Bentley Exchange this weekend & Bring Out Your Dead…computers

Posted on 2 February, 2012 by Greening The Redbricks

Bring Out Your Dead…computers

Computer/IT problem drop-in in the tenants’  office this Sunday, 1pm till 6pm. All welcome!

  •  Laptop broken or just the power supply? Find out with our universal adapter!
  • Broken laptop, working screen? Broken screen, working laptop? Hey, you guys should get together. We can help fix your machine.
  •  Does your computer just seem to get slower and slower? There are ways to clean it and make it faster. Before you chuck it, find out if there is an easy, cheap upgrade (perhaps from parts salvaged from neighbours’ broken PCs).
  • Give your old machine a new lease of life or pick up someones donated machine. We can help you build up machines and take you through an install of an easy to use linux system (yes such a thing does exist, honest!).
  • We do have a couple of working machines and various parts to donate, but are looking for more. Do you have something under the bed that might help? If you’re keeping something as it might be useful one day, this Sunday is that day! Free yourself from your tat! Anything left over will be saved for a future workshop, stuff that’s old or broken will be picked up by a recycler for re-use.
  • If you’ve got something special to donate, that you don’t want to leave at the tat table and you can’t bring to the Tenants office early on Sunday afternoon, text 07912 569521 and we’ll try and arrange a pickup.

What is the hell is ‘Bring out your Dead’?

The idea is to make the Bentley Exchange (tat table) more useful, by theming the months. Expert advice will be on-hand to help people learn how to make better (re)use of the things left on the table and we hope it will encourage people to get rid of their more ‘premium’ tat, knowing it will be put to good use. Future planned themes are bikes (along with a cycle repair skill share) and clothes (with an upcycling, refashioning workshop).
The idea came from a group of residents who all have stuff clogging up their flats on the basis that ‘they’ll be useful one day’ – we want to make those days happen now! ‘Bring out your dead’ is just an addition to the Exchange, so do still bring out non-techy things you think others might want, as you normally would.

Where: 26a Humberstone, office behind bike shed

When: 4th February

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The amazing Bentley Exchange

bring and take tat table

 

This weekend

(and every full first weekend of the month)

noon Saturday – 5pm Sunday

between Humberstone and Letsbe Avenue

Bring things you don’t want, take things that you need

Bring things on Saturday, not last thing on Sunday!  and don’t bring rubbish!!

Volunteers needed for tidy-up – subscribe to ‘shout’ on redbricks.org or just turn up at 6pm on Sunday

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Hulme Street at the Planners

Posted on 25 January, 2012 by Greening The Redbricks

The Hulme Street proposal has been submitted to the Planning department at Manchester City Council in December 2011. It can be viewed with all related documentation here.

The major changes on this proposal compared to the outcome of the consultation process are the result of two different ‘pressures’: one is the outcome of a pre-planning meeting with the Highways Agency and the Council’s Planners; the other is the very tight timetable for the Community Spaces funding which needs planning permission to be granted before we can submit our Stage 2 application. This made it necessary to re-draft the design as two distinct phases with the Community Spaces elements (edible planting & biodiversity, fitness and art work) moved off the road onto CSM land.

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We need you – community vacancies

Posted on 14 December, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Want to get involved in community work on your estate?

In need of work experience, or looking to improve your CV?

Check out the voluntary opportunities below.

WANTED:
• Bentley House Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (TARA) Committee SECRETARY -
Duties include: minute taking at monthly meetings and answering website enquiries.  No previous experience necessary but we are looking for someone reliable.
• BENTLEY EXCHANGE JOINT CO-ORDINATOR – Duties include: advertising exchange days and recruiting and organising volunteers to help set-up Saturdays and pack away Sundays on exchange weekends (first full weekend of every month).  No previous experience necessary but we are looking for someone responsible and reliable.
• BENTLEY BIKE WORKSHOP JOINT CO-ORDINATOR – This is a new position, as the workshop room has only just become available, some equipment has already been purchased.  Duties to include setting and running the workshop in partnership with Pedal Manchester and Greening the Redbricks (sustainability sub-group of TARA).  Applicants will need to be responsible and reliable, with some relevant experience.
How to Apply:
By phone – see poster in your stairwells and in the notice-boards for the number.
By email to tara @ redbricks.org
In writing – post your application through the door of 26a Humberstone Avenue, addressed to TARA.

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People’s Kitchen – composting & Leaf Street special edition

Posted on 29 November, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Title: People’s Kitchen – composting & Leaf Street special edition
Location: TARA/community Office, 26a Humberstone Avenue (behind bike-shed)
Description: We’re holding a Peoples Kitchen in the tenants office this Friday at
6.30pm. We’ll be chatting about Leaf St, and composting on the estate too.

Then this month’s Exchange Table is a Gardening Special. But to start us off, this month will be gardening – so root around and fetch your unwanted and unloved gardening bits and pieces, and it’ll be collected up by Callum at the end and re-distributed.

Posted in Bentley Exchange, People's Kitchen | Comments Off

even more apple tree action – Sunday 11th December, 1-4pm

Posted on 27 November, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Another 9 tree grafts were planted in at an appropriately jaunty angle along the south fence on Clarendon Street. The canes are there to help guide the growth (by loose tying). The angle is a compromise between growth and fruiting – restricting one and promoting the other – so the whole stem becomes a fruiting branch.

