PHOTOS! WE WANT PHOTOS!

Less than a week to go to get your entries in for the first ever LoveLevenshulme Levenshulme Festival Photography competition. All the details can be found here but, just to recap and add that extra incentive, here are the super-spangling-amazing prizes in line for the winners in each category:

• A 12”x10” print of your photo to keep.
• A 12”x10” print of your photo hanging in POD deli.
• A voucher for coffee and cake in POD.

Wow, eh?! I had the Pulizter people on the phone the other day complaining about us stealing their thunder. Ahem.

So... YES! Tell your friends, tell your familly, we'd like as many entries as possible. When the competition's closed we'd like to display all the entries in an album online, too, and create a Levenshulme group on Flickr (or similar), so if anyone more technically-minded (read: organised) knows how one would do such a thing or even wants to run it do get in touch.

Gorgeous at POD

As part of their Levenshulme Festival activities, POD are showing a collection of artist Emily Pitts' work. Emily is Manchester-based and her work uses mixed media to explore themes of provocation, love, lust and being. The show is called Gorgeous and runs until tomorrow so get down there quick to view Emily's tactile pieces.

Emily is also hoping to start hosting art classes in Levenshulme soon, where beginners can come together with more experienced artists to share ideas in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. For more information visit her blog and join the mailing list.

Agapanthus Antiques

Ahead of our visit to the Antiques Village with mightaswell tomorrow (thanks to everyone who suggested this, but - ssh - don't tell her, I want it to be a surprise) I thought it would be nice to profile one of my favourite businesses in the complex.

Actually, Agapanthus isn't in the building at all, but in one of the nice ramshackle outhouses in the yard behind (where you can also find a joiner who restores G-Plan and vintage Ercol furniture that I have to be practically winched away from every time I visit). This means that to get into the shop the visitor has to open a pretty pink door which rings a bell when you go in, just like shops should have. And, since there's no traditional shop front and no window to the wonders contained within, I always have a little flutter of excitement as I push the door, and step inside.

And, oh, what wonders! Their site seems to indicate that the main focus of the business is sourcing and restoring vintage and antique chandeliers and the ceiling is covered in them, from all eras, corner to corner, all glinting happily away. Below them you can find an amazing array of vintage and antique homewares, mostly 20th century, including a beautiful (but woefully impractical) selection of enameled steel saucepans, radios of all eras (again with the winching away for me) and toys and board games. The range seems to be expanding too - last time I was in there was a selection of seasonal bulbs (of the garden variety, not light bulbs - they're not seasonal, silly!), some nice tea towels and other linens made from vintage fabrics and a small collection of vintage clothing.

It's a great little shop, and a really enjoyable shopping experience - I could happily spend a few hours pouring over what's on offer, were it not for the pressing matter of all the other places I could do the same in the Antiques Village.

The Visitors Are Coming...

A quick reminder that Sam, Ms. mightaswell, which won the Best Personal Blog award at the Manchester Blog Awards will be visiting us on Sunday. You can read all the details here and we've had some great suggestions about how to show her the best of Levy already but please keep them coming...

Thank you. And you. And you.

Well, I'm sure you all know that we were shortlisted in the Best City & Neighbourhood Blog category of the Manchester Blog Awards, we weren't exactly quiet about that! The ceremony was last night and I'm stunned, delighted and overwhelmed to be able to say that we not only won in our category but we also shared the Blog of the Year award with Fat Rowland On Electronica. Massive congratulations to him and all our fellow winners and nominees - please do take the time to have a look at them, they are, without exception, as diverse as they are well written.

So, yes, it really was an amazing evening (the tardiness of this post should be some indicator of that) and we're so, so happy to have been nominated, let alone win. Tim was wonderfully eloquent in his thanks but anyone who listened to our spot on All FM will know I'm not good with microphones and I'm afraid I went a bit garbled, so here's a few thank yous:

Matt Clements started LoveLevenshulme with a passion and commitment that has informed what we do. It was incredibly generous of him to let me and Tim take over his baby and it's absolutely true that none of this could have happened without him.

Vicky, Tim's lovely wife, has eaten far more kebabs than is reasonable to expect of any sane person. If my partner came home one day and said "darling, I'm going to write a blog about this place we've just moved to, oh and we're going to eat a kebab from every shop here too" I doubt I would've been as understanding.

And finally, Levenshulme - you lot - all of you. Most of what goes on here comes from someone writing an interesting comment or dropping us an email, and everyone I meet has an idea or an opinion on what we could do next. You simply can't write a blog about a community without a community of engaged, interesting people. The feedback that we get is literally indispensable to what we do and it's been a pleasure meeting so many of you. You made this happen. Thank you.

