Today marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan which Muslims across the world observe by prayer, and fasting during daylight hours.
To the many families and residents of Whalley Range who celebrate their faith by following this tradition, the three Councillors (Aftab Razaq, Angeliki Stogia and Muqaddasah Bano) wish a very peaceful and productive Ramadan.
At their full meeting earlier today, Manchester City councillors discussed and agreed a range of measures to do more to enable children (and their parents) to walk or cycle safely to and from school, reducing car usage together with the problems of parking, pollution and accidental danger which come with the ‘school run’.
Whalley Range Labour councillor Aftab Razaq spoke at the meeting. He noted the contribution of local schools and volunteers, including the Whalley Range WalkRide and Climate Action groups, in organising temporary street closures outside several Whalley Range schools in recent weeks. “When the roads are closed to non-essential traffic, even just for one day, it allows parents and pupils to see for themselves all the potential benefits of fewer cars” he says.
You can watch Aftab’s speech in Council here.
The British Muslim Heritage Centre (BMHC) are consulting on plans to construct new buildings on their site off College Road. The three Whalley Range Labour councillors Aftab Razaq, Angeliki Stogia and Muqaddasah Bano have written to residents in streets near to the Centre with information about the consultation and their first thoughts on the plans they have seen. The text of the letter is as follows:
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On December 1, at the national Councillor Awards in London hosted by the LGIU and CCLA Good Investment, Whalley Range Labour councillor Angeliki Stogia won the Environment and Sustainability Pioneer award.
Working as Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Planning and Transport between 2017-21, Angeliki oversaw the implementation of ambitious programmes across the city aimed at cutting emissions and encouraging more people to use low-carbon modes of transport. In July 2019 the Council declared a climate emergency, setting a goal for the city to be zero carbon by 2038 – 12 years ahead of the Government’s own target of 2050. A key pillar of this aim was the launch of the City Centre Transport Strategy, which outlined the Council’s ambition that, by 2040, 90% of journeys to the city centre during the morning peak will be done by walking, cycling or public transport.
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On October 21, the Friends of Alexandra Park held a lovely “Big Light Switch-on” event at dusk, to celebrate the installation of two beautiful new clocks (back lit with LED lighting) in the ‘tower’ of Chorlton Lodge. This is the second ‘Legacy Project’ to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Park (although because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the original plans to mark this milestone during the year have inevitably had to be scaled back).
Councillor Aftab Razaq, who attended the event with Councillor Muqaddasah Bano, says “We are so lucky to have this group of dedicated volunteers and supporters who help to look after Alex Park all year round, improving facilities in and promoting the heritage of the ‘People’s Park’ at the heart of our ward. As always, they deserve great thanks from us all”.
The Friends welcome visitors to their Information Point in Chorlton Lodge (near the Claremont Road entrance to the Park) which is open every Wednesday and Friday beween 11am and 2pm, and on the first Sunday of the month between 12 noon and 2pm. They also have calendars, Christmas cards and other goodies on sale, perfect for stocking fillers. For more information, see their Facebook page.