On Saturday 5th September Climate Emergency Manchester joined Levy Market on the first community stall of the season. It was a lively, safe event, brimming with good local vibes.
The market is a community-run social enterprise, taking place weekly from March through December (with an enforced Covid-break for the spring months this year). Nestled behind the railway arches of Stockport road, it is a real hub for this lovely neighbourhood. After the isolation of the pandemic, it was heartening to see so many friends and residents reconnect…from a distance. The market staff (the market directors are volunteers – all market staff are paid above a real living wage) and traders had taken every precaution to make the event safe; punters felt reassured and remained respectful.
The best thing about the stall for Climate Emergency Manchester was the chance it gave us to talk with fellow residents. Yes, we were collecting signatures for our petition (and clocked up a massive 60 names on the day). But this was more than a numbers game. We really appreciated hearing citizens set out the reasons why they wanted to sign, and explaining to those initially unsure why we need a seventh scrutiny committee now. In Levenshulme it is clear that the sad demise of the Levy Bee Network still rankles. With schools back, the people of Levy are only too aware of the increased traffic…and what their streets could have looked like.
A huge thank to you to to all those who signed, and to organiser Richard for his support. Thanks also to @BloorEmporium for being the perfect trader-neighbours, and for @HMPasties for pioneering our ‘while you wait’ QR codes. Finally, thanks to @SamosaShackMCR for their delicious parcels and the BBQ events company’s oozing sandwiches which made sure that we did not go hungry as we gave our petition such a boost.
If you live, work or study within Manchester City Council’s boundaries, you can sign the petition and then share it on social media, and invite Climate Emergency Manchester to attend any online meetings where there will be lots of Manchester folks present. Even if you don’t, you can share the petition with people you know who are eligible to sign. Please do so – Manchester needs much more action on climate change (the city burned through a quarter of its entire twenty-first century carbon budget in the last 2 years), and those in charge don’t seem to care, or to think that a massive increase in activity is required to get the city on track.
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