Click the link to see what will be happening across Whalley Range from 12th – 19th June!

Celebrate programme-2021-final

Celebrate Connections Art Trail and more!

See the map below featuring some of the Whalley Range venues, benches and festival houses – which are part of the Celebrate Connections art trail and pop-up music sessions this year!

Walk around with the map and add any other arty places and beautiful creations you find on your travels!

People have been given inspiration and arty crafty packs to decorate their windows/pavements/doors to show they are part of Celebrate Connections.

Eight houses have worked with artists to decorate their windows to encourage their neighbours to do the same!

As part of Celebrate Connections, our artists are running workshops on Zoom to get people creating ready for the festival!

See our About the Artists and contributors to find out more…

Join our Zoom meetings leading up to and during festival week! Don’t forget to get your windows art trail ready for Celebrate week 12th – 19th June!

All session will be recorded and made available shortly after on the Celebrate youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/CelebrateFestivalWR

Click on the artist to find out more about them…

1. Mandy Cleveland Festival Flowers to decorate your window
2. Stitched Up: Four Ways to Fly Your Flag with your festival pack
3. Alison Greyer: Art Pack and craft ideas 
4. Alison Greyer Book Flowers
5. Shanali Perera: Play with Pixels 

Did you receive one of our fantastic activity packs full of creative goodies? Don’t forget to decorate your window with your art or your doorstep with your chalk and stencils!
For some fantastic tips about using your creative art pack we have the amazing artist Alison Greyer who will be running an online Zoom workshop to give you lots of inspiration about the pack, the stencils and the chalk, the paints and sponge and the printing pad etc.

Join the Zoom session and get inspired!

Alison Greyer

Topic: Celebrate Art Packs

Time: Jun 10, 2021 06:00 PM 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83226190573?pwd=bk5Xd2FNakMyK2hEY0RvcDNEam5nQT09

Meeting ID: 832 2619 0573

Passcode: 458636

Ideas for the pack:

More inspiring arty creations from Alison – Join her Zoom session to make Celebrate Book Flowers!

Alison says “The festival theme this year is connection and during the last year in particular, many people have turned to art and craft to keep themselves busy. This flower is a reflection of that and also on how nature was a solace to us during this time.”  Hopefully it will inspire you to look around your home and see the possibilities to create something imaginative from left-over things that you find”

Alison Greyer

Topic: Celebrate Book Flowers

Time: Jun 11, 2021 06:00 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85318757750?pwd=U2FxcG1zc1VsOUJ4MFQ0UlZGWmxMUT09

Meeting ID: 853 1875 7750

Passcode: 791639

Shanali Perera

Topic: Play with Pixels

Join me for a taster Digital Art session using a smartphone or tablet. Discover creating digital art and exploring the use of colour as a method to capture different energies associated with emotions.
Discover how creating art can be a constructive as well as an enjoyable pursuit. Reflecting on the role art can play in relaxation, improving mood and wellbeing.

This session is about: Learning new ways to take charge | Exploring new tools | Finding Outlets

• to take the focus away from stress
• to build endurance and in-still calmness
• to be present and focused
• to engage mind and eye
• to free thoughts into Colour and Shape
• to have Fun with Colour!

The aim is to connect and engage with art, creating your first digital canvas. A chance to reflect on the role art can play in relaxation, improving mood and wellbeing at home as well as work.

Participants to download the following app, free on apple/android to mobile phone or tablet for the session. The link to download app sent pre-session
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/autodesk-sketchbook/id883738213
 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adsk.sketchbook&hl=en

**If anyone does not want to use a digital app to draw but would like to still be part of the session, they are most welcome to join and use colour pens/paper instead.**

Shanali Perera is a contemporary artist, educator, author, activist and retired clinician with a backround in Rheumatology, living with Vasculitis. She works across the intersections of art, health, medical education and patient support.

Celebrate Festival Whalley Range

NEWS: Join artist Mandy Cleveland today (08/06) for a fabulous zoom session at 6pm where she will teach you how to make giant paper plate flowers.

Don’t worry if you don’t have any paper plates, you can use any paper as long as it’s cut into circles. All you need is a pair of scissors, some glue if you have one. If you have any paint or pens, bring that too.

The session will be recorded and uploaded on the Celebrate YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/CelebrateFestivalWR so you can always go back and have another go.

Read all about the history of Celebrate: with programmes dating back all the way to 1998!

Celebrate – Whalley Range Community Festival

This year’s Celebrate includes lots of music!

If you would like a street level concert especially for anyone isolated or who has been shielding contact matthew.k.creighton@gmail.com with the name and full contact details of a street coordinator who will meet the musician and show them which houses to play at. First come first served for these fab events

And if you are interested in MUSIC IN UNEXPECTED PLACES come to the mellow sounds of Laurence and the Darley String Quartet at the Carlton Club on Saturday June 19^th around 1830. Bring the whole family to  Manley Methodist chapel on Egerton Road on Saturday June 12^th for an interactive performance of Lanlon in the Wood, by Copilot Claude with his story of Southern Ice, Sea caves and The Castle of mirrors 2pm. There will be concerts at St Margaret’s church too, details will be confirmed on the Celebrate website soon!

