The Last Pit in the Valley – the Irwell Valley Mining Project

For the last twenty years former miner Paul Kelly has been placing flowers at the entrance to what was Agecroft Colliery in Salford.

Paul at the site of Agecroft Colliery

I did it as a memorial to those people who worked and died in the pit. In 1990 the pit closed and was replaced by an industrial centre and 128 years of coalmining history was wiped out

Paul hasn’t just left flowers, together with other local people he has been involved in a project to remind other generations, including local children, about the importance that coal once played in their history and can have in their future.

Paul is Chair of Irwell Valley Mining Project, which is being supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. They were one of the first groups in the country to receive funding for the All Our Stories project. For a small community project it is undertaking a vast amount of work, including a memorial at the site of Agecroft colliery, a book, a film, a leaflet, an exhibition, a website and an educational pack.

Central to the project is a book written by Kelly called The Last Pit in the Valley, which is semi-autobiographical as it tells the story of several generations of his family and their lives working in the mining industry.
It is about commemorating our lives but is also an introduction to the coalmining industry with a map showing the location of pits. It will also show how it was a political decision to wipe out the industry.

Alice Searle, who is the Secretary of the project, and an ex-teacher emphasises how important it has been to get local children involved in the work:

Children do not know the history of this industry and the importance it played in the community. We have got a local school, St. Augustine’s involved in helping make tiles for the monument and the students from Salford College are actually going to build the monument.

Searle was involved with the project to get a monument to the Chartists at Kersal Moor in Salford and she wrote a book about the Chartist movement:

I have sold over 1000 copies of what is a small local story but it showed how people are interested in their history.

Members of the project have been going out collecting interviews from ex-miners and have uncovered unpublished photographs of Agecroft colliery to use in the exhibition.

Agecroft Colliery before closure

Together with the priest at St. Augustine’s Church, which was called the Miners’ Cathedral, they have sought to remind people of a mining disaster in 1885 when 178 men and boys were killed in a local pit and were buried in unmarked graves in the churchyard. The exhibition will be launched in the church as a commemoration of the dead and a reminder of the price paid by working class people in the mining of coal.

Kelly has been going out filming the sites of long gone pits in order to produce a visual history of where the pits were and what has happened to the sites. The films have been uploaded to Youtube to allow people to track the development of the project. See

Searle and Kelly met when they were both involved with the Stop the War Campaign and their project does have a political edge as Kelly comments:

Coal is important. We don’t need to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for resources, its all there under out feet. Young local men should not have to put on a uniform and fight for fuel when they could be working down the pits and producing our own energy.

Alice Searle and Paul Kelly

For further information contact aosearle@gmail.com

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch… We Live in Two Worlds ..a number of films about a flawed but important public service facing privatisation, the Post Office which in the 1930s had its own film unit, the GPO Film Unit. On Thursday 30 May, 6.30-8.30pm, the Manchester City Art Gallery are showing a selection of films made between 1936 and 1938, including the experimental animations of Len Lye and Norman McLaren, as well some well-loved classics and less well-known films. The screenings will be followed by a discussion.

The evening is free, but advance booking is advised. Book tickets at

Listen…to a footballer who has something to say. Mahmoud Sarsak is a talented midfielder for the Palestinian national football team whose career was destroyed by three years detention without charge or trial in an Israeli jail .
His incarceration only ended in July 2012 after a three month hunger strike and an international outcry on his behalf by individuals and organisations, including former French international and Manchester United star Eric Cantona, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the international professional footballers’ federation FIFPro.
In April-June this year the sportsman and former detainee is touring Europe to thanks those who campaigned for his release and to highlight the experience of Palestinian prisoners and of Palestinians dealing with discrimination in sport and in other areas of their working and personal lives.

