Chorlton Good Neighbours

David Willars was an excellent speaker at last Thursday’s history talk (06-06-19). The topic was the almost forgotten history of Manchester’s Victorian glass industry , complete with some prime exhibits. One attendee commented that they had come along just to give the usual support but said they found it all fascinating and they had learnt a lot.
History talks on on the first Thursday in the month at 1.30pm. Next month July ‘s talk will be Linda Carver talking about Ancoats and the history of the Ancoats Dispensary. Everyone welcome

Last Sunday 2nd June saw people come together for the usual monthly Sunday tea (always the first Sunday in the month). Volunteer drivers brought in 35 people who enjoyed a hot meal and pudding, bingo and a raffle and entertainment this time from Dave Beaumont. Thanks as always to the volunteers who give up their time to come and help chat to people, serve the meals and bring everyone to and from the Hall.

Circus Skills at the Drama Group
Our first workshop of the Summer Drama Workshops at CGN was held on Wed June 5th 2019. Whilst future workshops will be based round improvisation and developing a drama production, this weeks opener was on Circus Skillsd. It was led by Poppy Avison-Fell, a performer and practitioner which led us to explore using swinging Poi, Juggling Balls, Hula Hooping, diablo, Tossing Flower Sticks, Spinning Plates, and flow ring toroflux
We all had a great time with varying degrees of success in trying out the various circus aids. Certainly gave us lots of ideas about what to try out with our grandchildren!

