured into signing by the person who wrote it…” (Note: good job he’s not head of English at Salford Council – the editor)
“I think councillor Connor has got it all wrong – I don’t think he’s ever been down here – we’ve never seen him at any steering group meetings or anything like that. I even helped draft the letter and the
whole idea that anyone was pressured into signing it is absolutely bonkers. Nobody makes me sign anything I don’t want to sign, believe you me…NOBODY !” Ann Bailey
“No-one’s been pressurised into signing anything – we’re all grown ups and won’t be pressurised into anything we don’t want to do. I signed the letter because I’m not happy at the way we’ve been treated. You go to a meeting to be told one thing, and then you go to another meeting only to be told something else. No-one knows where they’re up to, that’s why everyone signed the letter…” Laura Harrop
“We’ve not been pressured into signing anything. If we don’t “They are actually trying think something’s right to put things in the paper we’ll sign a letter or a that aren’t true. At the end petition. If the majority of of the day we’re all in the the people around here same frame of mind and we are happy they should signed the letter because we come and talk to the wanted to sign it, not because majority of people to see we were pressured into it. whether they’re happy – They’ve put us down since who have they spoken the start of this regeneration, to ? We’re going to a treating us as if we live smaller house, they’ve in slums and aren’t worth changed the move date “I think it’s just an out and out lie are, that we’re all in agreement with bothering with. We’re not three times and we don’t because there was no way that anyone the way the regeneration of Lower in slums, our houses aren’t even know how much was pressured into signing anything. Broughton is being done, how we all that old and we don’t want the council tax will be The only people who signed that letter got behind it on the steering group. I to move anyway, as they’re yet. All the way along were the people who saw it and they was on the steering committee and taking more off us than we’ve it’s been `You’re going signed it voluntarily, some even helped we’re not happy. And they keep already got. We even had to and that’s the end of it’. compose it. It’s terrible – they can patronising me – telling me that with organise a petition to get a It’s like you haven’t got a have their say but we can’t have ours. my new house I’m getting a tree, a cupboard put up in the kitchen say in the matter.” rotary washing line and a water butt, of the new homes…” Ivy Lawler “What really annoys us as well is and that I should be grateful !” Ann Law www.salfordstar.com 21 www.salfordstar.com 29 that we keep reading how happy we Val Broadbent
THEY TRIED TO D Internationally recognised expert, Dr Rhetta Moran, was doing research in some of the poorest areas in Salford – and discovering stuff which, perhaps, didn’t fit in with the city’s new wannabe yuppy image. They couldn’t control it, so squashed the research, sacked her, tried to bribe and gag her, and then came after her for the costs… I
just couldn’t believe what was happening…they sacked me, tried to gag me and attacked a fledgling charity that was working with some of the poorest people in the community. I was shocked as I gradually discovered the nature of the deceit and collusion between three very large and powerful Salford based institutions – the University, Salford Council and Salford Primary Care Trust (PCT). But we challenged them, and are still challenging them. And they haven’t broken us. When something is wrong, it’s wrong. I worked on a publicly funded (SRB5) RAPAR project, based at Pendleton House, opposite Salford Precinct, which was doing research with asylum seekers and local people to create accurate information about housing, health, employment, economic, personal safety and education problems in their communities. What we found was that asylum seekers
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DESTROY ME… had been dumped here without any resources, and that led to a lot of bitterness from local people who had been making their own demands on the Council for things like decent public housing. There were tensions in the community and, I believe, the picture which emerged – that of a violent and degraded place - was very different to what the establishment wanted the new branded image of Salford to be. In April 2004, a month after an article highlighting our work appeared in the Observer newspaper, Salford PCT, with the backing of Salford Council, pushed RAPAR out of the project and took it over. On the same day the PCT Chief Executive, Mike Burrows, wrote to my boss, Professor Michael Harloe at the University of Salford, and told him I was being removed from my leadership of the research. RAPAR immediately objected to the takeover but the PCT threatened the people employed on the project with immediate suspension for gross misconduct if they had anything to do with RAPAR from that time onwards. This was even though four of them were members of the RAPAR charity in their own right, dating back to before the project had even begun. In May 2004, as RAPAR continued to try and get the Council’s actions reversed, I, a researcher at Salford University for the previous six years, got a letter from the University’s senior manager, John Dobson, saying that my research was no longer “compatible” and that I had to leave because my contract would not be renewed. I was finally sacked in January 2005, the day before the Deputy Prime Minister announced the opening of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, in which my former boss Vice Chancellor, Michael Harloe has major involvement. Two months after they sacked me, the University tried to get my trade union to make me agree to take £20,000, and to sign a confidentiality and gagging clause. I refused. And was appalled when, as a result, the leadership of my union, the AUT, abandoned me. Since that time, through a combination of disclosures via the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act, we’ve discovered more of the truth about what happened and want to get it out into the open. I think that what Salford City Council and Salford PCT did to a charity that was working with the poorest and least powerful people in the area was ruthless, dishonest and antidemocratic. Firstly, when RAPAR was pushed out of the project, Salford Council completely ignored its own contract with the charity, signed in October 2002. Secondly, officers of Salford Council and NWDA (North West Development Agency) presented reports to the Council and the SRB5 Exec asking that they endorse the takeover, two months after it had happened. The officers kept perpetuating the myth that RAPAR was not a constituted body. And when NWDA, on behalf of the Government, was asked to investigate what the Council and PCT had done to the project, the job was handed to the very officer who had misled on RAPAR’s legal status. During that investigation, not one of RAPAR’s volunteers or workers were asked for their views on what happened or why. I now have hand written memos, papers, reports and faxes between people from all these organisations that portray a horrifying story of contempt for my integrity and reputation as a researcher – they
said I was intimidating people in the NDC area, promoting myself in the media, going beyond the remit of the research…the PCT disclosed that its Chair, Eileen Fairhurst, wrote to my boss at the University claiming that my behaviour had led the PCT to decide to take out an injunction against me…that never happened. There have been three official complaints to Salford City Council about what was done to the RAPAR project. None were resolved. The PCT has become heavily implicated in the breach of contract, and the Audit Commission has been asked to investigate how the Salford RAPAR SRB5 money was spent from the point at which it was taken over by the PCT until it was shut down in March 2005. So far nothing appears to have happened. I took the University to a tribunal claiming unfair dismissal and sex discrimination, defending myself against a team of solicitors and a barrister. The judge described it as a case of `David and Goliath’, and I lost. Then they came after me for costs of £10,000 which the judge refused.
“I’ve also terrified when I realised that what was happening could break me completely” Throughout all of this I have experienced utter exhaustion and frustration with the `dead hand of bureaucracy’ when trying to complain to Salford City Council, the Government and the Audit Commission, or to get a fair hearing at the employment tribunal… none of these bodies seem interested in listening or acting upon the truth, and only interested in playing their elite games that reinforce their own existence. I’ve also been terrified when I realised that what was happening could break me completely…I got so stressed that I received counselling for almost a year. I became increasing worried about how I was going to support my family – would I be blacklisted for resisting what was happening to me and trying to expose it? I reached a point where I realised that I had to start running, literally, because when I ran I knew that I wouldn’t have to talk to a soul, I could be in the open air and I would help myself to stay strong. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster where I’ve felt lost and sad when some people I thought were friends and colleagues didn’t want to be associated with me any more, but then buoyed up and moved to tears by other friends, family, colleagues and strangers who believed in me and shared their strength. The initial terror and shock has been replaced gradually by a deep anger and determination to expose what they were trying to do to me and to RAPAR, every inch of the way. The most important thing about the project was that it created places where working class people from very different places could find out about each other, share experiences, think and act to solve the problems and make everyone’s lives better. We want it back. Salford needs it back. And we are back.
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WE THINK THEY TRIED TO SW From Swinton to Eccles, to Little Hulton to Irlam, council house tenants have been voting on the transfer of their homes to City West Housing Trust. But was it a fair vote ?
Here, council tenant Neil Hill gives his view on Salford City Council’s conduct in the run up to the privatisation poll… O
ver the past couple of months I have been writing to Salford City Council and the Audit Commission to try and have the ballot on the transfer of council houses stopped until we had either an independent public enquiry or absolutely impartial legal advice to help the council tenants of Salford come to the correct decision as to what happens to their homes. I believe that there has been unlawful conduct by Salford City Council and the unlawful use of public money to achieve their objective of transferring the council stock to City West Housing Trust. The whole publicity leading up to the ballot was one sided, biased and failed to put forward at any stage any benefits of tenants remaining with the Council as their landlord. People have been persuaded that an abundance of cash will be spent on their homes if they vote in favour of the transfer, while it was made blatantly obvious to tenants that these funds will not be available to them if they did not vote in favour. I believe that this type of behaviour by Salford City Council is, in effect, intimidating and frightening people into signing over their homes. In my opinion, it is a breach of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. Paragraph 19 says that “legitimate concern is, however, caused by the use of public resources for some forms of campaigns which are designed to have a persuasive effect.” I think that Salford City Council has used public funds to promote and persuade vulnerable people to sign over their homes in the near future to City West Housing Trust. I was horrified by the contents of the new tenancy agreement that people are being asked to sign without the benefit of absolutely independent legal advice. Once tenants have signed this document it becomes legally binding. They are signing away their rights for the future. I went to one public meeting a couple of years ago at Irlam Youth Club where our `independent advisors’, TPAS, admitted that Salford Council was paying their wages, that TPAS ultimately reported back to the Council and that they were directed by Council guidelines. They were hardly independent. I do not accept their advice which gives such a positive view of the situation. Salford City Council will have had guidance and legal advice that has been funded by the taxpayer and would have been biased in favour of its aims. Why have we, as tenants, not been afforded an `Equality of Arms’ and been allowed legal advice on the merits or pitfalls of the proposed transfer of `our’ housing stock ? I’m only a medically retired tanker driver but if I can highlight these worrying points what would a legally trained barrister find ? I am of the opinion that this is such a major change in terms and conditions to our tenancy agreement that I would be an idiot to sign such a document without obtaining legal advice. The proposed tenancy agreement is vastly different to the one I signed with Salford Council many years ago and I am very fearful of the changes, especially the references to possible `charges for future services that are at the moment free’. The project leader for West Salford did write back to me responding to my complaints, arguing that the Council is “confident that all our materials and consultation adhere to this Code”. So why, following my complaints, and after months of one sided publicity, did they suddenly rush out a leaflet setting out the truth on what would happen if tenants voted No ? It needs looking into… Neil Hill
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WAY THE BALLOT ! Tony Ormonde, a council tenant and member of Defend Council Housing, discovers a sudden change in message from Salford City Council – after the ballot on the transfer of homes had begun… F
or two years Salford Council have been putting out and pushing a one sided case for the privatisation of its council houses. When we’ve talked to the options teams they’ve always said `There is no alternative, there’s no money…If you vote `No’ you’ll stay as you are with crap housing, lousy kitchens, lousy bathrooms, no development, nothing’…That’s the way they’ve put it across. It was only three or four days after the ballot had actually started that a large leaflet appeared, probably because the Council came under pressure for putting such a one sided case, showing that there is money available. It said that if tenants vote `No’ to the transfer of their houses to City West Housing Trust there will still be £105 million invested in improvements to their homes over the first five years. It’s less money than available under the transfer but it was not made clear before. This leaflet says that there is money available if we stay council tenants and that we can still have our secured tenancy. They did not consult tenants with this 50/50 information until after the ballot had started. So all these people will be thinking `If there’s no money for housing how am I going to get my kitchen sorted out ? So I’ll vote `Yes’.’ Had this information been given the same prominence before the ballot took place I think the `Yes’ vote would have collapsed and that the offer of £105 million over the first five years would have been enough for tenants to say `We’ll stick with the Council and see how it goes in five years time’. In Salford the ballot for transfer is also including those who have already opted for privatisation by virtue of the fact that they’ve already bought their homes under the Right To Buy scheme. This simply isn’t fair. They are not council tenants, yet they’re getting a vote. If the council houses are privatised it will make a lot of difference. At the moment we have secured tenancy and before the Council can change that they have to go to Parliament and make a law. Assured tenancies are agreements between the tenants and the company – but if that they want to change the tenancy agreement they can give just four weeks notice. That’s all. And if you don’t like it where can you go ? Nowhere. The promises on rent rises, we’ve discovered, will last for five years and will be controlled by government legislation, then it will pass straight to the company to do what they want. But in the meantime - and it has been said by the tenants’ advisors, TPAS - there could be new service charges introduced. That’s how the company gets around the rent restrictions, by putting new charges in - security charges, bin charges you name it…Similar companies have been doing it all over the country. Some areas have reported that rents have stayed within the government guidelines but service charges have gone up by anything up to £20 a week. The Sunderland experience is the most extreme example. Also, we will only have consultation on those charges, we will not have the right to vote. They can say `If you don’t like it, tough, we’re going to do it anyway’… The bottom line is that we have been told for two years that `There is no money, that there is no alternative so you must vote to privatise’. Only after the ballot started did they make it crystal clear that there is money available. Council housing is here for a reason – it’s for those who cannot afford to buy, to give them a decent, comfortable and secure home according to their needs. The Council now wants to dump council houses. And that’s all there is to it.
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I THI NK THEY LIED TO PEOPLE… Cliff Barcroft is just one of a number of people looking to take Salford City Council to court over the Langworthy demolition areas that never were…
Joe Clemans owned his house at number 6 Cooperative Street in
Langworthy and he didn’t want to leave it. Salford Council said that the house was being pulled down and Joe said `Why ? What’s wrong with it ?’ They just said `It’s coming down’, so he had no option but to sign it over to them. But the house is still up and there’s someone still living in it. So, in my mind, they lied to him. There was no way Joe would have left that house if he’d known it was staying up. What makes it worse is that at the time both Joe and his wife were under the hospital, and before he left the house his wife died, and two years after he’d left, Joe died under all that pressure, all that stress. Joe and I grew up together, and now I’m trying to get him justice. I’m doing it on behalf of his son, Mark, who works away a lot, has got a young family and hasn’t got the time to go to meetings and chase everything up. Had Joe been allowed to stay in that house and died in that house it would have been passed over to Mark, and had Mark wanted to move he would have got a considerable sum. But that inheritance has now been lost. Joe got £11,000 for the house in 2001. They are now worth up to £90,000. Joe’s sister, Kath, lived at number 4 Cooperative Street, and she’s going through the Ombudsman to try and get justice. Kath tried to see Hazel Blears about it but she refused as she now lives in Manchester, which is ridiculous because this case is all about why she had to move out of Salford. Mark and I have been through all the official channels – we’ve had meetings with Hazel Blears and councillor Warmisham, and have had a letter from Council leader, John Merry, but we’re not satisfied. They say that at the time the houses were due to be demolished but they had a change of heart and did them up instead. But if they knew that the houses were staying up, why didn’t they get in touch with Joe or his heirs and ask if they wanted to move back in ? They didn’t do it. We want to get justice but what chance have we got ? They’ll get all their lawyers and barristers paid for by public money and we can’t compete with that. So it should be settled by the European Court – because we’re not getting justice, we’re not getting our human rights. And I believe that Salford City Council has lied to us.