After the excitement had died down a little (and I had necked several restorative drinks in short order) Tim and I had a good chat about where we go from here and there are several exciting plans in the offing. Keep an eye out for new ideas and please please please keep sending us stuff - you make this what it is.

Levenshulme Festival Preview - Laura Deane Photography

So time continues apace and the Levenshulme Festival is rapidly approaching. The launch night is this Friday, at which point, I guess, these previews will turn into reviews! I am hoping to give you a taster of what's coming up on a few more events though and first of those is the two exhibitions of Laura Deane's photography that the festival will host.

Laura's photographs of derelict buildings in Manchester will be on display in POD throughout the festival and her other work, "Drawing with Light", images inspired by literature, be on display in the Union Inn. Laura is a teacher of photography and her work is inspired by the inspired by her students and themes of decay, literature and environmental philosophy.

And if that's inspired you, don't forget our photography competition is still taking entries for photos on the theme "Levenshulme Loves", and the prizes include having a canvas print of your photo displayed in POD .

Levenshulme Craft Fair - Saturday 23rd October

You may have noticed the rather natty banner hanging outside Levenshulme Library for the next Levenshulme Craft Fair, which is returning to the library next Saturday (23rd October) for more crafty goodness as part of the Levenshulme festival. This month they will have four brand new traders, selling lovely stuff in the form of locally made jams, screen printed bags, organic soaps and bodybutters, hand made cakes, stationary, purses and clothing, to name just a few. And as always all the goods on sale will be made by Levenshulme residents.

The format from previous months remains - four crafters selling in the morning session (10.00am-1.00pm) and another four in the afternoon (2.00pm-4.00pm), and if you've not been to the nearby Bluebell I'd recommend a visit for lunch between sessions.

We Have a Visitor

Actually, I'm sure we have plenty of visitors every day (would you like a fireplace, Manchester?), but this one's a bit special.

Sam, the brains behind our fellow Manchester Blog Awards nominee Mightaswell, has been in touch to say she's planning a trip to Levenshulme as part of her continuing exploration of Manchester's villages and she's asked LoveLevenshulme to be her guide. We've settled on Sunday 24th October for her to come on over and I have a few ideas about what we should do (have I mentioned lately how much I love POD?) but I thought this would be a good one to put to the audience as well.

So what do you think? What shall I show her? Are there any hidden gems we've not covered? Or is there an absolute must-do in Levenshulme you think we simply can't miss? Add your ideas to the comments below or email us at lovelevenshulme@gmail.com - we're looking forward to hearing them.

Manchester Blog Awards - Vote Levenshulme!

Just a sneaky reminder that the public vote for the Manchester Blog Awards, in which we're shortlisted for the Best City and Neighbourhood Blog award, is still open. If you've not voted yet please do.

We'll leave it up to you who to vote for, it's a really strong category and we've got some great competition in Look Up Manchester, Manchester Daily Photo, in a town so small and Parklover so be sure to check them out.

Levenshulme Inspire, A Sneaky Peak!

The lovely Kate Chappell very kindly invited me over to view the new Levenshulme Inspire centre earlier this week and I jumped at the chance.
Having driven past the old United Reformed Church every day for the last few months I've been bowled over by the restoration work that's been done on the outside and I couldn't wait to see what was on the inside. And I wasn't disappointed - the building has been more or less gutted with stonework exposed and light flooding in from the original windows.
The main atrium, which will house a cafe open all day to patrons and visitors, has been left as a big, open space, with views onto the A6 and exposed brickwork looking very nice. The centre's aim is to provide a space for Levenshulme that builds community through creative arts and media and there are various spaces available to rent with that in mind. The remaining church space is bright and modern and will be available to hire outside of worship times, as will several other large, versatile rooms. There's a social media centre which will eventually house the wherewithal for locals individuals and businesses to discover the wonderful world of social media but for now has been left open to accommodate their first booking...a meditation class. Internal social networking, maybe?

The top floor space is home to felxible office space, designed to provide a rentable home to local home-based businesses and creatives who need some desk time. Given the amount of home-workers and burgeoning small businesses we've got in Levenshulme I 'm sure this will be well used and hopefully encourage more of Manchester's creative workers to visit us here in sunny M19. The space itself is stunning, with great views down Stockport Road.
The centre itself is due to have its grand unveiling over the weekend of 30th-31st October, as part of the Levenshulme festival. Details can be found here, and Kate ran through some of the agenda for me, all of which sounded fantastic, although the standout for me (and judging by your general response to the kebab posts, I'm guessing you lot too) was Curry Aid - home cooked curries for sale, with proceeds going to the victims of the recent flooding in Pakistan.

