HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS...
A POET who worked as a council housing officer has returned to his old stomping ground for inspiration.
Tony Walsh, who wrote an impassioned love letter to Manchester which proved to be an antidote to horror in 2017, has expressed his admiration for its twin city of Salford.
His rendition of ‘This Is The Place’ in front of crowds in Albert Square, a week after the Manchester Arena bombing killed 22 innocent people, went around the world. Thousands drew strength from his message.
To deliver his Salford poem he returned to the place where he once worked as a council regeneration manager – the city’s Langworthy district.
‘Salford Keys’ reflects the vast regeneration and new housing which has sprung up in the city in the last three decades and the ingredients which have allowed the city to rise again after the demise of the docks.
Tony performed it at the Emmanuel Church, just a few hundred yards from where he was once based in his council job from 2003-11 at the Cornerstone Community Centre.
It was to mark the official launch of a 157-home development in the area called Neighbourhood.
The poem includes the lines: “So when the world moved on, the docks were gone, this city built a plan.
“Building this, and this, and this, now this. ‘We’re Salford and we can.’”
Tony, who lived in Lower Broughton as a student, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford, said: “I have an association with Salford going back 40 years and know every back alley of this area in particular. Having worked on the regeneration
project 15 years ago, it’s great to see what was planned back then finally come to fruition and the new Neighbourhood development will be central to the regeneration of the area.
“The poem is inspired by Salford’s ambition, drive and spirit. What struck me is the location of Neighbourhood – on top of the hill looking down at MediaCity and what was the docks.
“Salford had one of the biggest ports in the Commonwealth, yet is 30 miles inland, so if that doesn’t speak about the city’s spirit then I don’t know what does. It’s a city that’s had its challenges, but it’s made a comeback. A lot of people are doing amazing things in Salford and new housing is a key part of that regeneration. For me, the best thing about Salford is its people – the humour, the language and that Salford pride. It’s a city with its own distinct and proud identity.”
Other lines from the poem are: “Know that Salford spirit knows no limits; summat that we share here
“Is the strength that made history, and the strength that laid the bricks
“Is the strength to build tomorrow from a city built of this.”
Also known as Longfella, Tony, teamed up with Neighbourhood’s developer Step Places and housing association Salix Homes to write the poem.
Neighbourhood is a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes and one and two-bedroom apartments to be built on two brownfield sites off Kara Street and Liverpool Street that have stood empty for more than a decade.
The eco-friendly development comprises social housing, homes for affordable rent and properties for shared ownership and outright sale.
Construction is underway on site and the development is expected to be complete in summer 2023.