More prep work has happened along Clarendon Street – if you can spot the nicely spaced canes along any fences they represent where more apple trees will go.

So anyone who wants to join in, meet 1pm till 4pm Sunday 11th December and we’ll see how many more we can get stuck in with! We’ll be around planting after we’ve got all the stuff we need from Leaf Street, so come
find us.

Spread the word/muck.

Get in touch if you can’t make then but want to help out another time, with lucy AT teddytronix.com

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Bulb planting

Posted on 27 November, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Come join people to help plant bulbs on Letsby Avenue tomorrow morning, 10:30-noon.

Meet at the bench half way along.

(Letsby Avenue is the green space with big trees between Hunmanby and Humberstone Avenues)

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More apple cordonning action – Saturday 26th November

Posted on 23 November, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Hi everyone,

just to let you all know progress is continuing with the urban orchard expansion plan :O)

The first 6 tree grafts were planted in at an appropriately jaunty angle along the south fence of leaf street. The canes are there to help guide the growth ( by loose tying) The angle is a compromise between growth and fruiting – restricting one and promoting the other – so the whole stem becomes a fruiting branch.

More prep work has happened along clarendon street – if you can spot the nicely spaced canes along any  fences they represent where more apple trees will go.

I’ve been continuing along prepping up the next beds… ripping out nettle roots and baby ash trees – my favourite!

so anyone who wants to join in meet 1pm till 4 Saturday 26th and we’ll see how many more we can get stuck in with!

spread the word/muck

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Hulme Street Proposal

Posted on 4 November, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

City South Manchester have approved a Hulme Street proposal by BCA Landscape. It is based on several consultations with residents and discussions within City South. Many thanks to all who have helped to get it this far!

It now needs to go through planning processes at Manchester City Council and Highways.

HulmeSt Proposed Option Plan2A

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Planting Apple Tree Cordons Sat 12 Nov

Posted on 4 November, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Title: Planting Apple Tree Cordons

Date: Saturday 12 November 2011

Start Time: 13:00
End Time: 16:00

Location: Leaf Street, Clarendon Street end
Description: Cordons are a great way to get the most from apple trees, by shaping them into a kind of fruit hedge. This means no ladders or tree climbing is needed, when pruning the trees or picking the fruit.

We have a choice of sites along the south end of Leaf Street, and the more people come the bigger an impact we can have! It will be a great opportunity to learn about this compact and productive way of training apples too. And there will even be apple based refreshments!

Posted in Leaf St Community Garden | Comments Off

bike storage for Bentley

Posted on 13 October, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

There’s been a few people working for an inordinate amount of time to try and get a bike storage solution for the estate.  City South have wanted them moved from railings in stairwells as they are a safety and fire hazard, and have been very patient with how slow-moving progress has been.

It’s been hard balancing up City South’s desire not to spend money and our desire to get a solution that works – that’s secure enough for people to use it.  Ones that can only lock your front wheel aren’t suitable nor good enough for insurance purposes (D-lock round frame & solid fixing).  Recently there was a meeting between City South and a small bike storage sub-group that hopefully has moved things on! Continue reading →

Posted in General, Greening the Redbricks | Comments Off

Halloween event organising

Posted on 9 October, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

The annual Halloween event for young ‘uns is generally a big success, but that success doesn’t appear out of a vacuum.

There will be a meeting at 6pm , Wednesday 12th October, at the Tenant’s Office to start the planning.  Hope to see you there

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People’s Kitchen Tuesday 27 Sept, 6.15pm

Posted on 25 September, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Title: People’s Kitchen
Location: Tenants Office, 26A Humberstone Avenue
Description: Vegan Food, £1.50 for adults, 75p for kids.
Start Time: 18:15
Date: 2011-09-27

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Hulme Street consultation results

Posted on 25 September, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Commuter Car Park August 2011

The responses to the three consultations (on Hulme Street, online and by post) have been collated by BCA. Here are the results.

Hulme Street Linear Park Collated Results-Sep2011

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Transforming Hulme St Draft Plans 27 Sept

Posted on 25 September, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

Description: Look at the draft plans that have been put together by BCA from the recent consultations. Have your say before the plans get submitted for planning permission.

Date: 2011-09-27

Location: Tenants Office, 26A Humberstone Avenue

Start Time: 17:30
End Time: 19:30

Posted in Hulme Street | Comments Off

Outdoor gym for Hulme Street?

Posted on 24 September, 2011 by Greening The Redbricks

One idea for the transformation of Hulme Street that’s been floating round for a while is to put in an outdoor gym.  This could for example be a combination of ‘natural play’ objects (big trunks, rocks and the like) with bought-in robust gym equipment.

 

You don’t have to go to China anymore to see these in active use, though they are not widespread in the UK yet.  But where they exist, they get well-used, and people from different communities meet each other who never would have.

 

Clearly they would help Redbricks’ people with physical and mental wellbeing, as well as providing a warm-up facility for people who use the park for sport – but it would also encourage people to hang out in the new space, which would make it feel safer and more welcoming.

 

There’s some case studies about outdoor gym here.

 

Fingers crossed…

Posted in Greening the Redbricks, Hulme Street | Comments Off