Friends of the Fallowfield Loop

Autumn clean-up of the Loop

October 23, 2018 by Julian

An autumn clean-up of the Loop has taken place over the past weekend (20th and 21st October), almost exactly six months after a similar event in the spring. Fortunately the weather was warm and dry on both days which made for pleasant conditions! As previously, volunteers started from The Quadrants, Levenshulme on both days and headed east on the Saturday and west on the Sunday. The task was over by 1 p.m. on each day which was partly due to the fact that the Whalley Range Scouts took responsibility for some of the Loop at the St Werburgh’s Road end and The Abbey Hey Neighbourhood Forum did the same for the Fairfield end. It was also helped by the fact that there was only about 40% of the litter collected this time and there were no blatant fly-tips to be dealt with. The detailed statistics were as follows (where the numbers in brackets are the corresponding numbers for the spring clean-up):

Number of volunteers participating Saturday = 15 (20).
Number of volunteers participating Sunday = 8 (17).
Number of volunteers participating more than once = 3 (8).
Total volunteer-days = 23 (38).
Total volunteers participating = 20 (29).
Number of bags filled on Saturday (Levenshulme to Fairfield) = 26 (61).
Number of bags filled on Sat/Sunday (Levenshulme to St Werburgh’s) = 28 (65).
Total bags of litter collected = 54 (126).

These figures only tell half the story as they don’t take into account the amount of litter picked up in the months prior to these events. Undoubtedly there was significantly less removed before this clean-up as compared to the previous one; we hope that this all points to the Loop becoming less littered!

Posted in Litter picking, Volunteering |

New “Points of Interest” map

September 12, 2018 by Julian

Members of the Friends have just produced a new and updated “Points of Interest” map! The map has multiple layers which can be turned on or off by the user, showing the route of the Loop and points of interest on or accessible from it. Current map layers are:

Access points
Wildlife and natural features
Public resources and amenities
Landmarks
Historical interest
The railway 1891-1981

The Friends would like to continue to refine and update this over time so if you have suggestions for places to include on this map or notice any necessary corrections then please let us know!

Posted in Accessibility, Art, Geography, History |

Beelines!

September 9, 2018 by Julian

Beelines logo

The Friends have welcomed the Beelines cycling development proposals for Manchester, which have been developed with all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities and “will be the largest joined-up system of walking and cycling routes in the UK”.

Don’t forget that until the end of September there is an online process underway where you can view a map of the first draft of the proposals and zoom in on any areas that may be of interest, adding specific comments relating to development of the scheme. See https://mappinggm.org.uk/ beelines/.

You will probably need to read the instructions to work out how to utilise the map layers and add comments. We encourage all members of the Friends to engage with the consultation and share their views on how the proposals interact with the Loop in particular (and of course – we’d encourage everyone to get involved with the consultation for other routes and areas too)!

Posted in Accessibility |

HandleBards on the Loop

August 1, 2018 by Julian

Yesterday and last Wednesday the Loop acted as a great venue for performances by the HandleBards, a troupe of cycling actors who carry all the set, props and costumes they need to perform extremely energetic, charmingly chaotic and environmentally sustainable Shakespeare plays!

The HandleBards have an all-male and an all-female troupe, and this summer both are touring the UK. On 25th July the Loop therefore hosted the boys performing “Twelfth Night”, and on 31st July it was the girls’ turn to appear, this time to give us “Romeo and Juliet”. Both evenings were blessed with good weather and the Levenshulme Quadrants were awash with bicycles as good crowds turned out.

A large number of volunteers helped everything to run smoothly, so huge thanks to all concerned – and here’s hoping for repeat visits in the future!

Bicycles and crowds

The audience gathers

Actor

Actors

Performance

The crowds

Actors

Posted in Levenshulme, Volunteering |

The year a DLR train visited the Loop

May 28, 2018 by Julian

Here’s an interesting and informative blog post about the visit of a Docklands Light Railway train from London to the Fallowfield Loop back in 1987!

Project Light Rail ticket (source: www.ianvisits.co.uk)

Project Light Rail ticket (source: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk)

Posted in History |

The former Levenshulme South station

May 9, 2018 by Julian

The Friends are delighted by, and fully supportive of, the plans for the former Levenshulme South station, as described in this article in the Manchester Evening News. Here’s hoping these plans progress successfully and come to fruition!