Thursday coffee morning 6th June
Our usual crowd of 60 turned up to meet with friends, have a coffee and celebrate birthdays. The art table continue to bring in their paints and use the time to water colour or crayon. How they concentrate with all the noise is amazing.
We also had visits from our Hear to Help colleagues who checked people’s hearing aids, and from two local PCSO’s who drop in when they can to listen to anyone’s concerns, which this time were around difficultie...s using a motorised scooter with cars parked on pavements and also drones!
We also welcomed Dr Kinsley Purdam , and two students from Manchester University, who gave a brief report on older people’s voting habits. They also carried out a short survey with some of our members to further their research, including questions about the importance of voting and their experiences of Brexit. Interestingly once people reach the age of 85 years it appears they stop voting so it was useful to introduce Dr Purdam to 98 year old Rose who still does! He will be returning to do the December History talk, so please come along as it is interesting work.
Helen Hibberd
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Chorlton Good Neighbours Launch 4th FREE Drama Workshops for All Ages with Circus Skills!
June 5th to 31st July 2019. 10:15am -12:15 at St Ninian’s Church Hall, Wilbraham Rd M21
Develop new skills Make new friends. Gain self-confidence & Enjoy Performing for a Supportive Audience. Chorlton Good Neighbours support Manchester's Ageing Well initiative with Manchester’s only Free Drama Course by professional Actor/Directors.
... Our latest Course will be INTERGENERATIONAL – your family members - children, grandchildren all welcome to take part in the Workshops and the Performances.
First Free Workshop: Clowning. Have a Chuckle With Free Circus Training in Chorlton this Wednesday 5th June 2019 at 10:15 am.
Our new series of Free to the Community Drama Workshops will be kicked off by brilliant, bubbly Poppy Avison-Fell. Poppy has led circus schools from Prisons to Parish Halls and Open Air Festivals! From Swinging Poi, Juggling Balls, Hula Hooping, Tossing Flower Sticks, Spinning Plates, and tactical toroflux and more! Suitable for all ages and abilities. This first workshop leads into a series of 9 weekly fun free events where you will have the chance to put together an original play that will be performed at the Chorlton Arts Festival this summer. • The Workshops are funded by Chorlton Good Neighbours – community charity for South Manchester. • The 9 sessions are put together by Chorlton based actor and playwright Nakib Narat, who will also support guest Theatre facilitators.by qualified, professional Theatre Practitioners ensuring an exciting, caring, supportive, environment, even for people completely new to performing.
You will learn acting techniques through fun exercises and drama games, leading to a Community Show as part of Chorlton Festival 2019! No lines to learn, new friendships to be made, and gaining confidence building skills in theatre craft. Join new friends and give it a go! Earlier workshops participants have performed in HOME Theatre and before the Lord Mayor.
Even if you are not a performer have fun helping out backstage. All welcome.
Further information, and to book your place please ring CGN Co-ordinator Helen Hibberd on 881-2925 or email helen@chorltongoodneighbours.org
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Next Thursday's history talk is by David Willars who will be talking about Manchester's Victorian decorative glass industry and showing us some exhibits. 1.30 pm on Thursday 6th June all welcome.
Thursday 6th June in the morning 10-11.30am - our 'Hear to help' colleagues will be here checking hearing aids and cleaning earmoulds, giving advice and batteries. Just turn up.... - Dr Kingsley Purdam from Manchester University will be giving a short talk at 10.30am about his research on the voting habits of older people....very topical and interesting if you haven't had enough already!
Monday 10th June Positive Living Group with Debra McCallion On being assertive / how to say no .. 10-12 .All welcome
Thursday 13th June : Eduardo Fe , MMU researcher is returning to do a second session on strategic decision making using incentivised games on small tablets . The last session was v well attended and participants were given small financial rewards for taking part . If you would like to have a go at this second session please let me know . Arrive for 9.45 am in the Main Hall before starting at 10.
New drama Course :6 . Free sessions running from:Wednesday 5th June to 31st July 10.15-12.15, led by local actor and playwright , Nakib Narat and funded in part by a local Neighbourhood Investment fund grant .I attach a flyer explaining more about it and hope you might come along and join us if it sparks your interest. They are a really friendly group of people , and everyone just grows in confidence through enjoying the fun exercises and drama games.
Helen Hibberd Co-ordinator
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Last Thursday coffee morning (17-04-19) was very busy. Not only did nurse Eileen turn up to speak with anyone who had some concerns , but we also had visits from two other colleagues who were both looking for older participants to take part in their different projects.
Eduardo Fe , a researcher from The University of Manchester is running a project looking at decision making in strategic situations. He found about 20 people interested in taking part in a session on Thursday 1...6th May starting at 10, when participants will be playing some incentivised games on tablets. …
Our second visitors, Jolene Sheehan and Patrick Wright are hoping to run a creative writing project over four Saturdays in August, bringing together younger writers with local older residents to create “Stories of our Lives” a reflection of memories and experiences , captured through the different writing styles of the authors. They have already got a good group of interested people together to share their stories but still need to encourage more young writers to come and join the project …so if anyone reads this and is interested please get in touch
Finally the morning rounded off with some singing from member Jenni Woolfe who got people joining in with ‘some enchanted evening’, ‘when will I see you again’ and old favourite ‘what are you doing Sunday baby’We encourage anyone to come and join us on a Thursday morning 10-11.30am .
Next week our Hear to help colleagues will be with us checking hearing Aids, moulds, and giving out batteries. Just turn up and have a coffee whilst you wait.
Helen
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“we all have a book in us?”
Have you ever heard the phrase “we all have a book in us?” A whole book sounds daunting doesn’t it? So how about we create one together instead?
Our names are Jolene Sheehan and Patrick Wright. We want to create a book about older local people's experiences so they can share it with their relatives, friends, or others in the Manchester community. These stories are important and we want to celebrate them in print. However, we need writers to do t...his. Are you interested in getting involved?
The project will take part on Saturday's on August 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st from 9.30am until 2.30pm with a break for lunch.
Each week will be a stand-alone session so you can attend one or all of them.
It will be held in St Ninians on Wilbraham Road
The morning session will involve a brew and a guided chat with a group of older people with the purpose of hearing and preserving their recollections and experiences.
The afternoon session will then be you, the writer staying on for a chance to rework your notes into a short piece of biography with the guidance of Patrick, an experienced creative writing teacher and published writer.
Your work (with the go ahead of the person you have written about) will then be published in a collection.
For more information or if you have any helpful suggestions, contact me on jolenesheehan@live.com . Alternatively you can text or call me on 07939566148.
Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you soon.
Jolene Sheehan
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Just a reminder that the next history talk will be held in the back hall at Wilbraham St Ninians Church, as the usual big hall will be used for voting .
The talk will be on Thursday 2 May 1.30pm from Michael Billington on 150 years of the parish of St Clements in Urmston so lots of useful snippets about our neighbouring town. All welcome .
Also
... 1. Our hearing aid colleagues will be with us on Thursday 2 May 9.30-11.30am if you need some new batteries and the moulds cleaned, or general advice.
2. The next Positive Living session will be on Monday 13th May with trainer Debra McCallion. 10-12 .the topic is - being open to change , getting unstuck ....all welcome
3. I am hoping that during August there will be a chance for people to take part in a small one off project with some creative writers who want to capture some 'stories of our lives' ...or maybe you might like to join as one of the writers? Anyway more details to follow soon.
4. Ivy Green Allotments are having an open event this Sunday selling plants etc and I have attached a flyer if you are able to support them .
Helen
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Interviews with Good Neighbours Volunteers We recently interviewed three of our Good Neighbours volunteers, Ray, Janice and Cathy in which they talk about their experience of volunteering and why they do it https://youtu.be/VWCj0SAe_n8

New Outdoor Sign The new outside signage for Good Neighbours has now gone up . Andrew Dickinson came yesterday to put it up, having made the surround in beautiful wood and with glass that protects it from sun damage. It certainly lifts the outside of the office and catches the eye as anyone walks by.

