Fantastic to see our community celebration
ONE of the things that continues to drive me on is the great community spirit in Levenshulme.
This was shown yet again in abundance during our latest Christmas Lights Switch On, held on our village green.
When the Levenshulme Traders Association started their Lights Switch On event nearly 20 years ago, I never thought I’d be stood there all those years later watching over 300 local children receiving their presents yet again from Father Christmas.
Some parents who brought their children even brought photos of themselves attending the very same event all those years ago.
Our Switch On events have seen celebrities attend from the likes of Coronation Street.
But who are the real stars of the show? It’s the thousands of children who have made our event the highlight of our busy cultural calendar over so many years.
We are grateful that our Switch On countdown was led by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester, Coun Abid Chohan, who is also a local resident in Levenshulme.
Our event, supported by Manchester city council, seems tiny compared to events in the city centre. What we lack in money though is made up with sheer enthusiasm, drive and a love for Levenshulme.
Hundreds of children with their families attended this year’s event, all receiving a free present from Father Christmas. All courtesy of the Levenshulme Traders Association and our core sponsors helped by loads of smaller donations from local businesses.
Entertainment on the night included the Tom Cliff School of Dance, the voice of Old Trafford. Alan Keegan, who came with mascot Fred the Red, and Moonchester and Moonbeam from Manchester City also came along.
As usual, Father Christmas swapped his sleigh to arrive on a Stagecoach 192 bus!
A huge army of people were behind the event. Too many to mention.
Finally, we were delighted to award Christine Rawson from Biffa a ‘Pride of Levenshulme’ Award for all the work she does to Keep Levenshulme Tidy.
It’s unsung heroes like Christine that make Levenshulme such a great place to live, work and shop! Lawrence Hennigan, Chairman of Levenshulme Traders Association