Our first confirmed act for Celebrate!

Watch this space for more details, more bands, more art etc – and rest assured we will be following Covid-safe guidelines for all activities…

The Darley Quartet

On Saturday June 19^th, Celebrate CONNECTIONS brings you local cellist Laurence and his quartet to play mellow music at The Carlton Cub on Carlton Road in Whalley Range

Early evening time tbc

We would like to invite you to our 24th Celebrate festival for 2021 – with a difference!

Our theme is Celebrate Connections – and because we haven’t been able to get together for so long, we want to do something positive, all get involved, reconnect and look forward to when we can meet up again.

Of course we couldn’t hold a Festival last year because of the pandemic – and we still can’t hold our usual face-to-face event in the park this year, but we are planning lots of smaller events, activities and workshops between  Saturday 12th June – Saturday 19th June – when the weather will be warmer and restrictions may be a little more relaxed…and of course we will be following government guidelines to keep our community safe.

We want to work together to make an Art Trail throughout Whalley Range – so that when people go for their daily walks they will see some inspiring and beautiful colours and will feel more connected to neighbours, friends and family. (maybe send us a photo or two for our gallery in the JNR8 windows!)

Celebrate week 12th – 19th June. We plan to put together  Celebrate Connections packs for people who would like to get involved – with a selection of arty-crafty goodies/instructions to decorate your windows and outside your doors. The packs will contain template stencils for you to make beautiful Peace Mandalas, Rangoli patterns or Islamic designs to colour in or using chunky chalks on your doorstep – so people of all ages and abilities can join in! We will also be working with some residents to decorate the front of their houses.

We are planning to have small events and pop-up music and performance at different places during the week – celebrating local talent. There are some amazing musicians, performers and artists in Whalley Range.

And if we are able – a procession or some smaller processions throughout Whalley Range to finish off the week of Celebrate Connections – bringing our community back together again!

We will be working with our groups and facilitators – who can’t run their usual face-to-face workshops – in a number of ways. We have some funding to run small scale workshops and performances to be delivered to small/closed groups leading up to the events – in schools and community centres, housing schemes etc. and will be planning and discussing our offer over the coming weeks.

We have a small budget which we will offer to some of our local community groups who can apply for up to £100 for materials and expenses to run activities that fit in with our theme Celebrate Connections!

On our website during the Celebrate week we will promote (free) interactive, participatory local arts and crafts activities, music performances etc – tell us what you’re planning for that week and we’ll add it to the ‘virtual programme’ Or why not run one of your sessions specifically for the event?

Get in touch if you would like help to run an activity online.

We will also feature and promote health and wellbeing support groups and related activities: are you part of an online meditation group/Tai Chi/Yoga/ etc happening during that week?  Why not get more people involved by running a free introduction session or sending us details to include in the ‘programme’?

We would really like to hear your ideas too: what can we do to feel more connected?

We want to work together across Whalley Range: we have a fantastic and diverse range of groups, musicians, community organisations, Faith groups, schools and more. Our mutual aid/street groups have been a lifeline to some of us and have brought people together to share ideas, improve our spaces and support each other.

And at the end of the week – depending on the rules – we are hoping we can have a Community Connections procession or several smaller processions to dress up, play some hand made instruments and wrap up the Festival!

Interested? Contact Chris or Lotte on 0161 881 3744, or communityforumwhalleyrange@gmail.com

All artist slots are now filled: thanks to everyone who is involved and everyone who got in touch.

If you have any existing online workshops taking place during festival week let us know and we can promote them – particularly activities for older people and health and wellbeing workshops – as we can’t run our annual festival with our age-friendly and health & wellbeing marquee this year!

Also if you have any ideas that can be added to our Pinterest or shared over social media then we are more than happy to promote that as part of the festival. 

Lotte and Chris

Celebrate Festival Coordinators

Co-ordinators Chris Ricard (Whalley Range Community Forum) and Lotte Karlsen (Alexandra Arts) have worked with communities and schools to provide a covid-safe programme of activities – both online and small group sessions.

We are doing something different this year!

Click on the headings to find out what this years’ festival is all about – and keep checking this site and our Facebook page for the latest news!

Download the Celebrate Connections Festival Programme here!

Celebrate programme-2021-final

1. About Celebrate 2021

2. Call Out to Artists

3. Celebrate (Musical) Connections

4. The History of Celebrate…

5.  Festival Zoom Sessions: getting ready for Celebrate and learn something new!

6. Meet the Artists and contributors

7.  Music line-up and Buskers

8. Celebrate Connections on the art trail…

Ways to get involved in the Festival…

Festival Packs

Our free Celebrate Connections festival packs are  ready for people to collect from JNR8! (or receive via our volunteers) Art packs, seeding growing packs and wellbeing packs  – and  decorate your window packs too!

COLLECT ON THURSDAY JUNE 10th –  between 10-12  noon

Keep checking this page and Celebrate on Facebook for festival updates!