Former Owners of Langworthy Homes May Be Entitled to Compensation… A guide issued by the Government on Compensation states that “In certain circumstances there is limited opportunity to make a claim for additional compensation after your land has been acquired”. Within ten years from the valuation date “you are entitled to the difference between the amount you actually received and the amount you would have received” where “planning permission is granted for additional development on the land”. `Additional development’ is defined as “any development of the land other than for the purposes of the functions for which the authority acquired the land”. If any former owners of houses in Cooperative Street or the streets that now make up the Urban Splash development would like to be put in touch with a group that is looking to take Salford City Council to court over the matter please contact Kate: phone 07709 149142 or e-mail kefurnell@hotmail.co.uk or get in touch with the Salford Star and we’ll pass on your details info@ salfordstar.com 07957 982960
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THEY’RE TRYING TO KNOCK DOWN MY HOME !
She’s lived in Athole Street, Langworthy since her house was first built nearly 37 years ago. Yet now, with people voting on the future of Pendleton, Marjorie Rushton, has no choice for the future. Her house is scheduled to be bulldozed on all three options of the ballot…
My husband and I bought our first little terraced house over the other
side of Broad Street. It was only a two up two down but my three kids went to school from there and it suited us, he built it up grand – and then they came and compulsory purchased it for a motorway through to Agecroft…there never was a motorway built. It was our palace but they gave us a pittance for it. Then we came here with all the kids and a great big pram and all the toys…The kids are all married now, I’m a 74 year old widow...and they’re coming for my house again… That’s all the talk is around here `When do you think they’re going to be pulled down ?’ And I know that I speak for the majority of people when I say that no-one wants to move. But the area is down for demolition on all three options of the Pendleton Action Plan so what choice have we got ? They want to put a high school or a campus on here with houses and apartments but no-one’s ever asked me about anything. So much for the consultation. We used to have tenants’ meetings in the Chimney Pot Park Centre, a little club here, but they pulled that down too. We did have a meeting at Lark Hill school recently about the plans…I was on my way home at 3:30pm and kept getting stopped in the street by people asking if I was going to the meeting that night. I knew nothing about it and it wasn’t until I got home that I saw a notice in my letterbox. My next door neighbours would have gone but by the time they got home from work it was too late. A lot of people were very angry because they missed it.
We were in there for two hours with them asking us our likes and dislikes about things that were nothing to do with any of us here – it was about a road they’re going to put through so you can get to the Quays faster, and moving the train station from here to there. I didn’t want to know about that, all I wanted to know was about my bricks and mortar. They just told us what their plans were and that they want this campus up by 2011 and us to be out in 2010. I said `I live on my own, my house is my own, we worked hard for this, me and my fella, and there’s a lot of people out there who feel the same’. Then they just talked a load of twaddle about getting like for like houses and getting well paid for our home. I don’t think that the Pendleton Action Plan is for Salford people – no way. Not for us at all… When they said our houses were unfit a few years ago I went down to the Town Hall and said `If you bring a bulldozer down Athole Street do not come here because this old lady will be sat behind the front door’. Of course we’re going to fight it, there’s about 14 or 16 people on this estate who own their own homes. Looking back on what has happened to me before, I think I will be put out but I’m going to have a fight about it. Everyone dislikes what’s going on and everyone will tell you that this is the forgotten estate. They don’t even clean the streets and pavements around here. Now they want to knock it down…
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PICKING PENDLETON’S POCKETS …BUT WHO’S DIRECTING THE MAKEOVER ?
In a recent burst of tacky toys and tat, there’s been a huge push to get people to pick a future for Pendleton. Residents were urged to vote on three Options – but how much input did the community actually have over those options ? And did they work out that, whatever the vote, there’s a plan to put families back in towerblocks
J
ust over a year ago we were interviewing, Bob Osborne, the most senior housing bloke in Salford, and told him that a lot of people in the city remember the 60s and 70s and, basically, don’t trust the Council or its housing policies… “That’s why we work with them” he said “If you look at the work we’re doing in Pendleton…that’s the way it has to operate these days. I did Pendleton the first time around and I want to get it right this time…” What, so he messed it up the first time ? “No, what I’m saying is that we did the best we could with the money we had at the time” he explained “If you look at north of Churchill Way now, and all those tower blocks with close circuit tv and security, people are very happy in general. We didn’t have enough money to do the south side of Churchill Way so we’re having to go back. That’s what I mean. I don’t mean I screwed up on the north side of Churchill Way, I’m proud of that.” So, the Council just screwed up on south side then…And people have had to live with that, and the problems it created, for a whole generation. Why should Salford people trust the Council to lead the area’s tart up this time around ? Bob Osborne said that this
time the community is being involved in the plans. That’s great. But the Council has to do that now, by law…Regulation 28 of the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2004. Is it just a tick box exercise? For instance, in two year’s worth of community consultation leading up to the vote, the majority of residents made it clear that they wanted family houses to be built in any future Pendleton. Within the Options that people voted for, most of the new properties were apartments. And any family houses that are built will be “town houses rather than semi-detached houses”. Also during this two year’s worth of consultations there’s no record of anyone from the community asking for the demolition of three tower blocks (Mulberry, Sycamore and Magnolia Court), nor for the demolition of homes in Amersham, Athole and Blodwell Street – yet these are included on all three Options with Hobson’s choice. Neither did anyone from the community ask for an extension to Frederick Road smashing through the centre of the area, linking the University with the Quays – so how did that get included in Option 3? The Council writes that its community consultation meets the “minimum requirements” set out in the Regulations and also meets its own Partners IN Salford Gold Standards IN Community Involvement. However, a closer look at the whole process leading up to the vote on the Pendleton Action Plan - which is the formal planning document that will guide the regeneration of the area for the next 15-20 years - reveals questions about who’s driving it and what that community involvement has actually been. The powerful overall body which has been directing and guiding the action plans for the area is the Pendleton Steering Group. This Steering Group is made up of the usual suspects in Salford’s
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Extracts from an interview with Joe Willis, Director of Neighbourhood Renewal, Salix Homes… Do you think that the final options being put to the community on the future of Pendleton have been drawn up by the community ? Joe: “We’ve had 23 events going around different places like Shopping City and 6000 questionnaires have been sent out…” But the process that led up to all that doesn’t seem to have been led by the community… Joe: “I wasn’t aware of that particular point and find it difficult to comment on that particular issue…” On Option 3 there’s a possibility to save some houses around Athole Street, but if you vote for that Option you’re also voting for a great big road coming through the area. It’s not fair…
regeneration, including the University, Central Salford URC, GMPTE, the Police, a bunch of councillors, Salford Primary Care Trust and others, plus Shopping City and, strangely, Tesco, which is planning a huge superstore right next to the Precinct. Given the controversy over the affect Tesco stores have on local shops and the environment it might be thought that the company would be subject to controls, rather than sitting at the top table `directing and guiding’ the plans. Residents never got the chance to vote on the new superstore in any of the Options. However, the community had its input into the Steering Group with four selected representatives – who were bound by confidentiality agreements and gagging clauses to stop them communicating, not only with the press, but the public too. Meanwhile, the minutes from Steering Group meetings have never been made public, despite promises to put them on the net (we certainly can’t find them).
…putting families back in towerblocks ? A city yells
`N-O-O-O-O-O-O!!!’
What is on the net is the Community Forum’s minutes, which hardly show a picture of community empowerment. This Forum – “designed to keep the community at the heart of decisions made” – was open to anyone living in the area covered by the plans. And at its very first meeting, in January 2005, people noticed that the community was outnumbered on the Steering Group by 14 to four, and asked whether the developers will “lead the regeneration according to their own interests”. After 12 months of Community Forum meetings, council officers were questioning why dwindling numbers of local people were turning up. The remaining members replied that ”people felt they were being preached to rather than informed” and that there was “a lack of information”. By March 2006 there were as many officers and councillors attending the Forum as there were people from the community (nine…out of 13,000 people living in the area)…And by June 2006, a full year and a half after the start of the Forum, members were asking for a “jargon buster”, saying that they had learnt “not a lot” from the meetings and just wanted to know “how safe are our homes?”…the “proposals for demolition”…and “what is going to happen to our homes?”. In September 2006, the last public record of any minutes, and after 21 months of its existence, officers were still asking how the Forum could be improved…”By having people at the meeting who know the answers to our questions”, came one reply, while someone else noted that “The small number of attendees is not truly representative of the regeneration area”. So much for the Pendleton Community
Joe: “We’re trying to advertise to people that it isn’t necessarily one option – there are bits of options that can be combined.” So why bother having 3 options ? “It isn’t necessarily a straight jacket that people only have to go for one option…” Lots of people asked for family houses but the plans are mainly for apartments. Why ? Joe: “I think we’ve got a long way to go on that – it’s a balance between what’s required from the community and hopefully to get a population increase as well…” We’ve found here a tender that’s gone out all over Europe for a private sector partner, and on that there are some very specific figures – like 630 new homes will be built of which 230 will be `affordable’ and 400 for open sale. But the formal consultation hadn’t even started when this went out and it bears no relation to the figures in the Options – what’s going on ? Joe: “I’m totally bemused…” So are we… Joe: “There’s still a long way to go, there’s nothing formally decided yet. Send it to me and I’ll be quite happy to have a look at it and get back to you…” Sent July 13th 2007 – no response.
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“A key chara cteristic of Pendleton in any langu age is the lack of beaut y. Virtu ally every thing in Pendleton is of low qualit y; the offer in the shops, the desig n of the public space s, the qualit y of house s and amen ities…. The main landm ark of Pendleton is the housi ng tower in the shopping centre; a grey, ugly block with a big arrow to point people to the centre…” “I want to move anyway, I want to get away… I’ve got kids and I don’t want them to see what I’ve seen…I can’t wait til it comes down...Have they run it down deliberately ? Yes and no really – but it’s a bad block. I’ve seen it change. Is the regeneration for me ? I hope so. I hope my kids are still here in ten years time in a better environment. I want them to be happy...”
“They only painted it about two months ago, at a cost, I heard, of £70,000...so I thought `There’s no chance of that coming down’ and then I got the letter...There’s lots of kids playing music til 2 or 3 in the morning, but otherwise the block’s ok. I’ve heard many rumours – that they could build low rise flats, maisonettes or what they’re doing in Langworhty – so that’s me out the game...”
Craig Sylvestor, resident Mulberry Court
Ernest Moloney – Mulberry Court resident
Luc Vrolijks and Maarten Königs, Urban Future s for Pendleton, 43rd ISOCA RP Congre ss 2007
Forum as an example of Gold Standards IN Community Involvement.
like housing density and the increase in population.
Meanwhile, during the last couple of years, a number of direct public consultations have been taking place to inform the new Pendleton plans, including the snappily titled Pendleton Area Action Plan Issues and Options Quiz where one lucky resident who filled it in could win £25 of vouchers `to a high street store of your choice’. This prompted 18 people to respond. There was also the Consultation Bus which was all about “going out to the community, as opposed to them having to come to us”. Unfortunately it broke down the night before and didn’t make it to the planned venues.
There’s also a section on the Sustainability Appraisal which showed that “Options 1 and 3 with their greater emphasis on clearance and redevelopment generally performed well with regards to several social, economic and environmental objectives”. It doesn’t say what these are other than “environmental quality, crime etc…”
And there was a Consultation Booklet which drew 33 responses from people (although 11 of them didn’t actually live in the area). This gives a grand total of 40 formal responses from the Pendleton community, described by the Council (going for the Understatement of the Year Award) as “somewhat disappointing”…
“I did Pendleton the first time around and I want to get it right this time…” Bob Osborne, Head of Housing Salford City Council
Still, all the community responses were analysed…and then subjected to a battery of other Government and Council strategies and policies like the Sustainable Communities, the Community Plan, the Northern Way, the RSS, the UDP, the NRS, MSP, URC, SLI, NDC, BSF and CSVRF…By the time those views had been through this lot they had changed somewhat…So, a lot of what residents wanted to be included in the vote wasn’t there, and a lot of what they didn’t want to include was voted on. In the 80 page Preferred Options Report - which was placed in local venues like libraries but not available to be taken home and studied - there is a section called Developing The Options which shows how and why the community’s original choices were ironed out on issues
... it’s not about what kind of homes the community wants, it’s about what the developers want to build – apartments. Further on, a paragraph on Financial Viability gives a clue to what’s driving the plans for Pendleton…”There has been a need to ensure that sufficient value can be created through the private sector developments to help cross fund the improvements…and this has informed the quantity and mix of additional housing that is proposed”…Reading this, it appears that it’s not about what kind of homes the community wants, it’s about what the developers want to build – apartments. Which explains another incredible statement which was never made clear during the vote…”It is proposed to promote the provision of larger apartments, which could be suitable for families…” What, putting families back in towerblocks ? A city yells
`N-O-O-O-O-O-O!!!’
Just before the vote on the three Options, a DVD was posted through every door in Pendleton. The voiceover said “In the next few weeks you will have the opportunity to have a big say about the future of your home and local community and what you would like to change for the better…You can help decide that future…” Really ?
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N I Y T R E POV ORD F L A S
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Photos by Lawrence Cassidy
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49
ONE YEAR OF THE SA
….It was obvious to anyone who cared to look – here, in Lower Kersal, East Salford, were two sets of identical terrace houses. One lot were right next to the River Irwell. They were all tinned up, awaiting demolition. The other lot were set well back from the River with a road, a social club and some shops in between. They were staying up. It didn’t take a genius to work out that private developers would only be interested in the riverside land, despite the flood risk (issue 1)….
