Friends of Longford Park (FOLP)

Posted by rylands on September 25th, 2008 in Recent Events

Click here for more details

Longford Park Stadium 8th May 2008 11.30am till 3.30pm

The Free entertainment includes:-
Poetry Readings
Arts Activities
Live Music
Live Theatre
Many useful Information Stalls

Organised by Friends of World Mental Health Day
contact 912 4828
Email forworldmhday@bluesci.org.uk

Posted by rylands on September 21st, 2008 in Recent Events

The Picnic in the Park featuring the ‘One Love’ Steel band took place September 14th 2008 and blessed with September sunshine and great music this was a very popular and enjoyable community event. Thanks to Denise Atkinson and Bob Dunbar for providing the pictures:-

The excellent local ‘One Love’ steel band will be providing the entertainment for the picnic in Longford Park. Come and join us in front of the Longford Hall facade for this enjoyable community event.

This event will take place on Sunday 14th September between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.

Please bring your own chairs, rugs and food and enjoy the September sunshine and chilled out tunes provided by the ‘One Love’ Steel Band.

Posted by rylands on September 20th, 2008 in Stretford Pageant/Carnival

The North West Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University have permitted the Friends of Longford Park to display a rare film of Longford Park and the Stretford Pageant from 1937.This footage provides a reminder of the rich heritage of Longford Park and the Stretford Pageant.

The Friends of Longford Park will be at this year’s Stretford Pageant. Please come along and say hello!

More about Stretford Pageant:-

The Stretford Pageant takes place this year on the 28th June. This will be the 89th Stretford Pageant and the 99th Rose queen festival (more about Stretford Pageant history). As well as the parade, there will be be a carnival, a fun fair and a giant car boot sale starting at 8am in Longford Park.

The Pageant parade starts from Stretford High School at 1.30pm and arrives at Longford Park around 2.30pm where there will be lots of activities and the crowning of the Pageant’s Rose Queen, Princesses and the Rosebuds. From Stretford High School the parade follows great stone road, the quadrant, kings road, edge lane and then onto Longford Park.

For more information please contact Victoria McLeod, the Chairman of the Stretford Pageant:-
Email:-victoriamadscot@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone:- 0161 748 2300

Find out more about this year’s Stretford Carnival and Fair

Posted by rylands on September 12th, 2008 in The 2008/2009 Lottery Bid

The petition supporting the 2008 Longford Park HLF bid is now closed

A very big thank you to the 1507 people that have signed our petition.
We have now received 848 paper based petition signatures to add to the 659 online petition signatures. An amazing community effort.

To show how important the 2008 Longford Park Lottery bid is to the local community we hoped to get over 500 signatures. We are absolutely delighted that by the 21st September we managed to get over 1500 signatures. Thanks very much.

Posted by rylands on September 12th, 2008 in The 2008/2009 Lottery Bid

10 Good Reasons to Support the Longford Park Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Restoration bid:-

1. Renovation of the Edwardian Bungalow to provide a Cafe with outdoor picnic area next to the popular kids play areas and pets corner.
2. Restoration of stable buildings to provide a visitor centre, scout headquarters, art exhibition space, meeting rooms, classroom for Trafford College and other partners and centrally located toilets.
3. Restoration of the Art Deco shelters Rose Gardens and the Japanese Gardens, including reintroduction of water features
4. Expansion and development of the Pets corner area into a small urban farm style facility, offering greater interaction and learning for the local community.
5. Transformation of the Longford Hall Garden area into an outdoor performance area and vibrant civic space, providing a prominent symbol of regeneration for the community.
6. Creation of new paths, improved drainage and signage to increase usage and take advantage of the park’s proximity to Stretford Athletics Stadium, the Trans Pennine trail,the Mersey Valley and the soon to be redeveloped Bridgewater Canal.
7. Creation of multi-use sports area including Mini Golf, improved pitch and putt course and youth activities zone including basketball training area and small skate park
8. New safety measures such as CCTV, lighting and additional staffing
9. Appointment of a dedicated Longford Park Manager and two Park Rangers to communicate the park’s rich cultural history and maintain and enhance Longford Park’s facilities, audiences and cultural vibrancy into the future.
10. Restoration of Ha Ha and other heritage features associated with the John Rylands estate.

The 2008 HLF bid will be submitted by Trafford Council in September 2008.
If you have any suggestions how the bid could be further improved then please contact us.

Posted by rylands on September 8th, 2008 in Longford Park in the News, The 2008/2009 Lottery Bid

As reported in the Stretford and Urmston Messenger September 11th 2008 by Robert Downes (View the Article)
FRIENDS of Longford Park have said a big ‘thank-you’ to everyone who signed their on-line petition supporting the multi-million Lottery regeneration bid.

Organisers from the group needed more than 500 signatures for their petition to be included in the official bid being submitted by Trafford Borough Council at the end of this month, and that figure was reached earlier this week.

Committee member John Fitzgerald told SUM: “We’ve had a great response so it’s thanks to everyone who signed.

“The petition has really demonstrated the strong support the bid has amongst the local community, and hopefully it’ll give it more weight.
“So once again thank you to everyone who signed,” he said.
The bid, which has been compiled by the council with the help from the friends group is a two stage process.
The council won’t find out until around May time whether it has made it through to the second stage. If it does the final outcome won’t be announced until 2010.

As part of the bid to improve the civic amenity is a new cafe in the Edwardian bungalow, expansion of pets corner, a park ranger, restoration of the park’s heritage features related to the original John Rylands Longford Hall Estate, new toilets and the restoration of the coach house buildings to offer visitor/meeting areas. Improved drainage and paths for walkers and cyclists and well as restoration of the ornamental gardens and the creation of an outdoor performance area and multi use sports area are also included.

Despite having reached the 500 signatures they needed you can still lend your support by signing the petition and also learn more about Longford Park’s 2008 Heritage Lottery Fund bid by visiting http://folp.org.uk

Posted by rylands on September 8th, 2008 in Longford Park in the News, The 2008/2009 Lottery Bid

As reported on the 29/08/2008
Stretford and Urmston MP Bev Hughes has urged people to back Longford Park’s latest multi-million pound bid for Heritage Lottery funding. She as now joined the 297 people who have signed the Friends of Longford Park’s online petition.

Bev said: “I’m really pleased to support Friends of Longford Park in their heritage Lottery Bid. I want to thank them for the work they’re doing to improve the Park. I’d encourage as many people as possible to sign the Friends petition online. Longford Park has a rich history and a successful Heritage Lottery Bid would be absolutely fantastic. So sign the petition and back the bid.”

The Friends of Longford Park hope to get more than 500 signatures by September 15. To sign the petition go to http://www.friendsoflongfordpark.org.uk