The centre are also running a community share scheme, granting members a stake in the new building and membership of the Inspire Forum for just a fiver. More details here.

It was great to visit to Inspire and Kate, who was as enthusiastic about what the centre could become as I'd hoped. I'm quite sure there will be plenty more to report on when they're open...watch this space!

Photo Competition - Reminder

Just a quick reminder that our magical, wonderful photography competition is now open and taking entries. We've had a few come in so far but we want more, more, more!

Don't forget the competition is open to non-residents as well as people who live in Levenshulme so don't forget to forward the details to anyone you know who has a passion for snapping and tell them to come and see us!

Full rules, entry details and PRIZES here.

Levenshulme Awards Season

Well, it's been an exciting week for us at LoveLevenshulme and for Levenshulme as a whole.

First up, Levenshulme resident Richard Stephens of Keele University, received the Ig Nobel peace prize for his research finding that swearing relieves pain. There's a nice picture of him in The Guardian, exhibiting the thumb that inspired his research (via the application of a hammer) and he was also on The World Tonight on Radio4.

Secondly, POD, were at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards last night, where they were sadly pipped at the post for the Best Food and Drink Retail Outlet. That said, they were by far the youngest operation in their category and their range is ever-expanding so there's always next year.

And finally, finally, finally, you may have heard the screeches from our corner when LoveLevenshulme was short listed in the Best City and Neighbourhood Blog category of the Manchester Blog Awards . Obviously, we're dead chuffed, so thank you to anyone who nominated us. The Awards proper happen on Wednesday 20th October with the winner decided by a mixture of very weighty judges and a public ballot, so feel free to vote for us. As it stands we're more than happy just to be short listed - LoveLevenshulme is great fun to run and from your feedback we know that you enjoy what we do which, as a community blog, is all we need. Honest.

Levy Tweetup - DATE AND VENUE CHANGE

The Levenshulme Twitter meet that was due to take place tomorrow will now take place on Thursday 14th October and, in order to preserve the pub quiz element (not just because I am desperate to do a pub quiz, oh no, no way), it will now take place at The Horseshoe on Chapel Street, just off the A6.

Start time is the same, around 7.30pm and, excitingly, The Horsehoe also has a disco after the quiz...

It's also the first time I've been to The Horseshoe in a while so I'll try and provide a review, of sorts.

COMPETITION TIME!

Yes, that’s right, capital letters, because we are VERY EXCITED. It’s taken a bit of planning to pull together but we’re very pleased to announce the first ever LoveLevensulme Levenshulme Festival photography competition (snappier name needed - anyone?).

So here’s the deal - between now and Wednesday 3rd November we will be taking digital photo submissions from children, teenagers and adults. To enter all you need to do to enter is email your photo to lovelevenshulme@gmail.com along with your name, age and contact details. Please put “Levenshulme Photo Competition” in the subject line of your email.

And in exchange? Well, a good competition needs prizes and we’re pretty proud of these...The winner in each of the categories will receive the following:

• A 12”x10” print of their photo to keep.
• A 12”x10” print of their photo hanging in POD deli.
• A voucher for coffee and cake in POD.

Huge thanks to POD and Levenshulme Festival for their generosity.

We will also post the winning (and maybe other notable) pictures on the blog and ask the photographer to share a little about what inspired them.

WHIT WOO!

Of course there also has to be a theme and given the occasion it seems natural that we should ask for photos to be taken to around the concept of “Levenshulme Loves”. You can interpret that how you wish although we would ask that photos are taken in Levenshulme and the judges will be looking at how well your photo reflects the theme.

Ah, yes, the judges! I’m pleased to say that we’ve secured the judicial services of the folks behind both Levenshulme Daily Photo and Manchester Daily Photo, who have very kindly agreed to give their time to sift through all the images.

We’ve also taken the decision to open the competition to Levenshulme residents and non-residents alike, so hopefully we’ll get lots of entries from non-residents who have taken the time to visit Levenshulme and see what we have to offer (any non-residents reading this looking for ideas on what to do in Levy, there’s this blog you might’ve heard of...). That said, we’ve had ample opportunity to witness the talent and creativity of Levenshulme-folk over the last few months so we’re holding out high hopes for the Levenshulme entries. Please send a link to the competition to your camera-happy friends who are unfortunate enough not to live in M19.

Details follow on procedures, terms etc. Please read them before you submit an entry. If we’ve missed anything or you have a question or even if you just want to say hello (hello!) email lovelevenshulme@gmail.com.

