There’s a business support event on at Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre today, 10.00-13.00.
Apologies for the late notice, we weren’t aware of the event in advance.
There’s a business support event on at Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre today, 10.00-13.00.
Apologies for the late notice, we weren’t aware of the event in advance.
From humble beginnings in an early-Lockdown kitchen, Witch Kings Rum founders Maxi & Biz have finally secured their first bar location at 312 Slade Lane, Levenshulme!
Previously known & loved as community-hub The Gherkin, the site is now under entirely new ownership & management, with an ethereal & bohemian-themed renovation currently in development for the Witch Kings bar launch this August 2023.
The Witch Kings themselves are immortal creatures from the world between worlds, conjuring up delicious creations to suit the needs of their society. While roaming the forest one day, Maxi & Biz stumbled upon their magical portal, and traded their ukulele songs for a few fresh & fruity elixir recipes. Thus began the tale, and now the duo seek to share these potions with the world!
The brand has spent the last 3 years honing its fresh rum-based cocktail offerings in a range of pop-up events across Manchester, hosting over 100 local musicians and collaborating with other artisan brands to create beautiful and eclectic events.
The debut full-time Witch Kings space will continue to feed the fun-loving vibes, with cocktails, mocktails, smoothies and soft drinks all designed and produced in-house by their liquid flavour mages.
Maxi’s restaurant & menu design background will introduce an inclusive & balanced selection of light bites & social snacks, while Biz is expanding the musical offering to include DJs, making the most of the site’s soundproofing.
The existing 6 craft beer taps will be kept in operation, and extensive no-and-low ABV options (including in-house brewed live Tepache, home-made cola, and their famous hibiscus lemonades) will ensure there is something for everyone at Witch Kings!
Grounded MCR are fundraising to create a new cafe and much more in Cringle Park.
You can find out more and donate on the Aviva Community Fund page HERE.
The fundraising closes at 13.00 on 26 June 2023.
“We plan to renovate a 40-foot shipping container café, turning it into a community café and event space, with a barista training area for vulnerable adults. We want to continue to provide free, activity-focused and educational events in our local park – to benefit the diverse community.
We’ve got big plans. The new space will give us room to train additional vulnerable adults such as ex-offenders, create a mini allotment and gardening club, have space for sports/activities clubs to meet, support/peer-to-peer groups to hang out, an area for local makers to display their wares plus a small zero waste shop in the future. The café menu will consist of dishes created from rescued food, destined for landfill, which will help keep prices down and ensure inclusivity for those on low income.
Grounded MCR
Who are Grounded MCR?
Grounded MCR CIC is a social enterprise serving specialty coffee, hot and cold drinks and locally sourced treats from a bespoke trike. We employ vulnerable adults with poor mental health, training them in barista/hospitality skills. We support local bakers; buy our coffee from a local roastery who pay farmers properly, and offer local makers/crafters opportunities to grow their own businesses via our platforms.
“We have gathered a huge amount of anecdotal feedback about our multi-faith, multi-faceted community and how to understand their wants and needs.
My wife Kerry and I (founders), are experienced in hospitality, PR/marketing/advertising, charity work and have both suffered with very poor mental health, which puts us in a unique position to make our business model work. Redundancy, adopting a child and Covid gave us an opportunity to start Grounded MCR, in the hope that it would allow us to use our skills to help improve ours and our employees’ mental health. The last 18 months has proved the combo of (specialty) coffee, conversation and community can help solve anything!
We try to be as inclusive as possible when hosting events and have worked with:
Nat, grounded MCR
-Children with additional needs/SEN
-Parents and babies/toddlers
-Marginalised groups – LGBTQ+
-Non-English speakers
-Low income families
-Vulnerable adults (specifically those with long standing mental health issues
Timeout has included Bopcap Books in its list of the Best 14 Independent Shops in Manchester.
Timeout says:
Bopcap Books in Levenshulme sits inside the famous Levenshulme Antiques Village and sells a carefully curated collection of books and ephemera (posters, magazines etc) across art, photography, design, pop culture, children’s books and illustration, cinema, fashion, the occult and cult fiction, beat lit, crime noir, graphic novels and pulp fiction. Find books by local authors or order online.
Timeout listing of bopcap books
Absolutely well deserved praise for Bopcap Books. Congratulations to Suzy Prince and Ian Lowey.
Bopcap Books is open:
Station South will be open soon.
The self-described “destination cycle café, bar and urban garden” has undergone a comprehensive renovation over the past several years.
We understand Station South will open to the public on 1 April with a soft launch leading up to the full opening.
Levenshulme business Wire Fence supplied gabions for a garden makeover on ITV’s Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh.
The gabions were used extensively to create retaining walls, a kitchen area and a water feature. The brief was for a Mediterranean style garden that was stylish and met the needs of the family creating an oasis that they could all enjoy.