T
hen, across Littleton Road and into the Lower Kersal estate it was the same story – demolition for the riverside properties, a stay of execution for the rest. At the top of the hill, in Kersal Heights, an old school playing field with protected rare grass was about to be dug up and concreted over, whilst a nursery and sheltered training centre was down for demolition too. Why ? Again, it was obvious. Sweeping views of Salford and the River. This was a developer’s fantasy come to life. Except that this fantasy was being stoked and stroked by £53 million worth of public money to regenerate the area via New Deal for Communities (NDC). And the very people who were supposed to be benefiting from it felt that they were being
`socially cleansed’… “Living as I do on an avenue overlooking the River Irwell I can appreciate more than most the delights of watching geese, swans and ducks descend onto the water” wrote Mike Skeffington (issue1) “This, however, will soon be a thing of the past for me and many others when our houses are replaced by the new luxury properties. The views will become the preserve of the more affluent members of society, who will no doubt be more than eager to take advantage of yet another ideal opportunity presented to them by an accommodating council.” All over the area people voiced their opinions on the `regeneration’…”I don’t want to move… the only place they offered me was Little Hulton, Ordsall or somewhere else miles away” said Angela Moss (issue 1) from Whit Lane, which is being demolished to make way for a road and a possible marina. “What they’re trying to do is turn this place into another Salford Quays and they don’t need scroats like us around because we’ll spoil it” said Caroline Brophy, also from Whit Lane (issue1). Caroline was actually on the People’s Panel for the new Kersal Heights development…”I was completely misled because I believed that the site was being built to re-house people from the clearance areas” she added “I was absolutely gobsmacked when they said that only a few were for council tenants. It’s like we don’t matter, we don’t count…” Later in the year, the truth came out (issue 3)…the price of the first `affordable houses’ on Kersal Heights ? Two homes at £175,000 and one at £140,000. Of the 230 homes being built, only five were to be for social
rent….”Go and talk to someone like Paris Hilton or George Michael, where would I get money like that from ?” said Emma Hindle “They’re knocking good houses down here for no reason…” And further down the River Irwell, in Lower Broughton, it was the same story as Riverside Island Tenants Association (RITA) were gearing up for a battle over their homes on the Spike Island estate, having seen a masterplan showing duck ponds and trees where their houses had been (issue1). “When we first moved here the river had foam floating down it…it was like a pint of Guiness because the factories used to empty everything into it” said members of RITA “Now they’ve cleaned it up and strengthened it against flood. All of a sudden it’s a prime piece of land…and we’re surplus to
they don’t need scroats like us around because we’ll spoil it” Caroline Brophy requirements…” The feelings were summed up by Whit Lane’s Graham Cooper (issue1), who described Salford’s housing policies as “the dagger in the heart”… “Thousands of homes are being knocked down for `regeneration’, for `nicer homes’, for `improved neighbourhoods’, for `increased choice’…For who ? Local people ? Not if you live in this brave new land called Central Salford…we’re `unsustainable communities’… We’re in the way of bright new commuter homes for these new high flying people the Council are trying to attract…”
ALFORD STAR… Nowhere was this more true than Langworthy and Seedley where Urban Splash had won the hearts and minds of regenerators all over the country with its `upside down terrace houses’ by Chimney Pot Park. The community, who were originally promised `affordable’ £50,000 houses, thought otherwise as the first houses came onto the market for an average price of £120,000…and that after £15million of public money had been paid over to
“They’ve pulled all the houses down and built these so no-one around here can afford them.” Jacqueline Booth Urban Splash (issue2). “It’s a bit of a smack in the face for all the people who had lived around here” said Jacqueline Booth “They’ve pulled all the houses down and built these so no-one around here can afford them. I think they’re for yuppies coming from the Quays, and the BBC will just make it worse. Where are we supposed to go ?” With Seedley and Langworthy almost on the doorstep of the Quays and mediacity:uk the BBC move was greeted with fear…”That’s it, they’re going to take our homes” said tearful residents fighting demolitions across the road from the Urban Splash site. “They can’t say `You...You…and You…we don’t want your type in the area” wrote local newsagent, John Yendall “No. But they can knock your house down…” In Broughton it was the same story of lives in turmoil. Here, loads of terraced houses had already been bulldozed and the communities were fighting for decent compensation and decent new homes… In Higher Broughton, as Salford City Council was getting slammed by the Audit Commission for its handling of the regeneration (issue 4), brothers Guy and Jimmy Griffiths told how they were forcibly evicted from their terraced homes to make way for the Broughton Green development where new houses are on sale between £235,000 and
£480,000… “I’m seen as a trouble maker by the Council because they had to get the police and the bailiffs to get me out of my house” wrote Guy “But what they’re doing here is wrong, just like it is in Langworthy. Basically they’re getting rid of people who are poor or working class, so somebody more affluent can come in.” In Lower Broughton, the £500 million Countryside Properties led `regeneration scheme’ had 111 affordable houses in its first phase, made available only for people who were having their houses taken off them – anyone else who wanted to move in was being asked to pay £159,000 (issue 4). And few people were happy with the houses they were getting, despite being told that they would help design them in a flagship consultation scheme…
Issue 2 Aug / Sept 2006
FREE
“I think they’ve listened to us and filed it in the bin tray and all this was happening just to keep us on board” said resident Val Broadbent (issue3). Neighbour, Ann Bailey added “We’re not in slum clearance, we’re just in the way…” Mike Thorpe, of the Broughton Action Group, summed up the feeling, not just in Lower Broughton but in the whole of Central Salford… “People aren’t asking for much, either here or in the New Deal area or Langworthy” he said “They’re asking to be treated fairly and honestly and up front. If they feel that isn’t going to be the case then…it will end up being a very sour area…a bitter area…There will be conflict unless all the problems are addressed…” The statistics underlined Mike’s point (issue 4). Salford City Council has an `affordable housing’ policy that states 20-25% of all new properties (in developments with over 25 houses) should be affordable. Between September 2006 and March 2007, in planning applications for nearly 9000 properties a mere 175, or 2%, were classed as `affordable’…
THE FIGHT FOR SALFORD’S FUTURE STEVE FOST ER JOHN COOPER CLARKE the most potent people’s
poet on the pla net.
URBAN CASH
turning lives upside down
Sizzling soaraway day-by-day
guide to summer in the city !
REACTIONS The first issue of the Salford Star appeared in May last year promising “a magazine that’s different… Did we get it right ? Within ten minutes of the magazine hitting the streets we got our first congrats call from a woman whose mother was holed up in a demolition area. Within 20 minutes we had John Merry, Leader of Salford City Council, screaming down the phone… In the 12 months since, the response from Salford people has blown us away – 100s of supportive letters, e-mails and txts have flooded in. But the Salford Star doesn’t exist to bring down the Council or anything like that – we are here to give people a voice and to get positive change for the community and the city. We want the Council, and any other organisation featured, to listen to these heartfelt voices and react. In other words, to be accountable to the people. No more. No less. In Issue 1 we ran an expose of The Lowry and its attitude towards the community, including a comic book photo story of local kids actually getting kicked out, while the arts palace sucked in nearly £6,500,000 of public money. Since this appeared, and a slideshow of the kicking out went gobal via the net, The Lowry has waved its enormous fees for at least three local groups that we know of, saving them thousands of pounds. The Lowry appears to be responding. In Issue 2 we featured Urban Splash and the lack of affordable housing in its Chimney Pot Park development. At the time 25 or 50 `affordable’ homes were being set aside in Phase 2. After the feature, this figure suddenly grew to 91 `affordable’ houses for first time buyers when the houses went onto the market this year. In Issue 3 we highlighted the hypocrisy of luring the BBC to the City, while the Council failed to support its own free community centred Salford Film Festival. The feature included criticisms from Sir Ben Kingsley and East Enders actor, Stephen Lord. Within weeks the Council found £20,000 to save the Salford Film Festival. The Film Festival is now scheduled for 24-28th November, will include a short film produced by Stephen Lord, and Sir Ben’s going to be involved too, plus lots of other exciting stuff. If anyone’s got a film they want shown get in touch with – stevebalshaw@hotmail.co.uk In Issue 3 we also ran a piece about the plight of Web Studios in Little Hulton, and the irony of its impending closure as the BBC move into Salford. It’s still up for sale but that didn’t stop Justin Timberlake filming his new video there and the studios are still alive, although there’s no rescue package yet from all those huge organisations that go on about the `creative industries’ being soooooo important to the city. Also in Issue 3 we ran a campaigning piece on the plight of Oaklands Nursery, due for demolition and closure, which would have lost the only early years childcare in Kersal and the careers of 17 local girls. It’s just been announced that Oaklands is to be the main childcare provider for the new Children’s Centre in Lower Kersal right in the heart of the community. In Issue 4 we exposed the Council’s affordable housing policy, and how developers were crawling through its loopholes – but we’re still waiting to see the Council’s response. When the Salford Star launched we promised a magazine that wouldn’t just report stuff but would try to change things too. Every little victory has been worth it. Thanks, Salford, and all the people with big brave gobs who have spoken out.
One Year o
What’s H CHARLESTOWN S
ince last year nothing’s happened, apart from the fact that they’ve put all the demolitions and developments in Whit Lane back another two years - and even that isn’t a reality. They’re only just taking soil samples so we’re years away. But it’s no coincidence that in 2009 the New Deal for Communities programme winds down and most of its staff will be gone, just when we’re meant to be getting knocked down. So, a bit like Langworthy, there’ll be no-one around to be accountable. I think there’s a big masterplan and what’s happening here ties in with what’s happening in Lower Broughton and Countryside Properties. The developers won’t develop two different areas at the same time, they’ll come outwards from Manchester and will wait for Lower Broughton to sell before starting here. I don’t think that the NDC have any control over that. One thing that has changed over the last year is that we’ve opened two brand new parks and the affect has been immeasurable in my eyes in terms of the usage and the respect shown by people. These are the sort of projects I think we should be spending our money on, but at the moment we’re trying to control the new masterplanning that’s going on in the area. Four or five years ago we wouldn’t have had a clue what to do but now we’re very aware of planning guidelines and stipulations, so if we all join together we can get what we want. We just have to make sure that we do it in the right way… Graham Cooper
of the Salford Star…
Happened Since ? WHIT LANE “T
hey originally said they were knocking us down in 2006 and they’ve put us back again. It’s depressing us. They’ve said we’ll get a house but they can’t tell us where. But I want a proper house and they can evict me out into the street but I’m not moving until I get what I deserve...this house was a tip when we moved in and we’ve gutted it. They won’t put the social housing on the riverside – they’ll make it all beautiful for those who can afford it but not for tenants who are having their houses taken off them. If they don’t give us what we want there’ll be a battle…” Mary Brown xz“They told us that we’re all going to get a riverside view – I just don’t listen any more. Nothing’s changed, except the dates have been put back again…” Angela Moss
LOWER KERSAL W
here are we now then ? The short answer is; haven’t got a clue, no idea, couldn’t tell you and don’t know who can. The feeling around here is almost unanimous: `Will someone give us an HONEST answer!’ The phase sequence has now been changed. Phase one is still Kersal Heights, phase two is now Kersal Riverside and phase three is Whit Lane/ Charlestown Riverside. Now I’m no expert, but it seems to me that there are serious problems with the whole setup if such a huge change in planning could not be foreseen only twelve months ago. People are now wondering if they can believe anything that is said to them. How, for instance, are people to have choice if almost all the properties being built are for sale and not to rent ? I, for one, have come to the conclusion that it is the developers who are calling the shots here, not the Council. In fact I think the Council has lost any control over events and have taken a back seat. As for invitations for one to one meetings, well, at best they are a PR exercise, at worse a complete waste of time. Nothing has changed in twelve months then, it’s just as bleak as ever. Mike Skeffington.
HIGHER BROUGHTON S
alford City Council are back with a vengeance. In May, the Government Office for the North West confirmed the Compulsory Purchase Orders on the remaining terraced streets sited between Leicester Road, Bury New Road and `Broughton Green’, known locally as the Top Streets. Broughton Green’s advertising slogan is “Be Moved” a delicious irony to be savoured by former residents. The government inspector who confirmed the CPOs was more than a little dismissive of residents’ objections. At the same time, he embraced the Council’s case as if it was the 5th Gospel. Example: `There is a low demand for current housing stock and a dearth of potential buyers’… Fact: A leading local estate agent mistakenly fixes a For Sale sign on one of the properties included in the CPO. The sign was put up after 5pm one evening – by the following lunchtime they had received 15 enquiries about the house. In their own words, the phone was `Red hot’. Example: The Council has financial schemes to enable existing residents to “purchase houses at higher prices than they could normally afford”… Fact: Former home owners, ie the people who actually owned their own house – all of it, from chimney pot to lavvy door – can now own part of one of the Council’s new `affordable’ properties…Probably only the aforementioned lavvy door, with the derisory compensation payments being offered for residents’ houses. Valuations are tabled from the Council’s own department with the proviso that they are limited to paying `market value’ for the properties. Surely `market value’ means a price that will enable the seller to buy a similar property in a similar area, thus maintaining their status quo on the property ladder ? Not so. Meanwhile, a pink and mauve sign saying `Broughton Village’ is the only tangible artefact of `Broughton Village’. It has neither shops, people or a physical aspect beyond the sign. One may as well call it `Brigadoon’… Jimmy Griffiths
LANGWORTHY AND SEEDLEY “You go there now and it’s not paradise …” Hazel Blears, Salford MP
Price of a house promised
Great For Business
I
n Issue 2 we featured the plight of local businesses in the area, like Hair Two, on Liverpool Street, where owner Ruth Critchley was struggling to make the salon work…”The regeneration of Seedley South will end up closing my business for the simple reason that there’s hardly anyone left in the area” she wrote “Nearly all my regulars have moved and the houses boarded up or demolished…”
by Urban Splash chief, Tom Bloxham at the start of the Chimney Pot Park development:
£50,000
Average cost of a house in 2nd
Hair Two has now closed. The video shop on Langworthy Road has also closed. Tan Cabin is about to close as the landlord puts the property on the market. K&S News is also up for sale. And the chip shop in the middle of demolition area in Seedley South which has been there for 20 years will close and be demolished in the near future... “I don’t know where everyone’s gone but as they’ve moved out our business has gone down and down and down” says chippy owner Jennifer Smith “We did manage to scrape one holiday a year but in the last four years we’ve not been able to afford anything. I don’t want to move. My family are all around here, why should I have to move away and never see them? I don’t choose to go, they’re pushing me…”
Phase Urban Splash Chimney Pot Park development:
£137,000
The Media Moves In…
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he national media is now highlighting the problems caused by the regeneration of Langworthy and Seedley. The area is about to be featured in Channel 4 reality shock-doc Secret Millionaire (Oct – we won’t spoil the `secret’ but don’t miss – it will tear your heart out). And Salford lad Nigel Pivaro, who’s spent two years with the community filming a very personal truthful take on the regen, has The Regeneration Game showing on BBC1 in September (again, not to be missed – and again, it will tear your heart out). Meanwhile Radio 5’s Hot In The City focused on Chimney Pot Park recently quoting local people calling the Urban Splash development “legalised robbery”…In the programme, broadcaster Jonathan Schofield described the area around Nansen and Kara Street (featured in Issue 2) as “like one of those post World War 2 bomb sites… if these areas of Salford are going to work there’s an awful lot of work and consultation that needs doing…” Unfortunately that consultation’s been done, at huge cost, and been ripped up. The community wanted most of the houses to stay up but the Council thought otherwise because it wanted a `Wow factor’ development (Issue 4). Even when a developer came in and said he would refurbish the houses himself the Council still rejected the plan.
Now 52 houses will be bulldozed in the name of `regeneration’.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen” say sisters Betty and Joyce Higgs, aged 76 and 80, “We could be thrown anywhere. But we just want to stay here.”
Total amount of
public money gone into
Urban Splash
At the recent Urban Splash bash to launch the second phase of the Chimney Pot Park development, potential buyers checked out the upside down terraces.
Chimney Pot Park development: over
£20,500,000 % of Langworthy/Seedley first time buyers
who successfully applied to buy a house in the 2nd phase of Urban Splash Chimney Pot Park development:*
15.6%
* figure accurate as we went to press
More Urban Cash
At the launch Karen Ainsworth, met the new occupiers of her former home in Laburnum Street. “Very nice but I couldn’t afford to buy it back” said Karen, who has just lost the fight to save her house in Nansen Street, across the road, from demolition.
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In Issue 2 we exposed the £15 million of public money that had gone into the `upside down terraced house’ development by Chimney Pot Park for a return of no affordable housing, and prices averaging £120,000. Since then the second phase of the development has happened – and the average prices have now gone up to £137,000. Another £5 million of public money has been thrown at the scheme by government agency, English Partnerships, for up to 91 First Time Buyers, with priority to residents in Langworthy and Seedley. The First Time Buyers initiative means that buyers only have to find a mortgage for half of the cost of the house (cheapest is £130,000) and get the other half interest free for the first three years. “A single person in the lower twenty thousands income should be able to get a mortgage for that” Urban Splash chairman, Tom Bloxham, told Radio 5 recently. But, as we showed in Issue 2, the `lower quartile’ income of the area around the development is £13,933, according to Salford Council. This would make these houses still unaffordable for the people in the area. Which seems to be the case. As we go to press, out of 300 applications received from the area, only 47 have been approved to purchase a house, or just 15.6%. This would also explain why there are still plenty of houses (19) available in this phase, and why Urban Splash has been aggressively marketing them nationally. Meanwhile, Salford Council has just given Urban Splash, “at no cost”, another acre of land bordering the development, with a value of over half a million pounds. Following our expose, the Council this time has insisted that “Urban Splash will not receive a priority return” and that “any profits will be split on an inputs basis”. Again there will be no social housing within the development.
