A team from Dowhigh Ltd has been on the Village Green today clearing overgrown shrubs, scattering poppy seeds and replanting. Some plants have been recycled but many new plants have been supplied by the marvellous Bud Garden Centre. The planters have been refreshed with new soil and plants and the whole area will be cleaned and tidied up. New murals are also planned. It is a big improvement already and we look forward to seeing how it develops and the final results. Hopefully the Bee will be repaired as well as we have previously reported the cracks and damage.
Some time ago Levenshulme Community Association suggested that the old phone box on the Village Green be converted into a location for a public access defibrillator. We have now heard that the council is exploring this. We will provide updates when further information is known.
Advice from the British Heart Foundation is available;e HERE
There is currently a public access defibrillator at Levenshulme Station.
Many of you will have noticed that the lovely Living Tree that we planted on the Village Green is looking, well, less than living. Unfortunately this tree along with three others in other locations have died. This is despite our collective efforts as a community to welcome our tree to Levenshulme, make it feel happy and keep it watered (huge thanks to everyone who helped with that).
But don’t worry, Levenshulme Community Association has been working with Manchester City Council and the suppliers to find a solution. We are pleased to confirm that the tree will be replaced. This is at no additional cost to us.
A new tree will be supplied and planted later in the year and we will let everyone know when this happens so we can collectively say hello to our new living Living Tree.
Levenshulme Community Association is delighted to have worked with partners to plant a living tree on the Village Green.
The new tree will be a permanent feature and means that we will no longer have to pay annually for a Christmas tree. The new tree has been planted in the same position as the Christmas tree is positioned. This means the Village Green remains unobstructed with good views of the Levenshulme Bee and when decorated with lights at Christmas it will be visible from a distance along Stockport Road.
The tree is a sequoiadendron giganteum (giant redwood). This is the best type of tree because it is resilient, long lasting and will establish itself quickly. It was supplied by Glendale Civic Trees, imported from the Netherlands.
We are grateful to Manchester City Council for providing funding through the Neighbourhood Investment Fund. Sponsors also providing funding are:
Levenshulme Traders Association
Great Places
One Manchester
Manchester Central Fund
Levenshulme Community Association
Thanks to Manchester City Council for arranging all necessary groundworks and in particular to Ikhlas Ur-Rahman, MCC Neighbourhood Officer for providing the support and coordination to enable this project to happen. This would also not have been possible without the support of Levenshulme Councillors Dzidra Noor, Basat Sheikh and Bernard Stone.
The Living Tree also meets several of the aims of the Levenshulme Community Manifesto including to:
Protect and enhance our formal and informal green spaces for recreation and play.
Promote changes for clean air and to reduce pollution.
Improve our urban landscape, for example with more street trees.
