Community asset provides new home for local theatre

Northenden Players Theatre Club has been part of Northenden village for 75 years. In this anniversary season, they are celebrating getting their own permanent home for the first time.

Originally formed and performing in church rooms on the site of Tesco, they moved to the Boat House on Boat lane, behind The Tatton where they flourished for 50 years. As that building was sold, they were unceremoniously moved on and found another home in the Methodist Church Hall on Victoria Road.

Over the last 12 months, they have been negotiating with the Community Asset Transfer team at Manchester City Council, and with the support of the local councillors, have secured a lease for their own theatre in the old library building. The building has been closed for a number of years but Northenden Players have the energy and enthusiasm to bring it back to life with a new purpose.

Seating around 60 audience members, it could be described as, “cosy” but those who were familiar with the Boat Lane site will know that doesn’t hold back their ambitions. There’s plenty of work to do to convert the building to a facility that the whole community can enjoy but they hope to be up and running for the Christmas play.

Website www.northendenplayers.co.uk or contact the secretary, Andrew Foulkes, on NPTC.secretary@gmail.com 

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Wythenshawe footballer impresses at World Cup

Manchester Health Academy is celebrating former participant, Marcus Rashford playing for England in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Manchester United and England star, Marcus Rashford, attended the Manchester United Foundation Street Reds programme, held at the school’s community sports facility, from the age of 12 until he made his first-team debut for the Reds at the age of 18. The Wythenshawe-born striker is an inspiration to his former players and pupils.

The brainchild of head of PE, Stewart Brown, students enjoyed a week of celebration using the World Cup as a starting point for their lessons.  Mr Brown said: “The World Cup offered a fantastic opportunity for the whole school to get involved.  All students in Years 7-9 attended their timetabled lessons and participated in a cross-curricular week based around the World Cup, for example, writing match reports in English, using match data in maths, and looking at forces and trajectory of the ball in science.  While Rashford does his thing in Russia, we’ll be learning here in Manchester!”

Marcus Rashford was born in 1997 in Wythenshawe and was a pupil at Button Lane Primary School.  He played for Fletcher Moss Rangers as a child, a youth team with a reputation for producing top players.  From the age of 12, Marcus took part in Manchester United Foundation’s Street Reds programme at Manchester Health Academy’s Community Sports facility.  The programme offers free football sessions and alternative activities to young people aged 8 to 18.  Marcus went on to break George Best’s record as the youngest player to score in Europe for Manchester United.

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Championing local food and drink producers

Real Lives Wythenshawe is showcasing local businesses involved in the food and drink industry through a publicity campaign entitled Wythenshawe Hamper.

The campaign aims to increase awareness of the variety of businesses that are based in Wythenshawe, and the opportunities available for retail, distribution and manufacturing companies that may be considering a base in the area.

Thirteen companies have already lent their support, from well-established larger businesses, to sole traders. Duerr’s, the oldest family-owned jam maker in England, has been making preserves for 135 years and is one of the businesses supporting the initiative.

The jam maker’s latest product innovation is half sugar jam, which contains 50 per cent less sugar than the standard products, aims to reflect modern healthy lifestyles. Three flavours are available initially – strawberry, raspberry, and blackcurrant.

Growing business Zymurgorium, the UK's first craft meadery, recognised the renewed passion for all things gin and now produces the popular Original Manchester Gin. Demand for interesting gins, and people wanting to buy from small producers, has driven a near-20% rise in the total amount of the juniper-flavoured spirit sold in the UK.

Domestic gin sales, reported by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, hit £1.2 billion in 12 months (to Sept 2017), with Brits buying the equivalent of over 47 million bottles of gin. This is up 7 million bottles compared to the same period the previous year. 

A YouGov poll recently found gin is now the most popular spirit with 29% of drinkers voting it their favourite.