Photos by Kate Furnell
LOWER BROUGHTON FUTURE PHASES SPIKE ISLAND
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n Issue 1 residents on Spike Island were worried that their riverside estate would be consumed by the Countryside Properties `New Broughton’ scheme. They had seen masterplans, first denied by the company and later confirmed (Issue 3). There is now proof, if not in black and white then certainly in a nasty shade of turquoise, as a newly released map of the area clearly shows Spike Island as a `Proposed Development Area’.
PHASE 1
There’s been a series of stormy meetings recently between the
Council, Countryside and Contour partnership, and residents affected by clearance who are supposed to be moving into homes within the `New Broughton’ development. It’s led to petitions of protest and resignations from the area’s Steering Group, the flagship of the scheme’s `best practice in urban regeneration’. Despite the Council insisting that residents’ “early involvement in the design and planning of the new homes has increased confidence in the first phase of the development”, many residents are unhappy with the size of the houses, the fixtures and fittings, and the extra costs which will mean tenants moving into apartments paying a lot more in service charges, rent and increased council tax.
In the words of the Council, it’s “crucial” that residents “buy-in to the regeneration proposals” as a successful consultation is seen as “key” to obtaining funding from the Affordable Housing Programme when the bid goes in around November 2007. If they don’t get this funding, Countryside and the Council will have to cough up. This puts the Lower Broughton residents in a very strong position to ensure that their housing needs are met.
Countess Grove resident, George Waite, has started a petition against `New Broughton’ and the clearance of the area’s houses in phase two. Here he explains why… When they announced the regeneration I thought `Great’…I didn’t think we’d be coming down, though. These houses are only 24 years old, modern housing as far as I’m concerned. They showed me the plans for a new house and every room was smaller than the house I’ve got now, which is diabolical.
Meanwhile, private owners and investors have been busily buying up the properties… “With prices starting at as little as £161,950, it is no surprise that only 7 houses remain in phase one…” trumpeted a Countryside Properties’ advert. Consultation is about to take place on the future of Mocha Parade and the properties surrounding it, together with the creation of a “landmark building” because it’s in such a “prominent position”. A report to the Lead Member for Housing recommends the area’s “wholesale and comprehensive redevelopment”, citing its susceptibility to flooding as the main reason. Of the existing community, the Report says “76% could fit into the proposed number of units” in Phases 2 and 3. The rest would be “considered” for the first phase, or “rehoused outside the development”. Also up for consultation are the properties on the other side of Great Clowes Street, around Flora Street, John Street and Alexandra
Gardens. According to the Report, a review of the sheltered housing scheme at Alexandra Gardens two years ago recommended that the block should be funded and maintained, but it sits on a “key strategic site” so they’re “going to carry out further investigations”…
There was a steering committee but it seems they’ve been ignored all the way – promises were made and forgotten, decent housing comparable to what we’ve got now has all gone down the drain. I launched the petition to try to stop what’s going on because it’s not our idea to move, they’re offering us something we don’t need and we’re happy here. Why change just because they want to get rid of the council houses ? I don’t think this is good for Broughton, it’s breaking up the community. I think this is being driven by the developer, and all they want at the end of the day is a decent profit. The Council seem to be letting them get away with what they want. It’s all wrong.
PHEW BROUGHTON Supurbia Living
Live a Supurbia Lie. Coming down soon ? Spike Island Mocha Parade Alexandra Gardens
Social housing with £4,000,000 of public money: You get: A smaller house then you’ve got now A free ‘letter box’, a ‘rotary washing line’ and a ‘water butt’ Plus: You can petition for a cupboard in your kitchen
Get in touch now! www.keepyourfingerscrossedtheplacedontflood.com Leading best practice in Urban Regeneration
Countrysnide Properties.com
SALFORD STARS Over the past year we’ve featured anyone who’s anyone from Salford. We’ve had exclusive interviews with lots of the city’s celebs…but, most importantly, we’ve highlighted over 300 voices from the community and shown over 500 photos of you. We’ve said it from day one – we are all Salford Stars…
ses went, then the flats went up “In Salford, first the terraced hou enerate again’…I’m convinced and now they’re saying `Let’s reg munity apart…” it’s a conspiracy to keep the com Maxine Peak, Issue 1
“I grew up in this house that was basically Salford in Little Hulton, and when we had to do anything family wise we’d go back to Salford – my mum even took me to the dentist in Salford because she was happier with the dentists there…”
Christopher Eccleston, Issue 1
“He was twitching on the floor looking up at me…I thought `I hope he’s alright’…But he would have done the same to me in that position. That’s boxing.” Steve Foster, Issue 2
“A programme on Radio 4 asked me to do Beezley Street but noone particularly wants to hear tha t again. So I thought I’d re-write it, give it a makeover, like what hap pens to neighbourhoods. I just tarted the place up and called it Bee zley Boulevard…”
John Cooper Clarke, Issue 2
“Please don’t let this be the last word on the Salford Film Festival…It’s a gift to all the community. A thrill. Especially to an environment as rich in promise and diversity as Salford…” Sir Ben Kingsley, Issue 3
’ rendition of Dirty Old Town, Ewan “When we first heard The Pogues that they didn’t understand the (MacColl) started laughing. He said didn’t say to them was that the lad loneliness of the song…what he ” tried to turn it into a football song… can’t sing, and that the group had Peggy Seeger, Issue 4
“I don’t know who I feel sorry for most – Chimney Pot Park or the yuppies…It will be like Assault on Salford Precinct 13…” Peter Hook, Issue 4
GOD SAVE JAMIE REID ! Cash From Chaos ? No Feelings ? Nowhere Buses ? Loads
of the images used in the Salford Star over the last year have come from the planet’s top image pirate and sloganeer, Jamie Reid, infamous for stabbing the safety pin through the Queen’s lip for the Sex Pistols’ hype. But many of Jamie’s graphics - which later visually defined punk - were originally born in an early 70s Croydon based community mag called Suburban Press. This mag, co-founded by Jamie, tore up the rules of how to behave in print, outing corrupt local politicians and businesses, with the legendary slogan LIAR screaming from its pages. With Jamie’s blessing, the Salford Star has been re-birthing these graphics for a whole new generation. “The graphics are as relevant now as they were then and I’m glad they’re being put to good use” says Jamie “The Salford Star’s still flying the flag!” Cheers Jamie, and thanks – it’s been a pleasure…
WATCH THE BIRDIE…starrin As the BBC prepares to move to Salford Quays, its new mediacity:uk home is being built. But the site, where children’s faves like the Blue Peter Garden and CBeebies are going to be based, is also the nesting place for lots of birdies, including a rare and protected species. So, on behalf of owners Peel Holdings, hawks and falcons were brought in to boot the little birdies out. When the BBC brought its fab Springwatch event to town, we went out with petitions urging folk to `Do One Thing For Nature’ and save the BBC birdies …CBeebies mega star, PC Plum was only too keen to sign up…
The man with hawks and falcons arrives from NBC Bird and Pest Solutions and tells us that he’s flying them around to “encourage” the birdies to go nest somewhere else. `If they see any birdies do they eat them ?’ we ask. “Only if they’re hungry” he replies.
`I tawt I taw a hawk, a twying to eat me…I did ! I did see a hawk a swoopin’ up on me !’
The BBC’s Springwatch `Do One Thing for Nature’ event comes to nearby Manchester and lots and lots of people sign the petition to Save Salford’s Wildlife
He gets to the front of the queue and gives PC Plum the petition…`Ello, ello,ello’ says PC Plum `What am I signing here ?’
PC Plum reads the petition and signs it straight away. What a top cop. Mission achieved.…
Salfordian bird watcher, James Walsh, asks whether the BBC’s ecofriendly ethics will stretch to its own doorstep…
If you’d taken a walk around the North
Wharf area of Salford Quays earlier this year, you would have encountered a scene that could have featured on the BBC’s hit show, Springwatch. A number of birds were gearing up for the breeding season including singing Skylarks and displaying Ringed Plovers and Lapwings, while birdwatchers waited for the arrival of the rare, migratory Little Ringed Plover. How ironic then that this is the proposed location of mediacity:uk, the BBCs new home, and that environmentally damaging activity has been
taking place here all spring and summer that would send a shiver down Bill Oddie’s spine. The site is derelict land alongside the Manchester Ship canal but, for some years, has been an important breeding habitat for several ground nesting bird species, including the Little Ringed Plover - a Schedule 1 species. Being on the Schedule 1 list of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 means they are protected by special penalties at all times. The Act makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird or their eggs or nests, and there
are additional offences of disturbing these birds at their nests, or their dependent young. The Secretary of State may also designate Areas of Special Protection to provide further protection. Therefore, any evidence of a Little Ringed Plover breeding attempt would have legally halted construction work on mediacity:uk. Somewhat cynically, it seems, the architects of land owners Peel Holdings set out to make certain this didn’t happen. For over two months falconers from NBC Bird Solutions were on the site daily with a Harris Hawk, a Saker Falcon
ng PC Plum and Tweety Pie WILDLIFE ON THE MEDIA CITY SITE The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit undertook surveys of the mediacity:uk site and requested to Salford City Council planning officers “that the development proposals include new wildlife habitats and features that would be of benefit to wildlife”. This was never acted upon in the final planning approval.
And here’s some Official Birdie Policies in the words of Salford Council’s own planning officers…
Tweety gets barred from the BBC site…
Guest megastar PC Plum arrives direct from Balamory, and the kids queue up to get his autograph
Policy ER5 of RSS requires local planning authorities to afford the strongest level of protection to statutory protected species in their plans, policies and proposals
Salford Star’s masked birdie avenger has a mission to get PC Plum to sign the petition…
PC Plum, White House, Balamory…
Tweety takes the petition to the base of Peel Holdings, mediacity:uk site owners, at the Trafford Centre. Unfortunately they wouldn’t let us take photos of him handing it over. And even more unfortunately, they haven’t responded. PC Plum will be livid… Photo caption story: Words, photos, interviews and actions James Walsh, Mike Roberts, Steven Speed, Stephen Kingston and Mikey. • Tweety sends special thanks to All Star Costume Hire, Strangeways (832 3918)
and dogs. Hiring a pest control company to disrupt a Schedule 1 species is, at best, cynical and, at worst, borderline illegal. It is only due to technicalities and loopholes that no legal action has been pursued
“If we are looking at saving planet earth, where better to start than on your own doorstep ?” David Attenborough, BBC As stated on their website, birdsolutions. co.uk, these people are employed to control bird populations and, this spring, many local birdwatchers and conservationists have seen the company disturbing birds during the breeding season, and have taken photos.
The Chairman of the BBC Trust has been informed, but so far there has been no response, other than to say “The BBC is not responsible for the site’s management or development”. In other words, it’s nothing to do with him. Yet this is the site that the Blue Peter Garden is going on, plus the new home for all the eco-friendly CBeebies’ characters like Bill and Ben and co. Meanwhile, the BBC’s universally respected David Attenborough says “If we are looking at saving planet earth, where better to start than on your own doorstep”. BBC 1 actually ran a full programme in June called Saving Planet Earth when Attenborough, again, asked “What does our over-consumption mean for the rest of life that shares Planet Earth? Can a growing human population still leave space for wildlife?”
Policy EN10 states that developments which are likely to have an adverse impact on legally protected species will only be permitted where mitigation measures are put in place to maintain the population level of the species at a favourable conservation status within its natural range. Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation requires local planning authorities to, not only protect biodiversity, but also, wherever possible, to actively enhance it. Policy DES9 states that developments will be required…wherever possible to make provision for the creation of new wildlife habitats.
* Salford City Council is, ironically, having a falconry display at its `Garden Party’ at the Town Hall in September The BBC is a major international organisation rightly famed for its commitment to the natural world. It is very concerning, to say the least, that the BBC has become embroiled in such activity. Many other individuals and organisations share this concern, including Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, local journalists & conservationists. On the BBC’s Springwatch website the general public are encouraged to help create Breathing Places for nature and to Do One Thing for wildlife - perhaps the BBC themselves can Do One Thing for all the wildlife that the construction of their shiny new buildings has displaced…and help create a Breathing Place for nature in Salford...
SALFORD STAR FIGHTING FUND So the Salford Star has got through its first year – a year of marauding from the community, captured in the city’s
with attitude and love xxx
It’s been
only independent magazine.
mad, it’s been massive…but most of all, it’s been real…
The magazine needs to keep to new
voices
on growing and glowing…it needs to get out there
places and spaces and faces…loads of Salford people haven’t even
seen the mag yet because we can’t produce enough copies. So we need help. Loads of help. This is a non profit making magazine for us in Salford…written and produced by Salford people for Salford people…with attitude and love xxx
Issue 2 Aug / Sept 2006
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THE FIGHT FOR TURE expenses, nothing….and we’d like to you to help us meet it. SALFORD’S FU STEVE FOSTER Please send donations to: Salford Star Fighting Fund Dept JOHN COOPER CLARKE the most potent people’s poet on the planet. c/o CREST etc N CASH URBAlives n dow ide ups turning Or we’ve got collection boxes at…. Sizzling soaraway day-by-day
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The
Mary Burns
Page SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL ? Jade Jagger, daughter of Mick and Bianca,
was seen strutting around the Salford recently bigging up her interior designs for the ultra posh ManYoo £200 million apartment block being stuck up on the Quays. “It will offer something akin to hotel life, a sense of being cared for” she drawled “We want it to be obvious to people living there that someone has thought about all the details.” Amongst the “details” being discussed are a gym, rooftop soaking tubs and glitter balls. Sounds lovely. But please, shed a tear for the developer, KW Linfoot, which got around Salford Council’s affordable housing policy, convincing planning officers that the scheme for 1000+ mega-bucks apartments would be “unviable” if affordable housing was included. Perhaps what they meant was that it would be “unviable” ‘cos no braying yuppy would go near the place if there were any Salfordian peasants moving in ? Before Jade headed off back to Ibiza or wherever, she managed to stab her stiletto into the city saying “We like to work in locations which are the next amazing place to be, whether in Costa Rica, New York or Manchester, where the regeneration in Salford makes it very exciting.” Hey luv, I’ve got a question for you…Did you get your geography lessons from yer dad’s pants ?
TRIATHLON ? TRY LOSING LOTS OF MONEY ! Did everyone enjoy this year’s Triathlon at
Salford Quays ? Good, ‘cos you’re going to be paying for it for a long time to come, if the financial boffins at the Council screw up. Originally, the annual World Cup Triathlon event - that mass spectator sport of Salford (yeah, right) - was forecast to lose nearly a quarter of a million quid by 2010 when the World Championship being staged on the Quays would make a huge profit and cancel the debt. Sadly (yeah, right), Salford didn’t win the bid and it was all going financially wobbly. In 2006, the forecast loss was £51,900. The actual loss was £126,000. What to do ? Well, the accountants came up with a great plan – instead of forecasting losses for the event, they suddenly started to forecast big profits. So the forecast loss for this year’s event of £69,400 became a profit of £32,000 and so on…until the £126,000 lost last year was gradually recovered by the event in 2009. Fantastic ! Except that if this year’s Triathlon didn’t make a profit of £32,000 the Council’s up the creek without a paddle – or is that the wrong sport ?