Deadlines
Deadline for entries is 11.59pm on Wednesday 3rd November 2010. Winners will be announced on Sunday 7th November 2010. No entries will be accepted after that time and the judges’ decisions are final.
Image manipulation
Try to keep image manipulation or cloning to a minimum, we think Levenshulme is gorgeous without airbrushing!
Categories
There are three categories - under 12s, ages 12-17, adults (18 and over). Please remember to state your age (or the age of your child) when emailing your entry.
Number of entries
Only one entry per person.
Legal(ish) stuff for you (boo!)
Your entry must be your own original work, must not have been published anywhere previously, must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use and must not otherwise be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations.
You will retain copyright of your entries at all times and will always be credited alongside your picture.
Legal(ish) stuff for us (even bigger boo!)
By entering you grant us a non-exclusive license to display your photograph in connection with the competition. Photographers will always be credited alongside their image. Under no-circumstances will we use submitted images for commercial gain unless it has been agreed on a case by case basis with the photographer.

The Himalayas Restaurant

Opposite Nawaabs on Levenshulme high street is The Himalayas Restaurant and I only just noticed it. Nawaabs looms large and catches your eye so you don't look at anything else. However, the other day I saw the Himalayas and thought I'd give it a punt.

As I usually frequent kebab houses I was not very sure what I was supposed to do. Fortunately my friend had been in a "restaurant" before and knew what to do. So we sat and ordered.

The Himalayas is an excellent curry house. I had a lamb dish which was genuinely fantastic. It wasn't bright orange, it wasn't swimming in oil on a base of lard and you could actually taste the flavours of the different ingredients. It is worth remembering that these are rare qualities in a curry house.

The Himalayas also had a friendly atmosphere with staff who looked happy to be there and also looked like they wanted to serve you. Winner.

So people of Levenshulme, go to the Himalayas Restaurant, give them your hard earned cash and let them give you some very tasty food.

Fat Frank

One of the things I like about Levenshulme is how there seems to be so much that is undiscovered (by me) and so much new stuff that keeps appearing.

Today myself and the family were on our way back from the Food Fair in Albert Square (I ate a whole partridge) when we decided to detour to the Antiques Village. Whilst in there I noticed a room that had previously been empty and was now full. I wandered in and was presented with a free Glass of Champagne and a chocolate. Winner.

Anyway, in this room was a new business called "Fat Franks". They do not yet have a website but do have a facebook fanpage. I was informed by Frank (who is not fat) that they sell lithographs, engravings, vintage posters, original artwork, limited addition prints, antiques and modern pictures.

They have one room (to your left as you walk through the Antique Villages front entrance) and currently open on Saturday from 10-5 and Sundays from 11-4. They were very friendly and positive about Levenshulme. Go and have a butchers.

Helen's Bakery

I haven't written about kebabs for a while because I was feeling a touch kebab weary. So I thought I would go for something different.

We in the Simmonds household love Helen's Bakery (by the way I am not sure if it's Helen's or Helin's and neither are the owners as the menu says one and the frontage says the other!). They serve two things, Naan Bread and Keema Naan. That's it. Nothing else.

Lets be clear the plain Naan's are beautiful. They make them all to order in a clay oven right in front of you and they charge £1 for 4 Naans. Thats correct, £1. Beautiful.

They also do a Keema Naan. I had not encountered a Naan like this in my sheltered middle class life until I moved to Levenshulme. It is a simple idea - spicy aromatic lamb mince, with tomatoes and (mild) chilli's on a Naan bread. It locals a bit like a pizza, except better.

The Keema Naan costs £2 and I am stuffed after I have eaten one.

Right opposite the curry megaplaza that is Nawaabs is this lovely little family establishment. Go there. Do it now.

Levenshulme Festival Preview - ALL FM Fundraiser Night

As part of the ever-expanding Levenshulme Festival roster of events Standing in the Shadows of Lev & Humble Soul are hosting a fundraiser evening of Americana for All FM, the 100% volunteer-run station for South, East and Central Manchester, based on Albert Road. The event will take place at The Klondyke on Sunday 31st October 2010 from 4.30pm.

The roster of bands is great, and the full lineup can be found on the Levenshulme Festival site. There'll be two stages to accomodate all the bands, djs and furhter act still to be announced. One particular highlight for me is Jo Rose, ex-of Fear of Music, whose home-spun Americana tenderness is perfect for an Autumn Sunday evening. Tickets are £5.00 from Picadilly Records in advance or £6.00 on the door.

The Klondyke has hosted quite a few alternative music nights now and there are others in the pipeline, it seems. I'll keep an eye out for new events and post them here but if anyone knows of any I've missed that are worth a mention do get in touch.