“We were excited when we got contacted by ITV with the opportunity to supply our gabion cages to the show. James and his family seem like wonderful and hard working people and we are happy that we could play a part in surprising them with this beautiful garden. Alan Titchmarsh and his team did an amazing job as always, and it was a pleasure to collaborate with them in this project.“
Wire Fence Team
Read more about the project HERE
Wire Fence stock over 100 types of mesh for any residential and commercial use. They are located on Barlow Road in Levenshulme.
Station South, the new cafe and cycling business that has been evolving in the old Levenshulme South Station building for several years, has a new opening date.
Station South Directors Abigail Pound, Mark Jermyn and Pauline Johnston say:
“We’re primed for opening in the Spring of 2022. Finally! We cannot wait. Thanks for sticking by us on this long-haul journey, we’ll be in touch again soon with more progress to report.”
The next phase comes through to the end of 2021 is described as:
“This final phase of building works will deliver some of the big vision changes that the team have been working hard to secure funding for like the retention of level access throughout the building and heritage features like the ‘viewing platform’.”
“The £400K contract includes work to open up the back windows of the old train station, restoring the original wooden frame reglaze the section which is currently corrugated metal. This will let abundant light and nature pour into the unique space and allow our customers to watch the world go by on the Fallowfield Loop with a brew in their hands. The dream!”
Find out more HERE
Levenshulme Market has secured its future for the next four years following approval of their planning application.
Planning permission has been granted for the the Market to operate for another four years. Although the market had originally hoped to extend its operation throughout the year and add Sunday markets and more Friday night markets to what it does the application has ended up with arrangements pretty much the same as are currently in place.
There is a blog post on the Levenshulme Market website by Richard Hirst, Market Manager, outlining their experience in securing the renewed operating permission. The post outlines with some frustration the bureaucracy involved, delays, and lack of support from both Manchester City Council and local councillors.
Although this experience does not appear to have been particularly positive for Levenshulme Market the main positive is that the future of the market has been secured at the heart of Levenshulme for several years to come.
“Levenshulme Market is here for another four years. Which is great news and an enormous relief. But the lesson for us is that, while Levenshulme Market may be thriving – with thousands of customers each week, awards under its belt, generating enormous high street footfall, organising financial projects to support our local area – there’s no assurance it won’t find its future at risk once again. We dearly hope we won’t have a repeat of this ordeal in future, but in four years’ time you could once again be called on to help- keep Levenshulme Market open.”
Levenshulme Market blog post, 12 july 2021
You can also read a report of Levenshulme Market’s success in securing its future in the MEN HERE
Levenshulme Market runs from March to December. Current dates are available HERE
Business engagement and consultation
Please see below a message from Cath Keane, Neighbourhood Liaison Manager at the MCC Highways Service and part of the Active Neighbourhood team, regarding an event for local businesses. This is welcome and follows up on a previous commitment for further engagement.
Please draw this to the attention of any businesses in the area so they can take part.
Manchester City Council held formal consultation around a scheme to make walking and cycling easier and safer in Levenshulme. We also held a number of face to face on line events which allowed people to have their say on the suggested measures. These events were well attended and gave around 170 people the chance to have their say, while more than 3,500 others have responded through our website.
However, we felt that people attending these on line events did not fully represent all of the business community in Levenshulme, and for this reason, we are reaching out to offer an additional event to ensure local businesses are aware of the scheme and have the chance to have their say.
Although the formal consultation end date has passed, we are still keen to receive feedback for the next six months as this will inform any final, permanent measures which could be implemented.
If you or representatives from your organisations would be interested in attending an on line event about the trial in Levenshulme, please email levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk.
If you would find it useful to have an interpreter at the on line event, please let us know and we can arrange it.
The event date will be confirmed in the near future and we will send details to everyone who has emailed us to request an invite. To join the meeting, you will need a laptop or smart phone . A link will be sent which you can click and join.
Please use the levyburnageproject@manchester.gov.uk email address if you have any other queries concerning this scheme. Further information about Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhoods scheme is also availabe on our website at www.manchester.gov.uk
We look forward to hearing from you.
Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood Business Engagement Event
The Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood website is available HERE
Suzy Prince, co-owner of Bopcap Books in the Antiques Village, has an article in the Guardian reflecting on the pandemic and a trend and determination of people to shop locally.
“In Greater Manchester, there’s… anger about recent events, and for some people, overtly buying from independent businesses has become an act of defiance, of sorts.”
“…it seems clear that people want change and are prepared to go out of their way to achieve it. A world with far fewer cafes, bars and independent shops in it would be a considerably duller place. Let’s hope the will that has emerged over the last few months to keep our high streets alive lasts far beyond the pandemic. Amid all the gloom, I think the signs are strong.”
Go to Bopcap Books website HERE
You can read the full article HERE