Don’t suffer in silence
One in six people is affected by a degree of hearing loss, which can range from mild impairment to profound deafness. It becomes all too easy for hearing impaired people to stay indoors when communication is difficult, which can lead to isolation and depression. Lipreading helps maintain a vital connection with the outside world. Manchester Centre […]
In the mood for good food?
A social enterprise that’s been feeding hearts and minds in South Manchester celebrates its tenth birthday this year. Good Mood Food is a catering company with a difference. Its food is made fresh every day, using the best ingredients, it delivers hot and cold buffets around Manchester just like all good caterers – but the difference […]
A journey into sound
Trevor Cox’s eyes shine when he talks about sound – there’s genuine excitement and an insatiable hunger to experiment, collect and unlock its secrets. Trevor is Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford and former president of the Institute of Acoustics, which makes him an expert in the world of sonic studies. He’s written for The […]
20th century girl
I took a trip to Planet Vintage Girl to meet Laura Gaither – and got a bit jealous. It all began nearly twenty-five years ago, Laura remembers, with a very old bike. Back in her home town in the US, she rescued it, restored it and grew to love it. It was then that she […]
Mmmm 21: foodie Chorlton
Anyone who really knows Chorlton is well aware that behind all the Evening News’s mischief about hummus and quinoa, it’s actually the best place in the city to shop and eat well. I spoke to a few key foodie players to find out just what makes M21 so tasty.
Winter warmth
Our Victorian ancestors (living in many of the houses we live in now), had it tough. Their bathroom experience when the weather turned colder involved a LOT of shivering. Arms, hands and faces would get a very quick wipe using water (probably cold, unless the fires were already lit) from a jug and bowl on a […]
Chorlton Meadows
June 2015, when I met Dave Bishop, the Chairman of Friends of Chorlton Meadows. Things are about to change in Chorlton Meadows, though perhaps not in a way you’d expect. Dave founded the Friends of Chorlton Meadows with John Agar (a baker at Barbakan) and others in 2006. They felt that the local authority management […]
Are we beach brain-ready?
The recent furore (can I say furore?) about a certain poster campaign has irritated me. Not as much as the hostile ‘get-a-life’ Twitter response from the brand’s marketing manager, of course, but that’s another story. For anyone who may not have seen it – and I’m not going to name the brand – the poster […]
Save our toy shops!
Community Index, September 2014 So which was better: the anticipation or the reality? Going into the toyshop as a child with a bit of birthday money, able to choose whatever you wanted, was wonderful. Think back and you’re probably smiling. Local toyshops are special places and we all remember those we knew and loved. So […]
Time for a Hygge
Sometimes I think the human race is slowly hurling itself off a cliff. We’re all engaged in one enormous, gradual push towards extinction. I read this morning about the World Health Organisation’s prediction that depression will be the biggest health problem in the western world by 2030 – even bigger than obesity, our second favourite […]