HUNDREDS of residents turned out to enjoy a popular day of free fun on Manchester’s Brunswick estate. Families were treated to everything from chain-saw art to tasty food at the annual event, organised by the Friends of Gartside Gardens and supported by S4B Manchester – the consortium behind the £111m transformation of Brunswick.
Stalls and attractions were lined up in true ‘street festival’ style, starting at the top of Kincardine Road, where an inflatable mega-slide was a real hit with the kids.
At the S4B supported housing scheme, Elizabeth Yarwood Court, tasty food to suit every taste bud was on offer, courtesy of scheme manager Donna Shaw, who had been hard at work to make the treats.
And nearby, S4B staff Yvette Brown and Barbara Fisher were on hand to pot-a-plant with residents, who could choose a young plant of their choice to pot and take home with them.
Yvette said: “We had such a great day planting with the residents. It was lovely to see the children choosing the pots to match with their plants and they really enjoyed the gardening experience. The smiles on their faces said it all”.
Continuing down Kincardine Road and past the park, a bouncy castle, face painting, character-balloon making and a rodeo bull were among the many highlights.
A chainsaw artist was even on hand to demonstrate his unique carving skills. Landmark sculptures have been designed in a competition by children from Medlock School and these will appear in the park when finished.
Other fun activities on Saturday (August 15th) included football training and coaching, live music, and BBQ delights at the Wai-Yin Chinese Centre.
Craig Eastham, Chair of the Friends of Gartside Gardens and event organiser, said: “Our annual party event is a great way of bringing members of the local community together.
“It was extremely popular last year and with so many great activities taking place again, it was another successful day of fun for the whole family.
“Thanks to the staff from S4B for all of their help in making this event possible. Special thanks too to fellow ‘Friends’, Ann, Carole, Julie and Rhoda for the opportunity of working with them. We hope to make this a permanent fixture in people’s diaries for many more years to come. It really was a wonderful day”.
For more information please email [email protected] or tel 0333 555 0128.
You can view the full gallery of pictures of the day on the S4B facebook page – simply log on and search for S4B Manchester.
S4B is the consortium set up to deliver the 25-year £111m regeneration project in Brunswick which started in January 2014. The consortium is made up of four specialist organisations – Contour Homes, Mears, Galliford Try and Equitix.
The work will see over 500 new family homes plus refurbished homes and roads – as well as improvements to many green space areas over the next 25 years.