STATS ‘N BABS ‘N NO MORE DOLE…
Hats off to the super powered team who’ve been handling just
over one and a half million quid’s worth of public money from the pot known as North West Objective 2. In a mere twelve months, from March 2006 to April 2007, Salford’s Chief Exec, Barbara Spicer, claims (in a Report to the Cabinet Working Group) that the dosh has “assisted”…wait for it…42,648 people towards employment in just ten wards of the city. With an adult population of 164,000 and only half the wards in the city eligible for O2 help, this would mean around one in every three adults in areas like Barton, Broughton, Little Hulton, Weaste and Seedley has been “assisted”. Like, I know everyone likes to exaggerate their stats but this is off its head…Surely a misprint or I’ll eat my P45…
LEND US A FIVER… O
h it’s my favourite time of year again…yes, it’s the Salford City Council draft accounts which, this year, reveal…181 people at the council are earning over £50,000 a year…that 29 people earn over £70,000 a year…and that the Chief Exec, Babs Spicer, earns somewhere between £130 and £139,000 a year. So, they’ll be the only people in Salford who can afford a house here then…
LEND US A MILLION… W
hat else do the accounts show? Well, it appears that the Council has £3,747,000 in Section 106 money lying around that hasn’t been spent. Section 106 is the sweetener developers pay the Council so they can build in the city and it’s supposed to go on things like kids’ playgrounds, re-routing roads and stuff like that. From this it looks like it’s going on nothing. Not to worry because, according to the Observer, the whole concept of Section 106 is about to be scrapped by the Government because it `lacks transparency and fosters corruption’…Surely not IN Salford !
Oh Tom, My Heart’s Bleeding…
There was a lovely old quote in the Guardian recently from that lovely,
generous man, Tom Bloxham, recalling how Urban Splash originally got involved in `crime-ridden, collapsing’ Chimney Pot Park through the sheer magnetic power of Hazel Blears… “Hazel asked me on a couple of occasions to come and have a look” Tom said “To be honest, I tried to get out of it, but she’s very persuasive…” Very persuasive ? VERY PERSUASIVE ? `Here Tom, have £15 million plus of public money’ might have helped…I too would have tucked my skirt in my knickers and got my hod out for that... Very persuasive, my arse…
If you’ve got anything Mary Burns should know about email maryburns@salfordstar.com
www.salfordstar.com
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REVIEWS
Angel Café
Outside the Angel - just off Chapel Street
and in the cobbled shadow of the Greek style St Philip’s with St Stephen’s Church – there’s a board telling you what the day’s special is. Today it’s chicken curry and rice, my favourite. I go straight to place my order but I’m told by the friendly and apologetic staff that it’s too late, the dish is sold out. This just shows how popular The Angel is. I opt for a cheese and ham toasty on white bread, and sit down, having a chance to look around the café itself. `Community centre’ cafes conjure up a certain image in your mind but this place, with its natural pine wood floor and metal chairs, could hold its own with any of the swank places in the city centre, only without the elitist prices and people. Airy, clean and extremely welcoming with mod art on the walls and a little display of ceramics,
T
there’s a choice of lots of tables or comfy looking sofas to sit on in the corner. There’s also a state-of-theart big tv screen on the wall and two net access computers, today occupied by a couple of girls. The cheese and ham toasty arrives quickly and is really nice, with lots of cheese and ham on it. It’s well worth the money and the whole menu seems reasonably priced, with the special of the day only £1.99. And there’s lots to choose from, including soups, sandwiches and those toasties. I would definitely recommend it. Kelly McFarland
Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical
he blood-red curtains of the Lowry’s Quay stage made the perfect setting for Salford Musical Theatre Company’s take on this classic tale of one man’s struggle with his murderous alter-ego. A genuinely impressive set and Victorian period costume provided the backing to a musical that runs from romantic love
Angel Cafe Angel Healthy Living Centre 1 St Philip’s Place, off Chapel St M3 6FA 833 8495 You can get a free parking pass from reception if you’re using the centre or café.
songs to rabble-rousing anthems - via some surprisingly bawdy Burlesque. With strong vocal leads from Jon Crebbin’s suitably tortured Jekyll/Hyde and Hannah Davis as his onstage love, as well as energetic performances form the chorus, the show was clearly a labour of love for all involved. Special mention goes to
Sarah Thewlis’ show-stopping turn as tart-witha-heart Lucy Thewlis. Tim Powell For more info on future productions check www.smtcompany.co.uk
JEALOUS
WE LOVE YOU EP (Mcr Records) Jealous play BIG ROCK SONGS…very, very
Big Rock Songs…
bigger than big
SO BIG
rock songs that are they can barely fit in this review. In fact, they’re bursting to get off the page and go explode across a stadium stage somewhere with lights and smoke and reaching girls panting on the front row… There’s three enormous pantheons of pounding guitars and pumping beats on this EP, from the surging rush of anthemic title track, We Love You (…`we need you…we want you…’), to the tune fuelled Dealer which builds from sweet fret fiddling to full-on rhythmic power rock. Meanwhile, Lover is pure catchy, chorus driven, drum smacking, no frills song slinging…`I wanna be your lov-e-er’. And the fourth track, Alone, gives you Jealous unplugged with a melodic, soulful ballad of lurve, loss and licking emotional wounds.
Photo by Lyndsey Winnington
Burned from an array of live performances, there’s self-confidence brimming all over this EP, from Jason Edge’s swaggering, soaring vocals to the unapologetic guitar riffs that lace every track. It’s good old hard core Salford rock with a twinkle in its eye, glam in its genes and pyrotechnics in its crotch… SK Hear and see more of Jealous at http://www. myspace.com/jealousworld
Stella and the Doggs Supersize This first single for Stella and the
Doggs starts with a buzzing, thumping, driving beat and never turns back. It’s balmy, summer evening, hanging out of the car window while stuff’s-going-offon-the-back-seat-couldn’t-give-a-flyingFerdinand-yer-only-young-once chilled up music done by folk who have probably been there, done that and stained the t-shirt – step forward Mike Joyce (yes him from t’Smiths), Craig Gannon (yes him from t’Smiths) and Karen Leatham (yes her from t’Fall) fronted by Stella (yes her from t’Interstella) and her slinky, winking promiscuous dressed-in-goldlame-gown vocals. It’s feel good sounds with a twist… `Star - you know how gorgeous you are, you lost your mind in my car…more money, more love, more sex…look what they done, they supersized’… Dirty and well instant. SK Supersize is out in September
62 www.salfordstar.com
FRUITS OF OUR LABOUR Kersal Vale Allotments
have been part of Salford’s landscape since 1914 when Lord Clowes gave the land to the Council on the strict condition that it could only ever be used for horticultural purposes. Yet the vast majority of us have walked past the place for years without ever giving the place much thought – something which Tommy Lever MBE, who co-ordinated this film, admits to doing himself before beginning the project. Fruits of our Labour seeks to redress the balance, with documentary interviews with allotment holders past and present, followed by a fictional account of two friends who began working the allotments as young boys in 1914 and continued to tend them as teenagers, dads and granddads, through two world wars
Claire Mooney Good As You (Red Records)
“The houses boarded up and all the shops are gone / But it’s the only place she feels she’s ever known / And she doesn’t like the tone of the speculators who want her home” and right up to the present day. All the parts in the film have been taken by local mums, dads, granddads and kids with a passion. It begins and ends with George, who has tended his plot for years, celebrating his 100th birthday, and in between are his memories which include a gardening Elvis impersonator, World War 2 bombs dropping and children getting their lives changed by the growing experience.
the social Yep, regen is now being put tol track off the
There may be plenty of cheap veggies available on the Precinct these days, but this affectionate film clearly demonstrates that the importance of Kersal Vale Allotments to locals goes far deeper than saving a bit of cash on carrots – something which the developers would do well to remember if they have any designs on these much loved plots of land. Jo Knowles
KNIGHT OUT…
screamed, as a line of lances was held “C harge” heupon the flank of the Turks. Lances
fast to impact splintered with the crushing clank of men, and horses crumbled under the might of the charge. Horses yelped and men screamed out in agony, either pierced or trampled in the onslaught. The surviving Saracens in total confusion fled, with Godfrey’s knights hungry for blood upon their heels…” Gory in glory, this epic book by Salfordian Robert Wakefield takes you so far into the heart of the ancient battlefield you’re almost cowering away from flailing iron swords and axes, rustling chainmail and the rancid breath of warring knights. There’s loads of steamy battles, from the opening page Viking attacks, to Crusaders slugging it out with the Turks – with a twisting story weaved in too…
sword in song, as this delightfu new Claire Mooney album goes beyond the hype of `beautiful’ cities, to reveal some ugly truths. One Step Forward was partly inspired by a stroll around Langworthy and Claire’s work at Ordsall Youth Club…`Boys hang around with hands in their pockets…/Stand on the corner with wind in their face/ Wondering what are we going to do with all these empty days…’ One Step Forward is just one of eleven tracks from the singer/songwriter which travel from Ordsall to Iraq, via some giddy emotional journeys and her soft but angry Stop The War anthem, a leaving present for Tony Blair. Claire Mooney is the ghost in Joss Stone’s chart machine… Further details at www.clairemooney.co.uk
Historical fiction is now a major genre in itself, marrying historical facts with adventure stories, and Knights of God fits the bill to perfection. It’s based on seven years research by Wakefield into recently unearthed Latin texts, and follows its characters coming and going between their villages and the very first crusades nearly one thousand years ago. There’s pillage, bravery, love and the odd miracle in there…plus those over realistic battle scenes…aaaaaghh…take me back to lovely safe 21st Century Salford! SK Knights of God by Robert Wakefield (rrp £13.49) is available in most bookstores and on the net from www. tesco.com, www.amazon.com, www.blackwell.com and www.lulu.com (around £12). Robert Wakefield will be holding book signings at Salford libraries during October – check with libraries for details.
Big Arm - Flashbacks I
t’s probably Salford’s best-kept secret and once out will have emergency crews delivering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to any number of long haired electric youths bowling around Manchester’s music scene. But don those Happy Mondays T-shirts they will when Paul Ryder’s new band Big Arm release their debut single, Flashbacks, this month. The Mondays’ bassist has left behind the nostalgia of Madchester and joined St. Etienne collaborator Pete Smith (aka DJ Blue) to bring us a rejuvenated Northern Groove. Flashbacks lays down a beat mastered by Martin Hannett protégé, John Pennington, with all the absurd variety and energy we came to love the Mondays for. Raw, unrelenting lead guitar purrs like a V8 engine over
a rapid drumbeat, with Ryder’s voice bleeding all that understated cocksureness you’d expect. No sooner are the arms swinging, rising trumpet enters the fray and all the bizarre eclectic mixes of yesteryear come flooding back. ‘You’ve shown me one and one’s not two,’ Ryder sings before female vocals lustfully replace the guitar riff. Flashbacks features an extended version as well as a funky DJ Blue remix full of bounce and twang. Is this funk? Is this soul? Indie perhaps? Big Arm himself probably doesn’t know - but it works. Leave the history behind because at its heart, Flashbacks is a simple example of how versatile music can be. Nick Tollitt
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LETTERS PAGE Hello Salford Star Please find below email with detail of pics attached of my Salford pal Charlotte Yates. We gave her a Salford Star t-shirt as a leaving present when she went to teach in Japan with strict instruction to send us ‘Japanese’ pics of her wearing the t-shirt for your magazine! All best wishes, Prue xxx Higher Broughton
Hi I love the Magazine. The Star is so important to all Salford residents, no matter what colour they are or where they have come from. Many thanks and nice one for Keeping it Real. Tom Roscoe Castle Irwell Hi there Just wanted to say that I think your magazine is brilliant! I’m a Salford girl born and bred, but now living in North Wales. I was at my sisters on Sycamore Court and she gave me this magazine to have a look at. I couldn’t wait to get a chance to read it – it’s great! I’m gonna try and get a day off and come to your Party in The Park in Douglas Green cos I used to play on that park as a kid, we lived in Cook Street. I went to Sunday School at St Georges Church, and have been in the bell tower in the steeple. I was gutted when they knocked that church down! Anyway, could go on forever! Love your mag, going to subscribe! Best wishes Carole (Bridge) Hi Loved your mag, best thing to happen to Salford in many years. Keep up the good work and tell it like it is. The Quays has not been of much benefit to the people of Ordsall, and I can’t see the new Media City being any different. I hope to God I’m wrong but haven’t been so far. Good luck Peter Davies Hello there Many thanks for the despairing account of the housing scam in Salford...how do these people get away with this, where is public accountability...? Best wishes, John D, Higher Broughton
Hi Gave out copies of your mag at the NUT National Conference - everyone is totally impressed - best mag they’ve ever seen! Keep getting requests for copies - your ‘quiz’ has given activists ideas for campaigning in their own areas. Many congratulations and a huge thank you for your work. Lesley Auger National Union of Teachers Hi Me and my family have lived in Salford all our lives and absolutely love the place but I feel that there is a lot wrong with Salford at this moment…students, private housing and the amount of Salfordians leaving Salford. I picked up your magazine Salford Star, and I realised that it was not all that bad. I love the magazine, I love the people’s passion. I hope that I will be able to pick one up at the Precinct every time you have an issue out. Keep up the good work. Yours sincerely Alan Claxton Hi The latest edition is BLOODY EXCELLENT !! What a bunch of knobs they are at the council (that’s putting it mildly). I thought the articles were cracking especially the affordable housing one ...what the hell are they doing, how are they getting away with it ??? This country needs honest local voices to shout loudly their disapproval with what is going on in the community. Can we have two copies please for us down in New Cross Area - I want to send a copy to the NDC in this area and suggest they fund a community magazine like yours! (God that would be fun they’d s*** themselves!). Thanks Jonathan White
Dear Editor Who, I ask, is responsible at the Council planning department for sanctioning the vandalism to the entrance of Chimney Pot Park? The once well manicured horseshoe shaped entrance was a local landmark but now it is an eyesore, and Chimney Pot Park is no longer chimney shaped due to the hundreds of steps and the ski slope that has been hacked into the entrance wall. The craftsmen who built the gently sloping organic entrance which was aesthetically pleasing must now be turning in their graves. The heart has been ripped out of Salford by the systematic demolition of beautiful buildings, such as Pendleton Town Hall and many churches, theatres and schools, only to be replaced by inferior buildings that do not stand the test of time. Isn’t it about time the Council showed some respect with tax payer’s money by restoring well designed buildings sympathetically ? Concerned of Salford. Hi I picked up a copy of the latest issue - it’s a great read. Keep up the good work - I love what you have to say. All the best, Cllr. Steve Cooke Hi all at Salford Star I just want to say how great your publication is for people in Salford. I picked up a copy of the mag at Moor Lane (Salford City FC). Kind regards James Bowers
64 www.salfordstar.com
Dear Sir or Madam As Chair of the Sports Village Local Management Group, I want to respond to your comment on the Mary Burns Page that the Sports Village in Kersal represented ‘just a load of footy pitches’ and contributed to the loss of a star from Salford’s Culture and Sport rating. Let me give a far from complete list of current Sports Village activities: dance; pre-school gym; tai chi; yoga; kick boxing; Healthy at Heart; Healthwise and Postural Stability; Fitbods; sports coaching; and courses in health and safety, first aid and IT. Activities that take place on a more infrequent basis (requested by local groups) include: photography; arts and crafts; singing; and various events. Many of these activities are free or heavily subsidised. In addition, the Sports Village gives 100 hours free use of meeting rooms to community groups.
Hi Can anyone explain why Arriva buses can charge £1.40 from Lower Broughton to Salford Precinct, while GM Buses only charge £1 to the same place? Are they trying to make a profit out of people who know Mocha Parade is disappearing and have no choice but to pay the outrageous bus fares ? A Footweary Salfordian
Dear Editor I have been reading your magazine and I came across a photo of Mrs Kathleen Tyson and family. Only two children on that photo belong to me, the other are neighbours. I have 4 girls. Yours sincerely K. Tyson No problem, here’s a photo of Kath’s real family…
Littleton Road has always been a venue for football. I don’t complain, for example, that there’s no netball court at Broughton Pool. No venue can do everything for everyone. The Sports Village now provides access to top class football facilities and coaching to local youngsters. At off-peak times, anyone can turn up, pay 50 pence and enjoy state-of-the-art pitches. This should be celebrated.