Celebrate – Whalley Range Community Festival

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Here in GM, we’re well known for looking out for each other. That’s why we’re encouraging you to continue wearing your face covering on buses and trains unless you are exempt.

Let’s keep each other safe.

http://tfgm.com

Please carry on helping to keep our city safe as Covid case numbers are high, by:

• Meeting outside ????
• Getting your jabs ????
• Getting tested regularly ????
• Wearing a face covering in busy places ????
• Wash hands regularly

manchester.gov.uk/coronavirus

Please remember to have your second dose

Keep doing your bit with regular Covid testing

We can all take free, rapid Covid-19 tests twice a week.

The tests are available to everyone in. You can keep doing your bit by having rapid tests to keep you and your loved ones safe. www.NHS.uk/get-tested

Covid rapid home testing kit instructions available in alternative formats

Instructions for how to use a Covid rapid home testing kit in alternative formats and languages are available from the gov.uk website

For information in an alternative language, select a language from the top of the webpage. Easy Read and large print formats are also available.

Support for the visually impaired with rapid Covid home testing kits

The Be My Eyes partnership with the Dept of Health helps those with sight loss to complete at home testing through the support of an app and NHS Staff find out more

Just a reminder…

The Assisted Covid Testing Centre (rapid tests for people with no symptoms) based at the Rates Hall in the Manchester Town Hall is re-locating to the Healthwork Head Office, St John Street Manchester M3 4EA from Monday 8 May 2021.

For testing site locations manchester.gov.uk/coronavirus

Self-isolate when you need to

We know self-isolating is hard. But please keep doing your bit and self-isolate if told to do so. It’s important to stopping the spread of Covid-19 and saving lives.

If you need support for things like food or essentials go to www.doyourbitgm.org www.nhs.uk/get-tested

Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week is from 10-16 May 2021. For in-the-moment mental health support you can text 85258 to reach SHOUT. SHOUT is silent, confidential and available 24/7. So, no matter where you are, when it is or who you are with support is available through SHOUT by texting 85258.

Eid Mubarak!

Next week sees the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid al-Fitr.

There are no planned events in parks or public spaces this year.

By following the rules around gatherings, you are protecting yourself and loved ones from coronavirus. Happy Eid al-Fitr to everyone celebrating next week.

Remember the golden rules

???? Hands
???? Face
↔ Space

gov.uk/coronavirus

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKMANCHESTER/bulletins/2d817f1

COVID-19 translations and resources

Manchester City Council has developed a range of downloadable public safety information, to support our communities through COVID-19. There are posters, videos and social media assets for you to download in alternative formats and languages.

There are also accessible formats for disabled people on the Breakthrough UK Resource Hub https://breakthrough-uk.co.uk/covid-accessible-information-hub/

If you need to read the information on this page in another language or to have it spoken back to you please use BrowseAloud.

https://secure.manchester.gov.uk/info/200116/websites/4984/browsealoud

Health and wellbeing

See available Public Health England and NHS resources

Stay Safe

• Hand Washing 
• Social Distancing
• Stay Home
• Limit Contact
• Face Coverings
• Work from home

Hand washing posters are available as a downloadable Zip file in: Arabic, Bangla, Farsi, Gujarati, Kurdish, Punjabi, Somali and Urdu.

Social Distancing posters are available as a zipped file in PDF and JPG formats in: Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Somali, Spanish and Urdu.

COVID-19 in other accessible formats

For more COVID-19 information in accessible formats see Breakthrough UK’s COVID Accessible Information Hub.

Community advice leaflet about measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19

• Advice and information for Manchester communities about the precautions you need to take to help stop the spread of COVID-19.   

This information is available to download as an A5 sized document in PDF and JPG formats with Easy Read symbols in the following languages: Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Somali, Spanish and Urdu.

Stay Connected Through COVID-19 – Help to get online

Information about getting help to get online is available to download in a zip file in: Arabic, Bangla, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Lavarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russain, Slovakian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya and Urdu.

• Stay Connected through COVID-19 Leaflet English version (PDF)
• Stay Connected through COVID-19 Leaflet alternative formats (PDF/Word Files)

Manchester Community Response Hub

• Information Resources A5 Flyer, A4 Posters and Social Media tiles to download in a Zip file in the following languages

Alternative format languages: Arabic, Bangla, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, English, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Lavarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russain, Slovakian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya and Urdu.

Community Briefing note and Q&As on COVID vaccinations in Manchester

Information about how the community vaccination for COVID-19 is being organised in Manchester and the city’s Director of Public Health Dave Regan answers community questions about the vaccine.

This Information available to download in PDF format in the following languages:

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Polish, Romanian, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya and Yiddish.

WRCF Annual Report 2020

The Age-friendly team walked around some of the benches in Whalley Range (socially distanced of course!) on Thursday 1st of October – to celebrate International Older People’s Day 2020…

See the route at the bottom of this page…

Members of Chorlton Good Neighbours created posters stating positive messages e.g. “I’m ageing fabulously” and statements about how they were marking Older People’s Day.

Some small groups safely visited coffee shops on the day,  and held their statements/placards up and took photos – see below.

CGN also held their monthly history talk which happened to fall on the same day.