The association also reported that sales of artisan brands are up 167%, compared with a 30% rise in mass-produced brands. Zymurgorium director, Aaron Darke, said:

 “The demand for quality, craft gin is showing no sign of slowing – we have a huge demand and have introduced new processes to enable even more efficient production. We’re happy to be part of the Wythenshawe Hamper; it’s about time the spotlight was shone on local businesses that are producing some outstanding products.”

Having commenced operation in Wythenshawe, Zymurgorium has moved recently into new manufacturing premises in Irlam, providing 10,000 square feet of production, distribution and office space.

The Real Food Wythenshawe project has inspired many local people to try their hand at growing their own produce. Darren McKinlay started growing chilli plants in his back garden in Northern Moor as a hobby and agrees that initiatives such as Real Food make a big difference to a community: “It encourages use of fresh, local produce and gives people the confidence to grow their own.”

Darren now produces seven different flavours of chilli jams, two fruit sauces and a tomato chilli sauce, under the brand name of Dude & Dudettes Chilli Jam. He gained his first retail experience at Northenden Hive, a pop-up shop project supported by Northenden Neighbourhood Forum, designed to encourage growing businesses to take their first steps into a high street retail environment.

Organisations involved so far:

• Duerr's
• The Flava People
• Himalayas Tea
• The Authentic Food Co.
• Minara Foods
• Northern Grind
• Zymurgorium
• Dude & Dudettes 
• Real Food Wythenshawe
• Fozz Bee/Wythenshawe Park Beekeepers
• Baby Bonnet Co.
• Juiceworks
• Healthy Food Brands

Wythenshawe food manufacturer creates jobs

Award-winning Wythenshawe based food company, The Authentic Food Co., has recruited 70 new members of staff in Stockport and Sharston after record sales.

Authentic Food is a family-owned frozen food manufacturer that supplies ready meals and snacks to major supermarkets and thousands of restaurants across the UK and Europe.

The company has experienced rapid growth and its turnover has increased by 12% in the year to 31 May 2017. It was recently recognised as one of the UK’s fastest-growing private food and drinks companies in The Grocer’s annual Fast 50 survey.

To fulfil increased demand for its products, the business has recruited for a range of Manchester-based positions including management roles, shift supervisors and quality auditors, as well as various production positions based in its Stockport and Sharston production facilities.

Simon Cowdroy, people director at The Authentic Food Co, said: “We’ve grown significantly in the past few years, but the simple foundations of our success have remained the same: great people, great products and great partners.”

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The airport leads the way in boosting the north west economy

The £1bn Airport Transformation Programme – the largest infrastructure scheme in the north is set to create up to 1,500 jobs. The airport’s on-site academy has joined forces with main contractor, Laing O’Rourke, to deliver a specially-tailored course for those wanting to work on the scheme.

The first cohort of students, has secured roles working on the transformation. All live locally and were out of full-time work before being given the opportunity to work on this project.

Overseeing the first graduation was Manchester Airport’s CEO Andrew Cowan, who said: “I congratulate them on passing their course and securing a job with Laing O’Rourke.

“Our investment in Manchester Airport will give the north the world class international gateway it deserves. But it will also do a huge amount to boost the regional economy by creating jobs, tackling local unemployment and driving up skill levels, ensuring the transformation leaves a legacy.”

Recruitment is continuing for other regional positions, and an early careers event held in February at the Forum, focused on more apprenticeships and placements for young people in trades such as carpentry, and digital engineering, for projects across the north west:

• The MIF Factory – a cultural venue being created in the city centre
• Sir Henry Royce Institute – a centre for advanced materials research and commercialisation
• Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD)
• Metrolink – Trafford Park Line

More than 200 people attended the event, with nine potential employers and training organisations advising.

Approximately 30 new applications have been received by Laing O’Rourke for the apprenticeship vacancies advertised since the event, and several of the other businesses have since held interviews with candidates they met at the event.

Laing O’Rourke is recruiting for apprenticeships in electrical installation, heating and ventilation installation, plumbing, formwork carpentry, steel fixing, and scaffolding.

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