Salford is my city It’s the place where I belong Where people stick together Forever growing strong But in YOUR eyes you don’t see it To you that doesn’t mean a thing You look through rose tinted glasses And all the money it can bring By tearing down our houses Building the Urban Splash Don’t think of all the people Let’s only think of the cash!!
The Sports Village won the 2006 Sports and Leisure Project of the Year and has made a difference to the health and well being of the area. It represents a lot of hard work by agencies and local people in fundraising. The next challenge is to raise the funds for Phase 2, a facility which we hope will provide a gym, a sports hall and a training facility for young people in all aspects of sport, from grounds maintenance to management. Finally, Salford Community Leisure has been judged the best service in England! Yours sincerely Davina Miller Chair, Local Management Group, Salford Sports Village Reply: Thanks for the ad Dav – we’re sure that lots of Lower Kersal people might want to respond to this …
Pam, Kara Street
Hi there
Just read the Star…excellent ..well done ...I have enclosed a couple of pics I made in case you can use them ... Keep up the good work Steve
Dear sirs May I say how much I enjoyed reading the last issue – carry on the good work and wake up this drowsing council. I feel maybe they suffered a wake up call, losing two councillors in Eccles and Cadishead ! Sincerely B Harwood, Eccles
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65
HELLO JOHN, GOT A NEW MOTOR TRADE…
Down Eccles New Road, opposite the Grey Mare pub, there’s an ordinary looking garage that does car services and MOTs…but look under its bonnet and see a whole new way of working…
Joe Barnwell has been in the motor trade for
well over thirty years, working at the top for some of the biggest names in the industry, like Lucus and Halfords. Then he packed it in to come and help set up a garage almost from scratch on an industrial site in Salford. Except that this is no normal garage. It’s run for people, not for profit. While offering everything available at the very best garages, including MOTs, services and fixing stuff that goes wrong, the FST SMaRT Service Centre is training people and helping them get work in the motor industry. “I came here to make a difference and to pass on some of my skills to the workforce and unemployed people who work here” Joe says “That’s why I came, but as we started to do that it took on a life of its own and it’s now becoming a good, viable commercial business with a different set of ethics than what’s out there in the motor trade at the moment. “Our measure of success” he adds “is how many people we get back into a working environment because we’re not here to chase profits.” The FST Centre is an amazing place that’s huge, spotlessly clean and can MOT test vehicles right up to huge buses. All around, under Joe’s guidance, people are getting on with sorting out the engines of cars and vans. In one part of the garage, a lad is stripping down an MG to its bare metal and re-building the engine. Before he came here six months
ago he knew nothing about motors. Sitting in the canteen are Anna Malpus and Christopher Culp. Anna’s just about to take her Auto Mechanics City and Guilds Level 3, and admits that when she first arrived she didn’t even know what a ratchet was.
placed are surviving and they’ve got money in their pockets.”
“I knew absolutely nothing about cars and now I can do services on my own and start MOT tests” she says “I’ve picked up loads and keep joking with my friends that it’s City and Guilds this week, Ferrari next…My ambition now is to start my own garage. It’s been fab for me, and being the only girl here working with a load of lads has never been an issue.”
“We’re very competitive on prices but, because we’re a charity, we can’t undercut local businesses to a point where we set up a price war and put them out of business” says Joe “We’re still cheaper than a lot of the competition but we don’t claim to be quicker – what might take another garage two hours to do, we might take three because we’re using that time as training. We’re still growing and developing, and we do need more customers.”
Christopher’s been here for a month, and points out that Anna is now everyone’s role model. “When I started here I didn’t have a clue about cars either, never in my life did I think I’d be doing mechanics” he says “At first I thought I wouldn’t get stuck in because you’re working on other people’s cars but I enjoy it now, and it builds your confidence because you’re doing the theory and the practice at the same time.” This emphasis on working on real people’s cars in a real environment puts the garage light years ahead of many similar training schemes, and to date, 16 trainees have gone onto full employment this year. “The motor trade doesn’t suffer fools gladly” says Joe “so what they get here is what they’ll get at Qwik Fit or Ford. The people we’ve
Meanwhile, customers at the First Step garage wouldn’t notice any difference between this and any other garage.
There’s nothing else like this place in the country. An ethical garage. Did you ever think you’d see the day ? The FST Service Centre is based at Unit 2, Oakwood Trading Estate, Mode Wheel Rd, off Eccles New Road, near Weaste tram station. Phone 743 0800 for a quote or e-mail smart@firststeptrust.org.uk . There’s also a new car scrapping service at the Centre – give them a ring, donate your unwanted car, they’ll collect it free and recycle it to the highest eco-friendly standards. If you would like to train at the centre it’s possible to be referred through Job Centre Plus, or just give FST a ring direct, go down and have a look around.
66 www.salfordstar.com
SALFORD CITY RADIO IN THE AREA… Salford’s first ever full time radio station finally comes on air in September. It’s backed by Salford City Council, it has premises within Swinton Town Hall complex and its chairman is a ruling party councillor – so can Salford City Radio ever be the authentic voice of the community? King, Chairman of Salford City Radio. But surely a fair point. He’s just been telling us how Salford City Council have been “an awful lot of help” – providing premises at a peppercorn rent and helping to negotiate Neighbourhood Renewal Funds to the tune of £140,000… …Surely the question has to be asked, whether this new `community’ radio station is not just another mouthpiece for the Council, like every other media it backs in the city…and, indeed, whether it’s healthy for the Council to be so close to a `community’ radio station. “If you want to criticise the Council, and it’s fair criticism, then there will be open access to do that, and the Council, or a council officer will be given the right of response” says councillor King “There’s no big stick hanging over our head…I’m not here as the City Council, I’m here as Jim King, and I’ve been involved in the radio station for a long time.” Salford City Radio, formerly Salford Community Radio, was founded from a Radio Regen project in 2001. It used to broadcast in short bursts from places like a derelict shop on Langworthy Road and Salford Lads Club, and attracted exclusive appearances from Peter Hook and his Aunty Jean, Guy Garvey from Elbow and Andy Rourke of The Smiths. On air, the station had a mix of experienced DJs and people trained up from the community. It won the full time, five year licence over a year and a half ago, and after a few ethically related teething troubles, is now ready, Jim King says, to open up the permanent airwaves to the people…“We want to be open access, genuinely” he argues “and as inclusive as we possibly can.” Last March, Steve Suttie, of Ribble Valley Radio, was brought in as station manager and has since been building up the volunteer base and scheduling the programmes, which,
to start, will be around eight hours of original shows per day with repeats, so the station’s on air 24:7. Content, based around 70% music and 30% talk, will include a six hour Grandstand style Salford sports report from noon until 6pm every Saturday, outside broadcasts from somewhere in the city every week and phone-ins around issues that affect the community. “The key thing is quality over quantity” says Steve “We could just churn out radio but that’s not what we’re here to do. What we need to be doing is delivering a service to Salford people, key programmes that they will switch on for. For instance, if there was an advice show, it will be things like `The Council are threatening to kick me out because of rent arrears, what can I do ?’ And then we’d get professional people like the Community Advice Bureau to help. There’ll be a broad spectrum of programmes. “I know that there could be a suspicion that it’s just another soapbox for Salford City Council” he adds “but councillor King has told everybody in there that’s not an option.” Councillor King agrees: “We want to make it the most authentic voice of Salford that we can…” The Salford Star has asked for its own show on Salford City Radio – we’re still waiting for a response… Salford City Radio launches in September on 94.4FM More details at www.salfordcityradio.org . If you would like to present your own show on the station e-mail info@salfordcityradio.org
Photos by Tony Miller
“That’s a cheap shot” says councillor Jim
ARE YOU YOUNG AND SALFORDIAN…AND WILL UR LIFE ? YO E G N A H C P EL H ID U Q ED R D FIVE HUN
If you’ve got a talent to slap a guitar
to its limits or be a future Olympic champ or to get a part in Corrie but can’t afford private lessons or that right bit of kit, the Salford Foundation Trust might just be the fairy for you. The Trust has been set up purely to give out grants of up to £500 to support young Salford people aged 5-25 to `fulfil their potential and
achieve change in their lives’. They fund stuff like equipment, activities and training courses for individuals rather than groups and you’ve got to show how their grant will turn up the volume of your life. So recently the Trust has supported things like buying a saxophone and lessons for a girl who’s now passed exams in playing the instrument, and helping a bloke take part in the Special Olympics,
where he won two silver medals. They don’t fund things like driving lessons, standard school trips or living expenses but if you’ve got a basic skill or dream and want to drive it forward get in touch. Call Salford Foundation Trust on 787 3834 Or e-mail mailsalfordfoundationtrust.org.uk
www.salfordstar.com
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FIRING UP SALFORD… Virtually every cred actor and tv professional in the North West is backing a new project making six films in six Salford schools…
W
e’re in New Park High School in Patricroft, and Ciaran Griffiths who plays Mickey Maguire in Shameless is getting questions chucked at him left, right and centre…`How did you get into acting ?...How do you remember your lines ? How much do you earn ?’ He’s answering as best he can and signing autographs. But he’s not trying to impress these lads. Ciaran is trying to impress upon them that he’s just like them. That they can be him. “I remember being their age and if someone came in to talk to us, like a footballer or someone it was great” Ciaran says “It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like this and I was dead nervous but I enjoyed it.” He’s here as part of the Salford-wide Clapperboard Youth Project which is blitzing six of the city’s schools with professional tv writers, actors and technicians, making top quality short films devised by and starring young people, with workshops and careers advice in between. The aim is to inspire our kids to get in on the act.
“We’re bringing in lots of actors, make-up artists, and camera people to talk about their lives and careers, to try and motivate youngsters” explains Maureen Sinclair, who runs Clapperboard “I believe there are two paths we can all take because I’m from a working class area, and when you meet young people who have achieved, it’s an inspiration. Ciaran’s from Eccles and he’s followed his dream. I just think that everyone has something special and it’s about tapping into that really.” The Project - backed by everyone from Christopher Eccleston to Paul Abbott, to Ricky Tomlinson to Jimmy McGovern - has brought in
six professional writers to work with the young people at Harrop Fold, St. Ambrose Barlow, St George’s, Buile Hill, New Park and Moorside High. Indeed, over at Moorside in Swinton, John Crumpton, BAFTA winner and creative director of KBS Productions, who’s been producing the six short films, is working on a car crash scene with blood and guts spilling out all over the place. “We’ve shot attacks on fire engines and schools burning down as well as this car crash” says John “It’s all been very ambitious and pupils have been getting insights into the tricks of the trade as we’ve gone along. After the writers have developed the script with pupils we go in and do eight or so weekly sessions on basic film language, storyboarding, camerawork, acting, lighting and sound recording before the two day shoot. It’s been really rewarding to see pupils come into their own and to watch their confidence grow as the process has gone on.” Backed by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, each of the films has a theme of safety and social issues which affect the communities in which the young people live. After an awards ceremony in October the films will be used by the Service as educational aids. Further details at www.clapperboarduk.com
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60 www.salfordstar.com 68 www.salfordstar.com
HAPPENING IN SALFORD NICO ICON
Listings by Jo Fountain
Tragic Velvet Underground legend, Nico, ended up in 80s Salford mixing with the likes of John Cooper Clarke and Factory founder, Alan Wise. Now pop star turned actress, writer and producer, Stella Grundy, is set to stage her own version of Nico’s life story which gets its world premiere at Studio Salford in September…
You could fit twenty people’s lifetimes
into Nico’s one existence. Brought up in Nazi Germany, by the time she was in her early twenties she’d modelled for Vogue, starred in the Fellini film, La Dolce Vita, shared acting classes with Marilyn Monroe, had a tribute song by Bob Dylan and been Andy Warhol’s major prodigy. She was also singing with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. So how the hell did Nico end up in Salford ? “It’s almost like she let fate drag her around, although she was responsible for a lot of it, being off her head all the time” says Stella “She came here looking for blues singer Victor Brox but bumped into Alan Wise by accident. She was an icon without a penny, slept on floors in Hulme and shared a house in Salford.
Photo by Derek Clark
MUSIC/DANCE/ COMEDY/ DRAMA LISTINGS Friday 3 August & Fri 10th August The Lowry Theatre Summer School Showcase £5 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Wed 8 - Fri 10 August Jack The Ripper The Musical Salford Arts Theatre Westerham Avenue Off Liverpool St M5 4AD 737 2188 7 7.30pm £12
“There was John Cooper Clarke and a big gang of them, all Salford based, who were into speed and stuff but then ended up getting into smack” she adds “I can’t help but think that she spread that drug and changed the way that music went in Manchester. She influenced a lot of people but couldn’t have lived any more dangerously. She was only about 41 when she got here but looked about 50.”
Fri Aug 10 Orange Plastic New bi-monthly club night Alela Dianne, Beep Seals, Foxes of Folk DJs The King’s Arms 11 Bloom St M3 6AN 8pm £6 door only 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com
Mon 13 August Orange Plastic club night PG Six Dude, DJs and more off the wall stuff The King’s Arms 11 Bloom St M3 6AN 8pm £6 door only 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com
Friday 10 August 80s Night The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Wed 15 August Dr J’s Blues and Country Jam The Kings Arms, Bloom St 9pm free 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com
Sat Aug 11 Moondog Blues Biker-themed psychedelic club night The King’s Arms 11 Bloom St M3 6AN 8pm 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com Sat 11 August The Drifters The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Thur 16 August Elvis Williamson The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk Fri 17 August Themed Angels & Devils Night with Some Robbie Someday The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
And that’s only half the Nico story. To portray it all upstairs at the King’s Arms, Stella’s filmed the bits with Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol (played by Jimmy Foster) which will be shown on screen with a split stage. Altogether there’s a cast of 26, including Arthur `I am the god of hell fire’ Brown, Nico’s real life son, Ari, and Stella herself playing Nico. “Ari’s given it his full backing and says he likes the fact that I’m bringing a bit of myself to it” says Stella “I’m not Faith Brown but I’ve worked hard to get a sense of her, showing her losing it and being hysterical and happy. Some of it I’ve elaborated, and some of it’s spot on.” With two Nico-esque songs written by Stella, who hit the charts herself with the band Interstella, and lots of original Nico material, the play promises to be one of those special Salford events not to be missed… Nico Icon runs at Studio Salford, at the King’s Arms, Bloom Street, M3 Wed – Sat 5th - 8th September 8pm £6.50/£4 (cons) all tickets £4 on Wed To reserve tickets and further details www. studiosalford.com or phone 834 3896. Sat 18 August Soul Brothers Band The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk Mon 20 August Laughter Workshop The Kings Arms, Bloom St time to be confirmed – phone 832 3605/839 8726 www.studiosalford.com Mon 20 August Acoustic Night The Kings Arms, Bloom St 8pm free 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com Wed 22 Aug Jazz Night with Ed and Friends The Kings Arms, Bloom St 8pm free 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com 24 August Abba Party Night The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
www.salfordstar.com www.salfordstar.com
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SHIVER ME TIMBERS… Be a pirate, search for lost treasure and sail the high seas of Salford in Ordsall Hall’s very own Tudor Boat.
