Report transcript in: Community Reporter Jean talks Janice about what the park means to her and how she has used it for more than 50 years

Please Report the Errrors?

Hello, Janice. Um, thanks for

agreeing to see me today,

and I I'd just like to know about how you use your Longford park,

how long you've been using it.

And what's the sort of thing that you do

in Longford Park?

I probably started using Longford Park when I was a child,

and my mom used to bring us across the Monkey bridge from

Balmoral Avenue. And

I think one of my earliest memories is going over the monkey bridge

and along I think it's Longford Road and into the park.

Um,

so I've been going since I was a child, which is over 50 years ago,

uh and then I've moved around,

uh, out of the area, but still managed to come to the park quite often.

And then I might have finally moved on to Cromwell Road.

So the park was in my back garden,

which was partially why I bought the place in the first place.

Because

having the park in the back garden when I had young boys was just

ideal.

So the boys used to go off and play in it as well. Um,

however, I've kind of moved slightly away from the park and I now live on edge lane,

but I still have access.

So it takes me maybe two minutes longer to actually get to the park.

And I do try and get round at least once a week.

Uh, and every time I go, it looks totally different.

So the trees might be a different colour. There's different people,

loads of different activities and things going on. So, yeah, I absolutely love it.

It's a lovely place to be. Yeah. So you walk around on a regular basis?

I do? Yeah. During lockdown, I think I went a different route.

I used to walk around the paths, but during lockdown,

I found a longer route right around the outside edges of

the park just to make it a bit more substantial.

And that's the route I do now.

I quite like that route because it kind of gets you off the path

and a little bit closer into the woods and things like that in the

bank.

Yeah. And how often when you would you do that? Walk during the lockdown?

Uh, during lockdown. Every day, every

day,

every day.

So that changed or you did. It increased a lot

lot.

Yeah, if not the park and be around the meadows.

But you'd have to cross through the park to get to the meadows anyway. So

probably every day. Yes.

And, um,

apart from walking around, uh, do you use the park for any other reasons?

Yes.

Well, um I started a community choir, uh, in 2013, and, um,

we use First Community Centre, which is based at the

quadrant end of the park.

Um, the parking isn't ideal.

We could do with maybe better parking and lighting facilities and stuff.

However, it's

it is quite a a smashing little community centre for people to be involved in.

Um, so we've been there every week practically since 2013.

Um,

we also have had many things on the fields.

There's been the Armed Forces Day hasn't there,

and lots of other events that the choir has been involved in,

which we probably wouldn't have done had we not been around in the park.

Um, I think there was an event

for friends of Longford Park as well that the G

n s society I also belong to was involved in.

I think we did an old time music Hall for the 100th anniversary,

even

that was really enjoyable. So,

yeah, we should have more of that.

I know it's very difficult to organise, but I think these events that go on in the park

are really

popular.

Um, we have the theatre company come, don't we?

Once

they've been really, really nice to sit out in the gardens and watch

a show with a picnic is fabulous.

Um,

and with the pets pets corner also put on some

events

and the bowling people and the a lot of people.

So we have We've got a lot going on and more of that. It's fantastic.

And, um,

do you have you ever volunteered in the park? A

couple of times?

My problem is time. I I tend to be quite busy, so

I can we do health walks?

Um, which I did volunteer way back, back a few years now.

15, 16, 17 years. Something like that. When Jean suggest it,

um which was just to encourage people to use the park more who maybe didn't

want to come in on their own so that they could use the paths around

and actually turned into a really, really nice thing to do on Sunday,

a month We got to know quite a few of the local people and

people who may be not quite as able bodied would come.

So we've got a nice ring of paths now,

Um, there's proposals, I think, for future ones,

which would be which would be great.

So, yes, I really enjoy doing that once. Once a month.

Is is for a couple of hours on a Sunday is a fabulous thing to do.

Yeah, so my mother enjoys it. She

My mother's 90 now, so she still wanders around.

Very good.

Yeah. And have you got a favourite bit of the park?

That's a very good question, isn't it? Um,

before lockdown, I would have said the gardens because I do love the gardens with,

um they change throughout the year.

We have beautiful magnolias in the spring, and, uh,

in the autumn, all the aces change colours, don't they?

So they've got beautiful autumn colours,

but probably since lockdown. I do enjoy going around the outside edge

down Cromwell road side up to the edge

lane exit because it's like a little wooded path

nice little walk.

And also the bank end,

which I hadn't really ventured into before lockdown and all across those grounds,

there's a bit of a tented area going on up there.

Um, so

it's a difficult one, that difficult one.

I do like the open space of the the big field, so yeah.

Yeah. So So you like most of it?

Most of it.