Levenshulme South (photo: Manchester Evening News)

Posted in Levenshulme |

Spring clean-up of the Loop

April 30, 2018 by Julian

A clean-up of the Loop took place over the weekend of 28th and 29th April. Thanks to organiser Charles for this update!

Volunteers principally from the Sustrans Volunteers and the Friends of the Fallowfield Loop took part in the event and over the two days filled bags and bags with litter and collected piles of un-baggable waste. These were left at the side of the track for collection by Sustrans staff with their truck. Fortunately the weather was dry and not too windy although it was unseasonably cold, particularly on the Sunday.

The statistics were:

Number of volunteers participating Saturday = 20
Number of volunteers participating Sunday = 17
Number of volunteers participating Monday = 1
Number of volunteers participating more than once = 8
TOTAL Volunteer-days = 38
TOTAL Volunteers participating = 29
Number of black bags filled on Saturday (Levenshulme to Gorton Reservoir) = 55
Number of black bags filled on Saturday (St Werburgh’s to Withington Road) = 14
Number of black bags filled on Sunday (Levenshulme to Withington Road) = 51
Number of bags filled on Monday (Gorton Reservoir to Fairfield) = 6
TOTAL Bags of litter collected = 126

(N.B. The bags used were large (100-litre) refuse bags equivalent to approx 1.3 bags as used by the council for litter collection.)

Unfortunately not many pictures were taken to record the event as we had our work cut out completing the route. The real record fortunately is on the Loop for everyone to see – it’s looking a real picture!

Posted in Litter picking, Volunteering |

Thursday volunteers continue into 2018!

January 6, 2018 by Julian

Many thanks are due again to Sustrans and the Thursday volunteers who have continued, on the first and third Thursday of every month, to work hard to maintain the Loop and its habitats. Tasks in recent months have included:

woodland thinning at Abbey Hey.
clearing an area of brambles near Nelstrop Road North, to create a wildflower area.
installing the wildlife posts at several Loop entrances.
multiple activities at the Levenshulme quadrants (digging out rubble, removing the remaining stumps of small trees, pruning the large hawthorn and cutting back the surrounding undergrowth – all with a view to having a larger open grassy area that can be kept mown short, and so provide a more useful area for community activities).

For the first outing of 2018, the group was out this past Thursday clearing the already-cut brash that was lying around the Athol Road entrance and consolidating it into habitat piles. As well as making the entrance more attractive, this will give the bulbs planted a year ago a better chance to see the light.

For more information about these task days, which run from 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., please contact us, then Sustrans or those co-ordinating the Thursday events will get back in touch!

Volunteers scything

Volunteer at work

Volunteers raking

Raised beds at Levenshulme quadrants

Levenshulme quadrants

Volunteers at work

Path-widening work

Axe

Volunteer at work

Levenshulme quadrants

Volunteer at work

Volunteers at work

Habitat piles

Volunteers

Brambles near Nelstrop Road North, before clearing

Volunteers at work

Habitat pile

Posted in Volunteering |

Sustrans carries out urgent flood works along brook

September 26, 2017 by Julian

You may have noticed some work being carried out along the Fallowfield Loop, just west of Wellington Road bridge.
Manchester City Council’s Flood team has issued an urgent notice to Sustrans to clear Fallowfield Brook. This requires removal of undergrowth along the banks for about 100m, dredging the stream to clear soil that has gradually washed into the watercourse and pulling this up onto each embankment using a digger. Some trees growing out of the bank and impeding flow will also have to be felled.
Three of the small orchard trees will need to be relocated a short distance, but this will happen when they are dormant.
The Friends of the Fallowfield Loop met with Sustrans today and discussed plans for future planting in the area after the works are complete. We will update you with details as soon as we have more information. Information about the work is also on Sustrans North West’s Facebook page.

Posted in Fallowfield |

List of posts with wildlife carvings

September 18, 2017 by Julian

We reported back in the middle of June on the installation on the Loop of posts (sleepers) with wildlife carvings. Here’s a full list of all the carvings together with the Loop entrances near which they are located!