Following on from the success of the
Tudor Tent, the Tudor boat has cast anchor in Ordsall Hall, where it will be providing family fun for the rest of the year. Kids can dress up as pirates and explore a palm tree covered island, treasure chests, cannons, creative play areas and try original games that would have been played on a galleon. The boat, recreated from original archive pictures and constructed by the Ordsall Hall team, is an incredible structure with sails and rigging, captain’s quarters, and a hold complete with supplies. You can even `steer’ the ship on imaginary shark infested seas.
Sat 25 August 80s Night The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk Wed 29 August Dr J’s Blues and Country Jam The Kings Arms, Bloom St 9pm free www.studiosalford.com
Thur 6 – Sat 8 September The Game of Life: Through The Mill Pendleton’s future examined by its community with puppets, dance and drama (see feature) Salford Arts Theatre Westerham Avenue Off Liverpool St M5 4AD 737 2188 7.30pm.
Fri 31 August WKD Party Night with Heroes The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Fri 7 September WKD Party Night with Storm The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Tue 28 August – Sat 1 September Potted Potter – The Unauthorised Harry Experience All seven Harry Potter books in 60 mins £11 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com
Sat 8 September Some Robbie Someday The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Wed 29 August – Sat 1st September Tintin £14-£20 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Fri 31 August Embryo Eclectic cabaret night Studio Salford The Kings Arms, Bloom Street 7:30pm, £4 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com Sat 1 September Embryo Studio Salford The Kings Arms, Bloom Street 7:30pm, £4 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com Sat 1 September Showaddywaddy The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk Wed 5 – Sat 8 September Nico Icon World Premiere, starring Stella Grundy (see feature) The Kings Arms, Bloom Street 8pm, £6.50/£4 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com
Sun 9 Sept Justin Moorhouse £13 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Mon 10 September While and Matthews £14 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Wed 12 Sept – Sat 22 Sept King Cotton Written by Jimmy McGovern £16-£25 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Thur 13 September Steve Royle £10 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Fr 14 September Bernard Wrigley/The Oldham Thinkers £14 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Sat 15 September Soul Brothers The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
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Kids are also being asked what they want to see added to the exhibition to make it their very own ideal play area as it develops over the next 12 months. This exhibition really is one not to be missed… Entrance to the Hall and Tudor Boat is free, and most activities are free but some may require advanced booking. See listings for full details. Ordsall Hall Museum, Ordsall Lane, M5 3AN 0161 872 0251 www.salford.gov.uk/ordsallhall Jo Fountain
Sat 21 September 80s Night The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk Sat 22 September The Drifters The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk Sun 23 September Sean Hughes £16 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Wed 26 September – Sat 29 September Rambert Dance Company inspired by Lowry £13.50 - £21.50 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Wed 26 September The Cartoon Myth of the North Cartoonist Tony Husband and poet Ian McMillan 8pm £12 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com
Sat 6 October Silky Productions present La Vita Silky Sisters DJs Millie, Claire Powell and Sinead (see feature) Riverscape Club Above the Old Pint Pot pub Adelphi St, off The Crescent Tickets £5 available from the Old Pint Pot or, for paying guest list, e-mail silky@ planet-save.com all profits to Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research. Sunday 7 October Frank Skinner The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com
EXHIBITIONS/ TALKS/EVENTS
Sun 30 September Ardal O’Hanlon £17.50 The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com
Until 2 September Uncomfortable Truths New artists highlight uncomfortable relationship between art and design and slavery Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU Mon – Fri 10am-4:45pm Sat-Sun 1-5pm 778 0821 www.salford.gov.uk/museums
Wed 26 – 29 Septembe Working Title Hope Theatre Company The Kings Arms, Bloom Street 8pm, £6.50/£4 832 3605 www.studiosalford.com
Until Sun 23 Sept Ian Skoyles Explores jigsaws and their idealised imagery The Lowry Gallery, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com
Fri 5 October Soul Temptations The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Until Sun 23 Sept Jerwood Contemporary Painters 30 emerging artists The Lowry Gallery, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com
Sat 29 September Abba Arrival The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
Sat 6 October 80s Night The Willows, Willows Rd M5 8FQ 736 8541 www.thewillowsonline.co.uk
www.salfordstar.com
S-A-L-F-O-R-D `Welcome to Salford, the place to be Where if you want protection you gotta pay a fee… You parked yer car in an unsafe zone So we get yer stereo and yer mobile phone We’ll set it alight, we’ll watch it burn …our entertainment for the night…’
I t’s Salford’s answer to West
Side Story…It’s Salford Quays’ Springtime For Hitler…as every single stereotype this city’s ever had – and tried to flush away – comes dancing and singing on stage in a fit of street talk, bling and scallies. At the short preview of Innit The Musical last year a shocked audience of Salford’s creative clique sat literally open mouthed while rapping hoodies touched up their jewellery and swore in their faces. Some walked out muttering disgust. Innit’s creator, Micky Dacks is unrepentant: “It’s giving the reality of the situation in a light hearted way” he says “It’s a Salford story, inspired by Salford, written in Salford and Until Tues 25 September Good To Print Diverse range of etchings, screenprints etc Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU Mon – Fri 10am-4:45pm Sat-Sun 1-5pm 778 0821 Until Sun 14 October Satellite City Challenging perceptions of Salford with video, paint, photo and ceramic installations by Start artists. Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU Mon – Fri 10am-4:45pm Sat-Sun 1-5pm 778 0821 Until Sun 4 Nov The Myth of the North The North in stereotypes The Lowry Gallery, Salford Quays 0870 787 5780 www.thelowry.com Sat 22 September – Jan 08 Hidden Treasures Gems from The Salford Museum Collection Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU Mon – Fri 10am-4:45pm Sat-Sun 1-5pm 778 0821 Sun 26 August Musical Sundays Arts, crafts and music in the galleries 2-4pm free Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
everyone who’s in it is from Salford, so it’s got gritty drama and dialogue.” The material might be hard core, with singing Asian shop keepers getting robbed and students getting mugged by the minute, but it’s set around street dancing, hip hop and Broadway-style catchy songs like `G 4 Giro’, `It’s Top Being A Scally’ and `We’re All On Our Way To The Slammer’. Innit is bound to have everyone in the audience rocking in the aisles…if they haven’t taken offence and dashed for the exit after five minutes. “The music’s got its funny aspects but it’s about a young working class lad growing up here, who’s abandoned by his father, deceived by his mother and he goes off the rails and gets involved with a gang” says Micky “He gets a choice between following his dreams or a life of crime, and it’s actually sending out a very positive message.”
Thur 2 August Sing-a-long-a-Lark Hill Place Tunes from the last 100 years 2pm free Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
Sun 5 & 19 August The Padders Walks 8-12 mile hikes Under £5 to cover transport to start Call Ron Leigh 281 1482 ronald.leigh@ntlworld.com www.padders.colsal.org.uk Sun 12 August Broad Street Walk while discovering ghosts, murders and facts about the area approx I mile (Walk Leader Roy Bullock) Meet Salford Museum and Art Gallery 1:30pm Monday 13 – Sunday 19 AugustPride Games 2007 The Quays closing party www.visitsalford.info/events/ free
INNIT THE MUSICAL runs at The Lowry (Studio) 3-13th October £8/£6 (cons) – check box office for times. It’s also going to be filmed and shown at the Salford Film Festival in November. Hear a preview of the hit songs at www. myspace.com/innitthemusical
Sat 18 August Worsley Horticultural Society Annual Show Classes for flowers, veg, pot plants, children’s etc 2pm, 50p Further details 790 3838 Walkden Congregational Church, Harriet St, M28
Sat 4 August Annual Garden Party Salford Floral Art Society Garden, Methodist Hall, King St Irlams o‘the’Height £5
Tues 14 August Conservation Morning Worsley Woods 10am-12:30pm Meet Beesley Green off Greenleach Lane Call Jo 607 1759
With Micky Dacks drawing on his own experiences, a cast pulled together from open auditions in the city, and a scene inspired by Salford Star’s real life expose of young people getting chucked out of The Lowry, Innit stages some truths that others would rather sterilize…And you’ll be singing all the way home…1…2…3...4…`Oh we’re all on our way to the slammer, the judge has give us ten years under his hammer…but for us inner city boys crime is like us having toys…’
Sun 19 August Coal Mine To Country Park Clifton Country Park’s history 2-4pm free Clifton M27 793 4219 Sat 25 August Winton and District Amateur Horticultural Society 100th Summer Show Classes for flowers, veg, pot plants, children’s etc 2pm, free Further details, 790 3838 Patricroft United Reform Church, Shakespeare Cres, Eccles M30 Sat 25 August Kersal Dale Action Day 10am-12:30pm meet outside Garden Needs Radford St, off Bury New Rd M7 Call Jo 607 1759 Sun 26 August Car Boot Sale Buile Hill Park Eccles Old Rd 9am (To book a place, £8 per car, call Brenda 07968 327 107) Wed 29 August Medals and Tokens of Bolton Talk by Cliff Stockton Salford Local History Society 7:30pm £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 736 7306
www.salfordstar.com
Sun 9 September Halls and Houses of The Height Special walk for Heritage Open Days See the old houses of Salford’s `Merchant Princes’ Approx 1.5 miles Free Meet 1:30pm outside Height Library, King St Irlams o’th’Height Walk Leader Tony Frankland Thur 6 – 9 September Heritage Open Days (all free) Salford throws open its treasured buildings for rare public glimpses of rooms, crypts and crannies normally closed to the public. For more information and on-line events directory visit www.heritageopendays. org.uk Includes: St Andrew’s Church, Chadwick Rd, Eccles M30 ONZ (Grade 2* listed) open Sat 2-4pm tour 2:30pm St Thomas’s Church, Ford Lane, Pendleton M6 6EP (Gothic style early 19 Century) open Sun 9:30am-5:30pm displays and tours of church, tower and crypt. Salford Lads’ Club, Coronation St, Ordsall M5 3RX (Finest intact example of Edwardian lads’ club in the country and Smiths shrine) open Sat 12-4pm, Sun 12-4pm (also see feature on Street of 1000 children) Sacred Trinity, corner Chapel St and Blackfriars St M3 5DW (Salford’s original church dates back to when it was rebuilt in1752) Open Thurs - Sun 12-4pm with children’s activities on Sat and guided tours. St Philip with St Stephen’s Church, St Philip’s Place M3 6BS (Grade 2* listed designed in Greek style, very unusual in Salford) Organ recitals, children’s activities and crypt tours Open Fri 2-8pm, Sun 11am-1pm Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel
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Park, The Crescent M5 4WU Open Sat and Sun 1-5pm with special talks: Sat 2pm &3pm– When Queen Victoria Came To Visit. 2:15pm Secrets of Salford Museum, 3:15pm Lark Hill Place In Chains. Local History Library also open. Ordsall Hall, Ordsall Lane M5 3AN (Grade 1 listed Tudor mansion) Open Sat and Sun 1-4pm with guided tours of the East Wing, not currently open to the public (also see Shiver Me Timbers feature) Sun 23 September Weaste Cemetery Walk Walk celebrating 150 years of history at the cemetery Meet Weaste Cemetery, Cemetary Rd, off Eccles Old Rd 1:30pm Walk Leader Layla Pyke
FESTIVALS Sun 26 August Salford Show Fairground, stalls, music and the annual Dog Show Buile Hill Park Eccles Old Rd 12-4pm free
Mon 27 August Winton Village Festival and Car Boot Sale Brown Cow Hotel 319 Worsley Rd, Winton M30 8BW 789 5345 10am-4pm free Mon 27 August Irlam and Cadishead Community Festival Prince’s Park, Liverpool Rd, Irlam M44 12:30 – 4:30pm fireworks 8:45pm free Live music, craft, stalls, displays, chainsaw artist, BMX workshop, army assault course, food and car boot sale. Further details 606 6786 Sat 1 September Broughton Trust Festival and Fun Day Albert Park, Lower Broughton 708 0116 Agility dogs, go karts, climbing wall plus lots of stalls and attractions, all free 12- 4pm Sun 2 September Victoria Park Friendship Day Live music, entertainers, activities, food and magic 12-3pm free Chorley Rd, Swinton
DAY BY DAY GUIDE TO FAB SUMMER HOLIDAYS KIDS AND FAMILY FUN Big Wild Read All Summer 85 events for children aged 0-12 inc Rainforerst Roadshow at all Salford’s libraries www.salford.gov.uk/libraries Until June 2008 Giant Tudor Galleon Hands on pirate ship Upstairs at Ordsall Hall Free (see feature) Mon-Fri 10am – 4pm Sun 1-4pm Ordsall Hall Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251 www.salford.gov.uk/museums Trinity Youth Theatre Project Every Saturday Sacred Trinity Church Chapel Street/Blackfriars Road Free Contact Phil 07980 116331
Wed 3 – Sun 14 October Salford Food and Drink Festival Across the city www.visitsalford.info/foodanddrink
Oliver’s Youth Club and Amber Project’s Internet Club @CREST Starts 20 July and runs through school holidays every Mon, Wed, Fri Fully supervised I hourly sessions per computer 11am-4pm free CREST, Concord Place, Douglas Green, Charlestown 745 7025 Turn up and Tap Every Tuesday The Lowry, Salford Quays 08707875780 Beginners 6:30pm (£3), Intermediate 7:70pm (£4), Advanced 8:45pm (£4.50) The Studio www.thelowry.com Playhouse Youngsters create your own art Every Saturday 11am – 12.30pm Tickets £3 (£1.50 Salford residents) The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 7875780 www.thelowry.com Family Sunday Every Sunday free drop in art 11am – 3 pm The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 7875780 www.thelowry.com Sun 12, 26 & 27 August Car Boot Sale Buile Hill Park Eccles Old Rd 9am (To book a place, £8 per car call Brenda 07968 327 107) all proceeds to fund community events in park
PENDLETON’S GAME OF LIFE
As Pendleton gets a tart up, the options and arguments are to be made into a musical this summer at Salford Arts Theatre, starring giant cats, a cheesy gameshow host and loads of people from the area…
S
alford Precinct:The Musical ? Maybe not. Towerblock blues ? Maybe. As the debates rage about the future of Pendleton – some sort of Urban Splash imperialism or a makeover in the people’s interest ? – Salford Arts Theatre is trying to make sense of it all by taking the subject to another all dancing, all singing showbiz dimension. Against the backdrop of a tv show hosted by the Brucey-a-like Dan Winters, two families - the Pendletons and the Langworthys – battle it out in The Game of Life, as they grapple with the issues of regeneration. “One family wants it and one family doesn’t, and the show basically sets out to answer a lot of questions that recur about regeneration” says Stephanie Pearce of Salford Arts Theatre, which itself sits under threat at the centre of Pendleton’s future plans.