“Death at the Seaside”
At the Good Neighbours coffee morning on April 11th 2019 the CGN drama group put on a production of “Death at the Seaside”. This comedy mystery play was developed by the members of the group, arising out of improvisations that we eventually brought together as a (more or less) coherent whole.
The audience certainly had to use their imaginations as the action was centered round a group of unruly teenagers at school with a teacher struggling to control t...hem. There was an an announcement of a pregnancy, a class bully, a teacher’s pet and a mother coming to take her daughter out of school
This was followed by a school trip to Blackpool where the same group of teenagers on the prom came across some road works, where one of their number, was pushed into the hole by one of the group. The boy died and the group decided to cover the body over and then leg it back to the coach
The final scene was a few weeks later when a policeman came to interview the students after a body was uncovered at the same roadworks on the prom. Each student was interviewed by the policeman (Sergeant Dixon of Chorlton Green) and eventually it turns out that it was the teachers pet who was responsible and is led away in handcuffs to much cheering from the other students
Well, Shakespeare it was not! But everyone had great fun both putting the production together and for the audience watching it. Below are a few photos from the play
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On Thursday April 4th Dolores Long gave a riveting talk to the Good Neighbours History Group about those 109 men and women from Manchester who in the late 1930's went to Spain to join the International Brigade and defend Spain from the Fascist takeover led by General Franco.
Dolores' father, Sam Wild was one of these volunteers and ended up as the commander of the British Battalion of the International Brigade.
Dolores was herself named after Dolores Ibarruri, forever known... as La Pasionaria, for the impassioned speech she gave in her Farewell to the International Brigades just before they left Barcelona in October 1938
An audience of about 70 people came to the lecture by Dolores. She talked about Marguerite "Madge" Nuttall Addy who worked as a nurse during the Spanish Civil War and before that lived & worked at a hairdressers in Chorlton. A civic plaque to her was unveiled on Manchester Road, Chorlton, at a civic ceremony in May 2018
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Last Sunday (April 7th) there was a Murder Mystery at the Good Neighbours at our Sunday Tea. Peter Gibson, a professional actor and friend of Good Neighbours organised it.
It was based round a party held for an ageing James Bond. 3 members of CGN's drama group played parts. Several members of the audience dressed up for the event including Denis who dressed like Oddjob (Goldfinger's henchman). Helen our coordinator was there wearing some killer heels
Well, the ageing James... Bond was killed at the party and the various suspects were interviewed by the police inspector (Peter). I played Titan Belt, the newly appointed head of secret operations, who had to cut the budget to save his job and whose motive to kill Bond was to meet his cost cutting targets
Well, I won't give away who did it, but everybody had great fun and the three members of the audience who got it right and found the murderer were given prizes for their detective skills
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Dear All Thank you to those of you who went along to Brookburn Primary yesterday to support their wartime learning project; the young people really appreciated it. I hear that many of you really enjoyed the session so I will let you know when other schools put out a plea for support.
Next Thursday 4th April history talk by Dolores Long is about the Manchester people who went to join the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's to help stop the spread of fascism, so it should be very i...nteresting. 1.30pm start with tea/coffee.
In the morning of 4th April the Hear to Help service will be at coffee morning from 9.30-11.30am
Monday 8th is the next Positive Living Session 10-12 with Debra McCallion. The group will be discussing the issue of guilt and exploring strategies for dealing with it.
Sunday 7th April 4- 6pm we are holding a Murder Mystery event based around a James Bond theme- at his retirement party . If you see yourself as a bit of a sleuth then why not join us ? Clue sheets , guidance etc given at all stages by the actors coming to deliver the fun. First hour 4-5 is the murder mystery, then tea afterwards to include hotpot and trifle . £8 per person.
If you ever fancy joining an exercise class why not come and see if the Wednesday afternoon class 1.30pm suits you? Karen Oakes who instructs the class does a mixture of cardio and balance work, as well as exercises to tone muscles using hand weights and resistance bands.If you need more information please just ask .
All good wishes,\
Helen, CGN Co-ordinator
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The value of Chorlton Good Neighbour's exercise classes

I went along to the Happy Cafe to talk about Chorlton Good Neighbours and promote the idea of volunteering for Good Neighbours. They were a great group of friendly and welcoming people. Here are the details of their next meet up in Chorlton for anyone who might be interested Bernard