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There’s a burst of Heatons creativity about to blow!

A monthly Arts Club has been slowly but definitely gathering momentum, meeting around 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of each month in The Elizabethan on Heaton Moor Road. Local artist Moira Walton recently relocated from her former city centre NQ base to her newly refurbished garage in The Heatons, creating the perfect design studio base for her practice supplying fine art, photography and silk scarves to galleries and niche ethical boutiques nationwide. She soon started asking herself the question: “Should there be a local arts focus of some sort?  Or more to the point, why isn’t there a local arts focus?” Moira’s own open studio weekends, at which she regularly welcomes a diverse mix of customers, friends and other artists, spawned the idea of a monthly link-up, with the ultimate goal of creating an Arts Trail or Festival.  The original, simple idea of wanting to include other local artists’ studios in her open weekends has quickly developed into the seeds of an Arts Festival, involving visual, community and graphic artists, animators, singers, writers, photographers, poets and musicians!  With the help and support of our local Council and the eager involvement of many local venues, keen to be involved through hosting performances and exhibitions, our very own Heatons Arts Festival looks set to really happen! Do you know how many artists operate behind closed doors, gardens, garages, allotments, front rooms? An amazingly exciting wealth of creativity is happening as you unwittingly pass by. But for one weekend at the end of July (27^th/28^th), you’ll be able to see what these people do – and how and where! The group is planning a trail (with a map) that will allow you to see the artists at work in their studios as well as exhibitions and one-off events in local venues such as The Blue Cat, Back’s Deli, Pokusevski’s Deli and many others …What’s not to like?

www.moirawalton.co.uk    https://twitter.com/MoiraWalton

Follow us on Facebook for updates and latest news.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/HeatonsArtsTrail?fref=ts

www.rachelcooke.co.uk     www.teresadietrich.com

The 2012 Sustainable Living in the Heatons (SLH) Family Bike Ride was an amazing success with over a hundred cyclists turning up on bikes of all shapes and sizes. The weather was perfect and local cyclists had a wonderful ride through some of the green spaces in The Heatons and along the River Mersey, finishing at the fabulous 4HTA Summer Festival in HeatonMoorPark where everyone joined in all the fun of the fair!

The Family Bike Ride to the Summer Festival will be back this year on 16^th June. This time we’re planning two routes: a shorter one including a stop in a park for a play on the swings and slides (approx. 2 miles) and a Green Spaces ride (5-6 miles) for those wanting ride a longer distance. Both routes are off road on good quality tracks where possible.

Numbers are limited and spaces on the ride/s will be allocated on a first come – first served basis.  In addition to the 4HTA Festival Ride, SLH is organising three more rides during the summer.  If you want to book on either of the Festival rides, or find out more information, please mail us at sustlvngheatons@gmail.com

Since the show was created in 2003, Mark has been wowing audiences the length & breadth of the country, in theatres, festivals, restaurants and clubs with his highly entertaining and polished, professional act.

The Frankie Valli tribute act plays at Heaton Mersey Conservative Club on Saturday 27 July

I’m pretty nervous as I approach the church hall where the ‘Do Your Thing’ Choir meets every Wednesday. However, when I spoke to choir director Liz Taylor to arrange my visit, I was struck by her utterly inclusive approach and as I sit down in the cosy chapel room of Heaton Mersey Methodist Church, any concerns I might have had melt away instantly with Liz’s infectious energy and sense of humour.

Liz begins with the assurance that this is the choir with no auditions. The only requisite for joining, she explains, is a desire to sing your heart out. She builds an instant rapport and light-hearted atmosphere which puts her newcomers at ease.

Down to business and we get on with some singing. This is all about losing our inhibitions, Liz explains. We start off with some warm-up exercises to get our vocal chords in gear: mainly silly ones which get us laughing and get the endorphins going. Liz has a well-established choir in Ashton but the Stockport choir is a recent addition, and she seems bowled over by how even her newest members have taken to the tune.

Becoming a member of the ‘Do Your Thing’ choir costs just £5 per week on a pay-as-you go basis. The choir meets every Wednesday between 8pm and 9.30pm at Heaton Mersey Methodist Church. To find out more, visit www.do-your-thing.co.uk or search ‘Do Your Thing’ on Facebook.”