and against the regeneration, and at the end the audience decides.” The contrasting views of the families are going to be reinforced by their talking pets, which will be giant cat and dog puppets verbally ripping into each other live on stage. The whole thing sounds fab, and it’s going to be performed free to the community in the first week of September. But before then, anyone with a connection to Pendleton is being invited to take part in the production – either singing and dancing on stage, working the puppets or doing behind the scenes things like make-up and wardrobe. “There’s no limit on age and you don’t have to be able to sing or dance or have any theatre skills, as we’ll be taking people through free classes in everything, even puppetry” says Stephanie “All we ask is that people be available for the last three weeks in August when we’ll be doing rehearsals.“
“It’s not going to be on the side of the Council or the side of the Salford Star” Stephanie adds 72 “The play is going to take a neutral position, for
There are limited places so get in touch with Salford Arts Theatre as soon as poss on 737 2188 or 925 0111. And you could be that cool cat giving the planners a good clawing…with all your mates cheering you on. The Game of Life: Through The Mill runs at the Salford Arts Theatre, Westerham Avenue, off Liverpool Street, M5 4AD Thur 6– Sat 8 September 7:30pm. Tickets are free to Pendleton residents. Further info: 737 2188 / 925 0111
www.salfordstar.com
The Street Of 1000 Children
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04 children living in just 60 homes earned Rudman Street the title ‘The Street of 1000 Children’. Now half demolished, the street has been ‘recreated’ by artists Leslie Homes and Lawrence Cassidy at Salford Lads Club. The exhibition boasts a layout of the old street covering virtually the whole floor space with names and occupations of the people who lived in the houses. It also includes archives of the families from when it was first built in 1903, digitally enlarged family albums and super 8-film footage Mon 30 July & 6,13, 20 August Mosaic Making Workshops Help create ceramic mural for the park Clifton Country Park 1-3pm free drop in 793 4219 Mon 30 July – Fri 31 August (exc weekends and bank hols) Multisports at Salford Sports Village 8-16 year olds 11am-1pm/2-4pm free Salford Sports Village Littleton Rd Further info Carol or Richard 743 9713/07851 426 491 Mon 30 July 6, 13, & 20 August Ordsall Play Trails around the park Ordsall Park Ages 5-12 10am-12noon, 1-3pm free Craven Drive M5 873 7538 Mon 30 July – Fri 31 August (exc weekends and bank hols) Multisports at Albion High School 8-16 year olds 11am-1pm/2-4pm free Further info Carol or Richard 743 9713/07851 426 491 Mon 30 July – Fri 31 August (exc weekends and bank hols) Multisports at Strawberry Rd 8-16 year olds 11am-1pm/2-4pm free Strawberry Rd games area Further info Carol or Richard 743 9713/07851 426 491
featuring ex-families from the street. ‘Losing everything makes you an exile in life’ state the exhibition’s creators, who aim to examine the importance of Salford’s redbrick streets and communities within them. They urge future generations to hold on to as many red brick streets as possible, as they are being demolished in the current regeneration process. Were you one of the 1000 children that lived on Rudman Street? Pop along to the exhibition and relive some old memories
Mon 30 July – Fri 31 August (exc weekends and bank hols) Multisports at Douglas Green Park 8-16 year olds 11am-1pm/2-4pm free Douglas Green Park Charlestown Further info Carol or Richard 743 9713/07851 426 491 Tues 31 July & 7,14,21,28 August Play Out Bug hunting, mask making, snails trails Winton Park Ages 5-10 10am-noon, 1-3pm free Dover St M30 873 7438 Tues 31 July, 7, 14, 21 & 28 August Charlotte’s Web Morning play activities Clowes Park Ages 5-10 10am-12noon free Meet next to playground Old Hall Rd, Broughton 873 7538 Wed 1 & 15 August The Victorian Schoolroom Booking required £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821 Wed 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 August Archery Ordsall Hall 1-3pm 50p for 3 arrows Ordsall Hall Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251
and input your information of life on the street. Salford Lids (Mike and Jane) are also recording audio stories throughout the exhibition that will be made into a pod cast available to download from the website later in the year. The Street of 1000 Children at Salford Lads Club Heritage Weekend Open Days Saturday / Sunday September 8th -9th 12-4pm Free Jo Fountain
Thurs 2, 9,16, 23 &30 August Stay and Play Giant chess, maypole dancing and games Buile Hill Park Ages 5-10 1-3pm free Eccles Old Rd 873 7438 Thurs 2, 9, 16, 23 &30 August Bug Out ! Messy, sticky play Mandley Park Ages 5-8 1-2:30pm free Leicester Rd, M7 873 7438 Thurs 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 August Pottery classes Booking required £2 Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251 Thurs 2,9,16 &23 August Sports Thursdays Football, cricket, rounders etc Victoria Park Ages 5-12 10am-noon, 1-3pm free Chorley Rd, Swinton 873 7438 Thurs 2,9,16 &23 August Charmed Make charms and wind chimes Victoria Park Ages 5-12 Meet at Gazebo 10am-noon, 1-3pm free Chorley Rd, Swinton 873 7438
www.salfordstar.com
Throughout August Super Naturalist Trail Activity trail with clues Clifton Country Park family & ages 5-12 free 1-4pm £5 deposit for pack 793 4219 Every Wed throughAugust and Bank Hol Mon 27 Art Zone Make your own art in the galleries free 12-3pm The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 7875780 www.thelowry.com Thur 2, 9, 16 & 23 August Bugs Life Cadishead Park Games and bug trails Ages 5-10 10am-noon free Meet Cadishead Community Centre 873 7538 Fri 3, 17 & 31 August Caterpillar Story Tent Victoria Park Ages 0-6 11am-noon free Bring picnic Chorley Rd, Swinton 873 7438 Sun 5 &19 August Concert In The Park Victoria Park Bandstand 2-4pm free Chorley Rd, Swinton 873 7438 Mon 6 &13 August Caterpillar Story Tent Bug stories for 0-6 year olds Ordsall Park 10-11am free Craven Drive M5 0161 873 7538
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Mon 6 – Fri 10 August Create A Play In 5 Days Lowry Theatre Summer School Ages 7-14 10am-5pm £80 (£50 Salford res) The Lowry, Salford Quays 0870 7875780 www.thelowry.com Mon 6 August Victorian Toys Make your own toys Booking required £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821 Mon 6 August Pirate Hats and Eye Patches Make your own 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 Drop-in £1 Ordsall Hall Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251
Mon 6 – 10 August CandoCo Dance Workshops Develop contemp dance performance skills. Ages 12-18 (disabled/non-disabled) 11am. For price phone 786 1926 Oakwood Youth Club Oakwood High School, Chatsworth Rd Eccles Tues 7, 14, 21 & 28 August Play Out Snail trails, quizzes and play Peel Park Ages 5-12 1:30-3pm free Meet next to playground Little Hulton M38 0161 873 7538 Fri 10 August Teddy Bears Picnic Under 5s and small bears 11am-12:30pm free Worsley Woods Meet at Beesley Green Comm Centre Off Greenleach Lane M28 0161 793 4219 Sat 11 August Art Club Inspired by Monet’s Haystack Over 16s 2-4pm free Blackleach Country Park Walkden M28 793 4219
Partying By The Irwell…
Sun 12 August Indian Dance Days Indian Folk Dance 10am – 11.30am; Bharatanatyam (Classical dance from South India) 11.30am – 1pm; Contemporary Indian Dance 2pm – 3.30pm; Kathak (Classical dance from North India) 3.30pm – 5pm Tickets £3 per session or £6 for the whole day Age 10+ with some dance experience The Lowry, Salford Quays 08707875780 www.thelowry.com Sun 12 August Just Jazz Live jazz at Blackleach Country Park Family event free 2-4pm Walkden M38 0161 793 4219 12 August & 2 September Bike Rides Walking, riding and healthy snacks Free family event 11am-2pm Meet outside Irlam Pool 606 6771 Mon 13 August Mystery Victorian Objects Booking required £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
Tues 14 Aug – Mon 3 Sept Oliver’s Youth Club and the Amber Project’s Cycle Rides Through The Irwell Valley Further details Graham 745 7025 Tues 14 August In The Picture Create your own message in a bottle Drop-in 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821 Thur 16 August Teddy Bears Picnic Bring bear and butties Ordsall Park Ages 0-6 10:30am at Ordsall Library or 11am – noon in the park 873 7538 Fri 17 August Desert Island Scenes Create your own silhouette 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 £1 Ordsall Hall Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251
While mainstream dance music has sold its soul for cash, Seedley based DJ movement, Silky Productions, are bringing back affordable clubbing with a heart. Mike Roberts checks out how this dance organisation, which has partied around the globe, is now getting Salford swinging by the Irwell…
At the Riverscape Club, above The Old Pint
Pot pub on The Crescent, Silky Productions are rapidly establishing themselves as Salford’s top dance experience. In early July, to celebrate its 9th birthday Silky played host to world class DJ line up which included Hacienda/New Order maestro, Peter Hook and Euphoria duo Ric P and Rennie. And later this year, Silky is collaborating with clubland sensation, La Vita – massive at Hush in Ibiza this summer – for more parties at the venue, beginning on October 6th. Yet Silky’s co-founders, Shaun de Bauch and Blendmaster Segue, remain true to the values at the centre of dance culture’s underground roots. They’ve spent almost a decade bringing clubbers and good causes together, organising a series of benefits that promote unity, which began with a celebration of the life of Tony de Vit, the Godfather of Hard House. “It started really just when he passed away” remembers Shaun “He was one of the first DJs to travel around the world and he’d actually played in Cairns - where we were which is in North Queensland, Australia. We
put on a tribute party and that ethos has remained - we try to give back as much as possible.” Back in Salford, Silky did a live outdoor set at the Amber Project’s Party In The Park in July. “We’re pretty flexible with our music” says Shaun “House, breakbeat, chill out…we were playing drum n’ bass in Corfu last summer, and held an MC competition, which was insane – at our 8th birthday party about 25 MCs turned up off Kavos High Street and freestyled on the mic.” Though Silky began life on the other side of the world, they’ve got strong local connections and are now back on home ground. “One side of my family is Salfordian, three generations of dockers,” says Blendmaster. And Shaun’s granddad’s also from the city. These roots have provided inspiration for our new tune Pride Of A City…”
the birth of the Silky Sisters parties, and an Earthdance collaboration with 808 State and A Guy Called Gerald during a series of one-off events at places like Manto, Dry, Centro and The King’s Arms. “The Riverscape Club is probably the best place we’ve found” says Blendmaster “They’re open to it which is really important”. Silky Productions have arrived in Salford and are all set to get the party vibed up… Silky Productions present La Vita at the Riverscape Club October 6th – all profits to Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research. The line up includes Silky Sisters Millie, Claire Powell and Sinead. Tickets £5 available from The Old Pint Pot or, for paying guest list e-mail silky@planet-save. com
Their return that has already brought about
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WOC ‘N RATS Strange stuff is going down on Cow Lane with a series of mad art events…
You never know what to expect from the
intriguing Live Art WOC…you just get an e-mail flyer with a surreal image inviting you to be at a venue, with a prompt start time, and a few lines which may or may not describe the event… The last such flyer, for Kevin Linnane’s Bare Baiting, arrived with a drawing of a bear trap, promising that fantasy and reality will collide as Beauty and the Beast `slug it out’ at The Fridge in Cow Lane Studios, at the side of the old T&G Building on The Crescent. So we turn up, prompt, to find a ring of straw, a fiddle player and a bloke dressed in top hat and black feathered coat telling us to get a free mug of cider from the bar. A guy in a bear mask and a girl with red hair enter the ring for a five round contest where anything goes – they splatter porridge on each other, they arm wrestle, they get wrapped in toilet
roll – they cheat, their trainers insult the opposition, the red haired girl is declared the winner and then it’s over. Bizarre. This is part of what WOC calls `an evolving programme of live art and performance…an opportunity for debate and discussion of work in this field’. And why not ? Anything out of the ordinary is worth checking out and this is well out of the ordinary. The next Live Art WOC event is called Vermin by Adela Jones and all they’ll tell us about it is that it’s a `pest control centre’… Shades of Room 101 ? Dunno, you’ll have to turn up to find out…expect the unexpected.
Vermin is at The Fridge, Cow Lane Studios, Cow Lane, M5 4NB Fri 28th September 7pm (prompt!) – it’s not called `The Fridge’ for nothing, wear something really warm. Free entrance. For further details or to get on the e-mailing list liveartwoc@hotmail.co.uk or check out the blogspot http://liveartwoc.blogspot. com/ Phone:077197 32157
Tues 21 August Shields and Crowns Create your own Drop-in 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
Wed 29 August Victorian Greetings Cards Make your own Booking required £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
Tuesdays
Wed 22 & 29 August Earthwatchers Outdoor activities Blackleach Country Park Ages 5-12 2-4pm free Meet at Visitors Centre Walkden M28 0161 793 4219
Thur 30 August Little Bears’ Hunt Bring bear and butties Prince’s Park Under 5s 1-3pm free Liverpool Rd, Irlam M44 0161 873 7538
Langworthy Cornerstone 10.30-11.30am Meet at: 9.45am in the café. Walk. Leaders: Pricilla, Jackie.
Wed 22 August Victorian Toys Make your own Booking required £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821 Thur 23 August Pirate Themed Door Hangers Create your own 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 £1 Ordsall Hall, Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251 Fri 24 August Teddy Bears Picnic Under 5s and small bears 11am-12:30pm free Kersal Moor Meet outside St Paul’s Church Moor Lane M7 0161 793 4219 Sat 25 August Oliver’s Youth Club and Amber Project’s Whit Lane Olympics Douglas Green Park, Whit Lane Further details Graham/Rachel 745 7025 Tues 28 August Puppet Making Knights and Queens Drop-in 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 £1 Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
Buile Hill Park 10.00 - 10.45am Meet 9.45am at front of Old Lancashire Mining Museum, Buile Hill Park. Walk Leaders: Brenda and Jane.
Thur 30 August A Noble Quest Mystery trail around galleries All day drop-in Free Salford Museum and Art Gallery Peel Park, Crescent M5 4WU 778 0821
Monton 10.00 -11am Meet 9.45am outside Monton Unitarian Church Walk Leaders: Jo, Paul
Worsley 10.00 - 11.00am Meet 9.45am Worsley Court House Barton Road Walk Leaders: Walter, Gordon, and Gordon. (Salford Heart Care Group). Swinton 11:30-12:30 Meet 11:15am at Games Hut, Victoria Park Walk Leader: Neil Baker contact Neil Baker 790 8219 Sundays Eccles/ Monton 10.00 – 11.00am Meet Monton Unitarian Church contact Elizabeth Charnley, Walk Leader07979 232 817 or health walkeccles@btinternet.com
Wednesdays
Thur 30 August Pirate Money Purses Create your own 10:30am, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:30 £1 Ordsall Hall, Ordsall Lane M5 872 0251
Ordsall 10.00-11am Meet 9.45am at Community Café, Tatton Street Walk Leaders: Jo, Charlotte
SUMMER WALKS Health Walks (contact Jo Bennett 873 7538 for further details of any health walk) Mondays Irlam Moss 10.00 - 11.00am Meet: 9.45am at various places Walk Leaders: Susan, Jean, Irene, Joan, Eunice, Marie, Nancy, Delia and Anita. Boothstown 2pm – 3pm Meet at: Boothstown Community Centre Standfield Drive, Boothstown, M28 2QW Walk Leaders: Neil and Cllr Christine Gray Contact Neil Baker 7908219
Little Hulton 10.00 –11am Meet 9.45am at St Pauls Peel Parish Hall. Walk Leaders: Jay, Liz
Fridays
Higher Broughton 10.30-11.30am 1st and 3rd Wed in month Meet 10.15am at the Higher Broughton Resource Centre Walk Leaders: Billy Thursdays Clifton Country Park 10.15 - 11.15am Meet 10.10am Visitors Centre Walk Leaders: Jo, Walter, Gordon
FOOTBALL FIXTURES Salford City FC Moor Lane, Kersal £5 (£2) Further details: official website www. salfordcityfc.com Supporters’ website www.salfordcitymad. co.uk 792 6287 Tues 14 August v Formby 7:45pm Sat 25 August v Atherton Colleries 3pm Tues 28 August v Glossop NE 7:45pm Sat 8 Sept v Flixton 3pm
Blackleach Country Park 10.00-11.00am Meet 9.45am at Visitors Centre off Hill Top Road, Bolton Road, Walkden. Walk Leaders: Phil, Derek, Richard.
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