We Love MCR Community Response Fund

The We Love MCR charity has set up a fund to provide Covid-19 Community Response Grants. Full information is available HERE

Constituted community groups and organisations with a bank account can apply to this fund for £500 – £3000 for the items, equipment or supplies they need to support their communities in this difficult time.

The application process has been simplified to help get the money out to groups quickly. The application form can be downloaded here:

Completed application forms can be sent to: welovemcrcharity@manchester.gov.uk

Please share this information with groups you are aware of and your wider networks.  WeLoveMCR want to support as many groups and organisations as they can in this time of need. 

Support For Extremely Vulnerable People

Get support as an extremely vulnerable person

Register if you have a medical condition that makes you extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. For example, you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies like food.

If you’re not sure whether your medical condition makes you extremely vulnerable, register anyway.

You can register yourself, or on behalf of someone else.

Start now

Before you start

If you know it, it’s useful to have your NHS number to hand. You can find it on any letter the NHS has sent you or on a prescription.

This service is available in England. If you do not live in England, there’s guidance for:

Prime Minister’s Statement To The Nation

In an address to the nation tonight the Prime Minister has introduced emergency controls and restrictions on people’s movements.

That’s it. We’re in lockdown.

  • All non essential shops will close.
  • Police will enforce restrictions including dispersing gatherings.
  • Only essential travel to / from work allowed.
  • No meetings with more than two people in public.
  • Only essential shopping and medical visits allowed.
  • One form of exercise daily only.

These measures will last for three weeks in the first instance.

The message is stay at home to save lives.

  • View the Prime Minister’s speech HERE
  • Read the full transcript the Prime Minister’s speech HERE
  • Read the full guidance HERE
  • A more detailed list of businesses that must close and those businesses and services that can remain open is available HERE

Levenshulme Creatives Chat Space

Levenshulme is full of wonderful people. Creative people. People who care.

At this difficult time some of the people at LOL (Levenshulme Old Library) are wondering… what do we do now?… how does the Levenshulme creative community respond? We know that the Inspire Centre are doing great stuff supporting the covid-19 response, such as being a rallying point for the Levy Corona Helper mutual aid group.

I’m sure we are all feeling a bit lost still. So… if you are in any way connected to Levenshulme Old Library… or live in Levenshulme and want to think how we can be creative online and safely… Join us for this 1 hour initial webinar and chat.

Hosted by Jez Hall, treasurer at LOL, we will be using Zoom, kindly donated by Shared Future CIC (who have a paid account they have let us use)

If you sign up we can capture your email and that will help us stay together. 

If you can’t make it on the day… don’t fret… there will be other online chats.

No agenda. Nothing expected of you… just come together.
We’ll email a zoom link to you if you sign up

Follow the link to register HERE

Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre Closure

Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre has been closed in line with instructions from the government during the current crisis. A payment freeze has been applied for the duration of the closure.

Better, who operate the centre, has made the following announcement:

“In line with Government instruction, we will be closing all of our Better Leisure Centres and Better Gyms across the UK at the end of Friday 20th March, 2020.

The health and well-being of both our staff and valued customers is paramount. We have a social responsibility to everyone in the local community to take action to protect ourselves and others. 

We would also like to help you during this difficult time by automatically applying a payment freeze for all of our members. A payment freeze means that you retain your membership or lesson/course, but will not have to pay during the period that the centre is closed. That means, whether you have an annual, monthly, pre-paid or pay and play membership or lesson/course your Direct Debit payment will not be collected throughout this period. If you would like to know more about how we’re working to help you, or any other queries, visit our dedicated FAQs page.

We are working closely with local public health authorities and receiving all official updates from the Government. We will keep you up to date on what is happening going forward.”

Levenshulme Coronavirus Banner Revealed at Inspire

Levenshulme Inspire today revealed a coronavirus banner – “Physical Distancing, Social Solidarity” organised with the Levy Corona Helpers group.

This brilliantly reflects the community spirit of Levenshulme and combines a message of caution with solidarity and strength.

You can find support and offer help via the Levy Corona Helpers Facebook group HERE

Manchester City Council Coronavirus Advice

Manchester City Council have now launched a section on their website with advice and information.

School, college and early years closures

News release from the Department for Education

Schools will close from Monday, except for children of key workers and vulnerable children

Published 18 March 2020

From:Department for Education and The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP

Gavin Williamson

After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon, they will remain closed until further notice except for children of key workers and vulnerable children, as part of the country’s ongoing response to coronavirus.

Examples of these workers include NHS staff, police and supermarket delivery drivers who need to be able to go to work to support the country’s fight to tackle coronavirus. Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those with Education, Health and Care Plans – a legal document that describes a child’s special educational needs and the support they require.

Children who do not fall into these groups should remain at home with appropriate care.

Where schools are unable to look after these children, local authorities will work with the Department for Education’s regional teams to ensure an alternative option is available in the same area.