Father’s Day, Sunday June 16^th, is the date of the fourth 4HTA Heatons Summer Festival, to be held once again in Heaton Moor Park.

We’re so excited! There’ll be falconry displays, traditional fete-style games for little & big kids, mini funfair, a Big Daddy tug-o-war, (that should raise a laugh amongst the mums!) and lots of fabulous food and drink from local suppliers, including the beer tent to wet your whistle. There’ll be an amazing programme of musical entertainment too, so you can sing along and dance along!  Remember the mass Zumba? Well it’s back – with warm-ups courtesy of health club pros, so no excuses! In the sports section there’ll be a day-long programme of fun with sports: something for everyone to try. What with ice cream, competitions, raffle (£550.00 Bicycle voucher to be won), tombolas, 50+ stalls selling a hundred and one goodies, food, beer, music and dance, kids’ area, sports  and the two SLH family bike rides finishing at the festival, this should be a Father’s Day to remember .

The 4HTA summer festival is brought to you by the Four Heatons Traders Association which is grateful for financial support to sponsors:  Bramley Carpets, Joules Estate Agents, Kingfisher Health Club, McKellen’s Solicitors, Mums in the Know and Town Bar.

So in recognition of how our ‘mother borough’ makes us feel, we’ve packed this issue with happy memories from our residents: we’ve got great recollections of the farms on Green Lane, a model from the sixties strutting her stuff in bang up to date fashions from moo and a lovely feature from someone who, because the pull of the Heatons was so strong, returned to live here more than once! The fashion is bright too as we look forward (I’m an optimist) to mellow al fresco evenings enjoying the ‘local amenities’ we rated so highly.

So whether you want to take the ‘second happiest place to live’ accolade with a pinch of salt or not, I believe there’s no harm in a little self-congratulatory smugness and a few neighbourly smiles to reinforce that happy-to-be-here-ness. And maybe if they do the Stockport part of the survey just in the Heatons next year, we’ll come out top!

* Rightmove Happy At Home Index for 2013

MOOR editor Melissa Marriott and her family head to Heatons favourite The Elizabethan to find out about its recent developments and to sample the new summer menu.

The smart new exterior is popular on sunny days

Having been sent by MOOR to check out the results of The Elizabethan’s latest investment at first I could spot little other than the beautiful, newly painted exterior. However, chatting to Joe Lusher, one of the managers, I discovered that the pub’s recent £250,000 spend has mainly gone on behind the scenes improvements, including a new dry store and a major extension to the kitchen. In addition they’ve extended the glass wash to nearly double its current capacity. This might not sound particularly sexy, but all of these developments will mean that service will be faster – without any lowering of standards. Joe explained: “On a summer’s day we can have 300 people just in the beer garden at the front of the pub. We recognised the need to increase our back of house capabilities to ensure that we could cope with demand, particularly should we get a sunny summer.”

On top of all that, the popular watering hole has introduced a new summer menu. Joe told me that the extended kitchen has enabled them to increase the percentage of food prepared fresh on the premises to about 95% of the entire menu. They’ve also added more salads to the menu and introduced some fantastic meze platters, reflecting the changing tastes of their customers. But carnivores don’t fear: there’s also a great selection of burgers, steaks and ribs as well as pub favourites such as beer battered haddock, Cumberland sausage and mixed grill.

Kids’ sausage meal went down really well

My husband Lee, our two daughters and I set about putting the new menu to the test. The children chose from the kids’ menu which has Mini Meal and Mighty Meal options depending on the age (and appetite) of your sprogs. Both can be part of a meal deal with pudding and drink included. My two went for the pasta and meatballs (which comes with garlic bread) and the sausage, mash and veg. Briefly silenced while they tucked in, they cleared their plates and declared their meals “scrumptious” and “yummy”  - which, as a parent, works for me.

For the veggie in the family… Very tasty!

I went for the veggie sausage and mash, which comes served with onion rings and gravy. Gorgeous. The spring onions in the mash were a nice touch and the gravy lived up to its ‘rich’ description.