And the lake, Because we get a nice lake every now and again.

That was the thing that was going to ask. Did you think there are any problems in

the

park

to be resolved? So now you've brought up the lake Lake?

What do you mean by the lake, then? Well, when we get heavy rain,

there does tend to appear at this fantastic lake lake,

um, near the big Children's play area,

which the birds do tend to enjoy. But it does

offer quite a few problems.

I'm sure the people at the other end of Cromwell Road I walk around yesterday,

actually, and it was really quite marshy again.

So it is quite a problem for them.

It shouldn't be there. It's the underground.

I mean, they came and sorted it out We had diggers for quite some time, and

I thought you were talking about the other lake.

The the one in

because

there are all the lakes, Some of the one, you know,

there's one in the park in the gardens.

And that's a very interesting lake. That appears also.

Yes, we have escorted several people out of the flood water

in the

long time with our willy bobs on.

Um And there was another new lake, actually. Wasn't there?

Down at the bottom of the trees near

lane. That was a new one.

What are those

in America?

Yes.

So it does get flooded a lot.

Yes.

And if there is quite a water shortage in the Northwest,

you think that that would be something that they would be able to address

the water to where it should be going?

Yeah.

So, apart from the flooding,

would you think there's any other if there was money to improve the park?

What do you think needs to be done

to improve it?

I'd like to see something going on at the stables area,

and I know there is maybe the possibility of something happening at the stables area

whether that would be

a courtyard, a community hub of some description.

Um, that would be very nice.

The cafe is really good.

The cafe.

The only problem with the cafe, personally, I think,

is that they're a little bit highbrow.

We get posh coffee and stuff, but it does take quite a while to make posh coffee,

and then it's a little bit cold when you get it.

I think the model may be that Vicky Park have got where

you can get a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea.

You know, make less pot.

However, it's nice. It's It's,

um,

and the ice cream ladies

as well.

Um, I forgot the question,

and it was just, you know, if there was ever any funding available,

Do you think there's anything that needs?

You know, you mentioned the flooding problem?

Is there anything else that you think needs addressing, you know,

to make it a better experience for for you and for other people.

I think the gardens could be improved, Um, that they

we've got one bed of flowers, I think, or a couple of beds of flowers now,

Whereas I remember when I was a kid, that the gardens were fabulous.

We did have the water feature,

and

Oh, it did? Yes. And yes, we'd have a little waterfall, and

it was fabulous. As a child, you you play

sticks with the bridge

things like that. It was It was really, really good.

So I'd like to do that restored, if possible. And, um,

there was a little cafe.

Wasn't there a fabulous old cafe down by where the acting area is?

That would be quite nice to restore the 19 thirties

in that toilet block. Is that

what you think?

vaguely remember it. I remember the building.

I don't remember being open, but I remember it being there.

Um,

but they have done a nice job with with that area with the mosaics and things.

You know, they they've made the best of that

of of of the area. I think,

apart from the flooding,

course,

um,

otherwise maybe a bit more money on the pets corner,

because that's a fabulous area as well.

Maybe

bit more substantial, um,

out houses for the animals. And

I feel a bit sorry for the weather out in the cold. I don't

I don't know much about animals but

that everybody loves going around and

looking at the chickens and the goats.

And I used to love the Woo.

They got rid of the

because the Woodies were such fun.

We've got parakeets in the park,

I suppose.

In the wild.

Yeah,

yeah. Was there anything else that you wanted to talk about?

You know, any of your views or anything that you wanted to share

on the park?

I just think everybody should go. I think it is a real asset to Stratford.

It's the biggest park in Trafford, I think, isn't it?

And, um,

there's probably not as much funding spent on it as there ought to be.

Um, it does attract a lot of people,

especially if the master plan is going to go

ahead and Stratfor is going to be regenerated.

Longford Park should be on that

path.

I think whether there's a circular route around Stratford where you can go

and visit all the parks and then have a nice little coffee in the

in a new area, I don't know, But, um, I think

it should be

It should be a real asset and and marketed as a real asset to Stratford.

It is. I know it's kind of on the border between Strech,

so it's kind of a bit more Manchester way, isn't it?

So maybe people in Trafford don't appreciate it as much as they ought to.

think a bit more publicity about the park. More visitors

walks, more walks, you know, more things in the park. More going on the fairy trails.

Brilliant. The little fairy doors,

lots of little Children going around.

We had used to have the lantern parade and things like, You know,

there are a lot more activities we

need to go on

and a bit more Carol singing

this

year.

Yes.

Oh, thank you.

Anyway.

See if I can turn this off now.

I take it just because the phone shuts down, it takes a while to turn off the

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Author

cat@curatorsof…

Post date

04/11/2021