Yesterday Upper West Grove became an Active Play Street for the day. Residents were asked to park their cars elsewhere and the street was closed to traffic from 11-4pm. We began with a litter pick with prizes for the children who joined in. Then Manchester Active brought in loads of games, lots of neighbours brought food and we had 3 hours of fun and conversation while the children played and laughed. We reckon around 30 adults and 50 children came for all or part. One neighbour said it reminded her of how the streets were back in the 60s when not many people had cars. Thanks to Manchester Council, Manchester Active, MossCare St Vincent Housing and Biffa.

Our Great Groves Tidy Up today went really well, with lots of residents helping pick up litter and dispose of larger items of rubbish. It's so good to see the Groves spick and span – long may it last! Good also to meet up again and do work together for the good of our community and environment.

It was great to welcome PC Josh Wigley and two of his colleagues who got stuck in. Big thanks to all who helped and also to MossCare St Vincent housing for providing lots of goodie bags and refreshments, Dave from Grove Village for the truck for removing several loads of large items of rubbish, and Manchester City Council for bags and pickers. Here are some photos from the day.

On Saturday May 29, between 11 and 2pm we are having a clean-up of our streets and alleys, linking up again with the Great British Spring Clean. One of the not so good outcomes of the Covid lockdowns has been an increase of littering and fly-tipping. But on May 29 we Groves residents can do something about it.

Come to the Community Garden between 11am and 2pm to collect a bag and litter-picker, and do your part as a good neighbour.  Thanks to Moss Care St Vincent there will be refreshments, children’s treats and goody-bags. It will be good to meet up again too!

​Email for more details.

We have produced another issue of our newsletter – everyone on the Groves will have had one through your doors in the last few days. It has an important message about Covid vaccination. If anyone else wants to read, download here.

Remember the hanging basket kits offered by the Council that many of us took last November? Well, those seeds and bulbs have been growing and here are some of the results, sent in via our WhatsApp group. Some green fingers in the Groves! Spring is truly on the way. If your hanging basket isn't here and you would like it added, just send an email.

Our Winter Cheer project was a great success. 18 food and treat bags, 40 children's treat bags - all with Happy New Year posters and tealights, plus over 40 more posters and tealights delivered. Thank you everyone who helped with getting the supplies, sorting them into packs, and delivering them and the posters and lights. Thanks everyone who put the poster and light in their window. And last but not least, thanks to MossCare St Vincent Housing for sponsoring the project and MSA for prizes for the poster competition. 

Little did we know as many of us wished each other a Happy New Year that just a few days into it we would be back in lockdown! The vaccinations are on their way, but meantime beating this virus is going to require a bit more effort from us all before we see that light and hope we wished for in 2021. Let's keep looking out for each other. 

Thanks to everyone who sent in an entry to the Happy New Year poster competition. Our judges found it very difficult to decide, and in end we had a winner, two runners up and a third! All received prizes and the winner and runners up also received a certificate. 

The winning poster (below) was designed by Sunny from East Grove and will be our Happy New Year poster that we will give, along with a light, to all houses on the Groves that want one. The idea is that we put these in our windows to wish each other a happy 2021 – light, hope and peace.

The runner-up designs (below) will be used on leaflets that will go with each 'Winter Cheer' pack. These will go to our elderly and vulnerable residents and also to families with children. We have a list of houses to go to, but don't want anyone to miss out. If you are, or know, someone who should be getting a pack, please get in touch by email or phone or text 07906 228132 before December 24.
​
The picture shows runner-up Aishah with her certificate which was presented by Judith.

The government has announced that from 2 December the national lockdown will end and England will move back to a localised Tier system. Manchester will be in Tier 3 with a Covid Alert Level of ‘Very High’. So... let's keep on keeping safe and keeping others safe.

These are gloomy times – another lockdown as the Covid restrictions continue, and now cold and dark winter weather. Winter Cheer is a project to put the smiles back on our faces. In December we will be giving small packs of food and essentials to the vulnerable and elderly, and also some sweets to families with children (plus, maybe a few surprises). Then, towards the end of the month, a Happy New Year poster and a light for every house. If we can all put these in our windows we can wish our neighbours light and hope for the new year. And it will look great!

POSTER COMPETITION
Also, we have a competition for junior age children to make a picture or design to use on the poster with a great prize for the winner. More info on this leaflet.

More details about Winter Cheer are on our latest newsletter which everyone should have received at the weekend. If you can't find yours, you can download it here. If you need more information or know of a home or family that should get one of the packs, send an email.

One of our new hanging baskets, up and looking great. Thanks George and Donna for the picture.

​Over the next weeks and months (with a bit of watering!) these winter pansies will flower, then spring flowers will appear, including snowdrops and crocuses.