Bridge 5 Mill is a converted Mill based in Ancoats, and serves as the base for 18 different tenant organisations as well. It is also open for use as a venue. From this brief description, you might be led to think that there is nothing out of the ordinary about Bridge 5 Mill, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
FareShare GM works with the food industry to redistribute surplus food to frontline charities and community groups. They also educate nationally, regionally and locally on the impact of waste food upon people's lives and the planet.
On Wednesday 25 September, members of the Manchester Carers Network attended a cookery and nutrition workshop, delivered by Bounceback Food. The five people attending had the opportunity to make their own tabbouleh, hummus and delicious (and low-sugar) Eton Mess. This was the 3rd workshop in the Live Well programme, which is designed to help people learn how to cook healthy recipes, improve their budgeting skills and get support with nutrition.
Every Wednesday and Thursday, the Green Doctor groups meet at Glasshouse number 1 at the Horticultural Centre, Wythenshawe Park. These are drop-in sessions where people can learn all about food plus how to grow and harvest vegetables. If people just want to come along to have a chat and enjoy good company and a cup of tea then they are welcome too!
On Wednesday 25 September, Helen from the Furniture Poverty Hub is working with the Tree of Life Centre to promote furniture reuse and it is a good start to the day as the civic centre in Wythenshawe have given them a shop free of charge to run this activity. They have displayed some donated furniture in the shop window and the aim is to have a conversation about the links between reusing furniture and the climate.
What has our consumer-led, throw-away society got to do with the climate emergency?
A great deal, as it happens.
On Tuesday morning, we visited Anson Community Grocers, a volunteer led project based in Anson House in the heart of the estate. Anson House has been providing valuable services for local people for the last 40 years, but three years ago Anson Community Grocers was set up by volunteers with the support of Healthy Me Healthy Communities.
EMERGE Recycling is an award-winning social enterprise, formed in 1997 in Manchester. Its name is an acronym of East Manchester Environment and Resources Group Emerge and it operates under its parent charity EMERGE 3Rs, which champions sustainability across all its operations.
On Saturday 21st September, Azuka and a group of young people built a wind turbine in three hours in Longsight from waste materials such as drainage pipes. This was part of a A2Z Renewable Development Trust programme to provide training courses on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and many of the young people came from across Greater Manchester including Oldham and Moston. Many had heard about it by word of mouth. Two weeks ago, they talked about a battery to store solar energy and the young people learnt how a motor works and how it generates electricity.
Saturday was a busy day for the Stitched Up Repair Cafe at their Chorlton HQ. This free volunteer-run event is on the 3rd Saturday of the month and anyone can drop in with their broken items to see if they can be fixed. On 21st September, they could help with fixing clothes, furniture, electrical items and computers.
“We aim to encourage as many people as possible to use the Fallowfield Loop and get people out of their cars, both for the environment and for their wellbeing!”
David - Friends of the Fallowfield Loop.