Registered early years providers, including childminders, private schools and sixth forms should also follow this guidance. We will provide financial support for these settings as required.

Where possible, we would encourage settings to also look after key workers’ children and vulnerable children throughout the Easter holidays.

The scientific advice shows that these settings are safe for this small number of children to continue attending – but asking others to stay away will help us to slow the spread.

To lift the pressure on schools themselves and to allow them to focus on supporting those children who need it most, Ofsted will cease all inspections of schools and colleges with immediate effect.

We will not go ahead with primary school assessments or secondary exams this summer, and we will not be publishing performance tables.

We will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications they need.

We recognise that many special schools and residential settings will need to continue to look after their pupils.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Fighting Coronavirus and protecting the vulnerable and our NHS are the Government’s top priorities right now. That’s why we are asking schools, nurseries and colleges to close – except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers.

We are facing increasingly extraordinary circumstances, but by asking schools to support our key workers and vulnerable children I am confident we will help beat this virus.

I am deeply grateful for the civic spirit and dedication of everyone working in education, and I will continue to provide my full support throughout this crisis.

To support children eligible for free school meals, schools will be able to provide meals or vouchers for supermarkets or local shops.

The government has also confirmed that the total value of vouchers offered to each eligible child per week will exceed the rate it pays to schools for free school meals, recognising that families will not be buying food in bulk and may therefore incur higher costs. The final amounts will be confirmed shortly via guidance for schools.

Effective immediately, schools will be able to order vouchers directly from supermarkets or shops in their communities to be emailed or printed and posted to families, and they will have their costs covered by the Department for Education.

We know that many universities and other higher education institutions are already taking necessary steps to keep their staff and students safe. We are confident vice-chancellors are making the right decisions and the Department for Education continues to support them in doing so.

To support nurseries at this time, the Chancellor has also decided that they will also now be eligible for a business rates holiday for one year. That means non-local authority providers of childcare will pay no business rates in 2020-21, from 1 April.

Local authorities will be fully compensated for the cost of this measure. We are applying the Barnett formula to this additional support in England. 

Guidance for local authorities on the application of the holiday will be published by MHCLG shortly.

DfE enquiries

Central newsdesk020 7783 8300

General enquiries0370 000 2288

Handwashing techniques

How to wash your hands effectively with either soap and water or alcohol hand rub.

Levenshulme Market Cancellations

Notice from the Levenshulme Market Team:

Hello everyone.

Due to yesterday’s advice from the government we have taken the decision to cancel the rest of our markets for the month of March.

This means there will sadly be no birthday party Night Market this Friday, and no Saturday market on 28th March.

We’re awaiting further clarification on whether it will be possible to continue with our events in Levenshulme in the coming months. The situation is very much a live one at present and making any concrete decisions for our future is deeply challenging. But as a community hub our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our customers, traders and staff.

The situation we find ourselves in comes as a huge blow both to the market and to our traders. Markets exist due to small businesses born out of passion and dedication whose survival depends on opportunities to trade. Cutting off those opportunities gives us no pleasure and we would like to take a moment to add our voice to those venues and events organisers who have highlighted how unreasonable it feels that a decision of such magnitude has been left in our hands.

We’re hopeful that there will be some clarification very soon on how businesses such as ours are expected to cope with the decisions we’ve found ourselves having to make, and any future plans for our markets will be made accordingly.

Due to the recent announcement as well as the University of Manchester’s decision to cancel all in-person seminars, we have also taken the decision to cancel all of the Tuesday lunchtime food markets we run at UoM for the time being.

However, while the market may not be open for business we will still be here for you, working away on ways for you to support independent traders, amplifying those doing good work for the community here in Levenshulme and looking forward to a future when shopping, street food and socialising are safe once again.

Until then, please be kind to one another, support independent local businesses where you can and look out for those who may need help in these testing times.

The Levy Market Team

Latest Covid19 Government Advice

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said today, “Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel“.

Here are some key points from the press conference this afternoon (Monday 16 March 2020):

  • Anyone who lives with someone who has a cough or a temperature should stay at home for 14 days
  • People should start working from home where they possibly can 
  • Avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues
  • Only use the NHS when we really need to 
  • From tomorrow government will no longer be “supporting” mass gatherings using emergency workers

LCA Coronavirus information page

The LCA has set up a dedicated coronavirus web page to share information and advice. This will contain official information and also ideas and support from the Levy Corona Helpers group.

Follow the link on our main menu or click HERE

Levy Corona Helpers

A new Facebook groups has been set up to help our Levenshulme community during the Covid19 crisis.

The group is to share ideas and offer support to each other during this difficult time, particularly to those who are self isolating.

If you would like to help click HERE to go to the Facebook group page and then ask to join or search Facebook groups for “Levy Corona Helpers“.