Lee’s Empire burger was a hit too

Lee opted for the Empire State burger which is topped with cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce and onion rings. The burger itself was meaty and succulent and the homemade coleslaw on the side a nice addition. He also sampled the new permanent cask ale, Manchester Pale Ale (MPA), which is smooth and light and at just 3.7% a good lunchtime drink. The pub continues to have seasonal guest beers and the June – August offering is ‘Streaker’ (yes you heard me right!). It’s a super-refreshing bitter with a subtle floral aroma:  perfect for the long, light summer evenings.

Gorgeous desserts were loved by all!

As if not suitably stuffed, the children managed a chocolate sundae each and Lee and I had carrot cake and fudge cake respectively – both of which were beautifully moist.

The Marriott family’s conclusion is that the new menu is definitely worth checking out. And though the only obviously physical change is the newly painted black and white exterior, it’s good to know that should we (finally) get a barbecue summer, The Elizabethan is ready for it – no matter how busy they get.

Joe also told MOOR that at The Elizabethan they’re always looking for good quality staff. If you’d like to work at the popular pub, nip in for an application form.

Philip Caveney

At MOOR we’re big fans of local author Philip Caveney but, though we’ve featured his books in the past, we’ve never really found out what makes him tick. So we decided to throw a few tricky questions his way to find out more about the man behind the stories and to hear about his latest book.

We hear you’ve got a new book out: what’s it about?

Space Blasters is the third instalment in my Movie Maniacs series. The books are based in a little cinema somewhere in the North of England – those of you who’ve visited the Savoy, Heaton Moor, may notice more than a passing resemblance! So come to the Paramount Picture Palace, where the projectionist, the mysterious Mr Lazarus, can, quite literally, put you into the movies. In this adventure Kip and his friend Beth find themselves trapped in a galaxy, far, far away. It’s essentially a Star Wars spoof and I’ve had great fun writing it.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

From a multitude of places. It might be some little thing I’ve overheard. It might be a memorable place I’ve visited on holiday. It might be based on reading about a subject that interests me or even something that scares me. It always starts with the characters and, once I have those, the story happens almost organically.

Do you prefer writing for children or adults?

You know what? There really isn’t that much difference. Obviously, when you write for a younger audience, there are subjects you don’t visit but all the other rules of fiction apply – characterisation, suspense, dialogue, action; it’s all there and you owe it to your readers to write the very best book that you can.

Do you write at home or are we likely to spot you in a Heatons coffee bar huddled over your lap top?

I can and have written all over the place – hotel rooms, trains and yes, cafés too! But I’m always happiest writing at home. The commute is so easy. Out of the bedroom and into the lounge. And I’m ready to start!

You’re quite a prolific writer? Is that because you find it easy or do you just put the hours in?

 Writing is an addiction for me. I’m simply not happy unless I’m working on something. And the truth is, the more you write, the better you get at it. I can hardly believe it, but Space Blasters is my 29^th book. I try to write something every day.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any favourite Heatons haunts?

The Moor is blessed with some really cool bars and restaurants – Town is a favourite spot to unwind and Kro has developed into a great place to eat. For takeaway, you really can’t beat Buddah Express, the Heaton’s Tandoori does a King Prawn Balti to die for and for an extra special occasion, it has to be Steve Pilling’s excellent venue, Damson. Lest all this gets too fattening, you’ll sometimes spot me and my partner Susan, working out at Life Leisure or, when weather permits, batting a tennis ball around one of the Moor’s two outdoor courts.

Space Blasters by Philip Caveney, published by Andersen Press Paperback £5.99

Philip Caveney has had several adult thrillers published in the past but has now turned his hand successfully to children’s books, including the Sebastian Darke and Alec Devlin series. Space Blasters follows the hugely well-received Night on Terror Island and Spy Another Day.

Jordan Gurry – award winning photographer

Jordan Gurry, who does all of MOOR’s fantastic fashion shoots, has been awarded the accolade of Photographer of the Year by parent company Venture. Jordan beat off over 250 other photographers from around the world to win the award. From his A6 Venture Photography studio he told MOOR: “I love working and living in the Heatons. Over the ten years I’ve been here I’ve had some wonderful clients and I really enjoy getting the best shots I can from them. I’m over the moon that I’ve been given this award.”

It’s going to be a big year all round for Jordan as he’ll be marrying his lovely girlfriend Jools this summer. Here at MOOR we congratulate him on his success and wish him the best of luck for his wedding in August.