Join him on Monday 27th May 5.30pm onwards at the Saffron Restaurant , 107, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8 8PY. This has been organised by the Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign
For more information contact Norma 07903668500

Find out more… Worlds within worlds: punk ladies, riot grrrls and fanzine culture.
Cazz Blaise, writer on women and punk, will be giving a talk on Wednesday 29 May at 2pm at the Working Class Movement Library in Salford. She will discuss the role women played in the UK punk scene and the UK incarnation of the female focused, female dominated Riot grrrl scene. Further info see

Discover ..the wonderful music of Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, played by the BBC Philharmonic next month. His work not only redefined what was central to the character of the symphony, but was also part of the nationalist movement in Finland. Sibelius was heavily inspired by Nordic folk legends, basing a fair amount of his tone poems on old stories and literature. When Russia invaded Finland during the Second World War he refused to leave the country. Further details see

Go to….Brian Clarke: Born Oldham 1953. Brian was born and educated in Oldham and is the world’s best-known stained glass and architectural artist. Look up when you are shopping in Oldham Spindles shopping centre and see his work celebrating another Oldhamite, William Walton. Visit Gallery Oldham to see another aspect to Brian’s art; his drawings. He is 60 this year and the work looks back on his life in his hometown, particularly celebrating his love of cotton mills. You can meet Brian on 5 June at 2pm when he will be giving an illustrated talk on his work. There is no charge but booking is essential – phone 0161 770 4653 to reserve a place. Further details see

Celebrate…. the life and ideas of Wigan born and bred Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676) and the 17th Century Diggers movement he became the inspirational theorist and spokesperson of. The third annual Wigan Diggers festival takes place on 7 September. Enjoy poetry, music, film and song and its all free!
This year they have established an annual award bearing the name of Gerrard Winstanley and will present it, ideally at the festival each year, to an individual or a group, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the cause of making the Earth a common treasury for all, in the spirit of the Great Wiganer. This year the award is being presented to veteran left-winger and former Labour MP Tony Benn, someone who has himself described the Diggers as the first “true Socialists”.
Further details see

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch…..Tsar to Lenin (Cornerhouse 27 May) Released in 1937, this ranks among the twentieth century’s greatest film documentaries. It presents an extraordinary cinematic account of the Russian Revolution; from the mass uprising which overthrew the centuries-old Tsarist regime in February 191, to the Bolshevik-led insurrection eight months later which established the first socialist workers’ state and final victory in 1921 of the new Soviet regime over counter-revolutionary forces after a three-year-long civil war. It’s great that Cornerhouse are screening such an inconic film but only for one night…further details see

Celebrate…..the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of E.P. Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class. Edward and his wife Dorothy, a respected historian in her own right, were good friends of Ruth and Eddie Frow. This exhibition at the Working Class Movement Library celebrates the book, and that friendship, and is a fascinating introduction to one of the most influential history books of the twentieth century. See

Support the Working Class Movement Library …..on Sunday 3 June at 3pm at Islington Mill a benefit in aid of the WCML will take place. Will Kaufman will be presenting . “All you Jim Crow fascists!” – Woody Guthrie’s freedom songs, the story of Guthrie’s transformation from a youthful Oklahoma racist to the ardent anti-racist champion who, along with many others, risked his life holding the line against American fascism during the Peekskill riots of 1949. Last time Will performed we had to turn away the punters so get there early if you want to see what will be more than just a singer and his songs. Tickets on the door at £10 venue; Islington Mill, James Street, Salford M3 5HW.

Enjoy….the art and music of the Netherlands on Thursday 23 May from 7-9pm at Manchester City Art Gallery as they launch a new exhibition; Home, Land and Sea Art in the Netherlands 1600-1800.
From 7pm see evocative paintings of everyday life, stormy seas, calm, peaceful landscapes and still lifes of luxury goods that have been redisplayed to reveal the Netherlands’ great artistic heritage. At 7.30pm enjoy an historic music performance by Accordes, who will play music by the 17th century Dutch composer and poet Constanijn Huygens (1596-1687) and his circle. The performance includes a lute, theorbo and Baroque guitar. Accordes is a sub group of the larger ensemble Partita. Further details see

Find out about….Ken Loach’s new party Left Unity as it holds its inaugural meeting for the folk of Tameside at 730-9pm in the Stalybridge Buffet Bar Thursday night, 23rd May. The meeting is a joint north and east Left Unity Manchester meeting. One of the speakers is from the Bedroom Tax campaign group in Gorton. Further details see

Check out mookychick.…..a feminist website that features fashion and feminist opinion, its funny…see

See…. a new play by award winning Shred Productions, SOUTH, set in Antarctica, 1962: “when ‘going south’ meant 12 months cut off from the world. Discovering upon arrival that the fiancée he left back home is pregnant, biologist Daniel puts ambition above his religious belief and stays. Seeking solace in his work, he uncovers disturbing evidence of the environmental disaster mankind may yet bring about. Teetering on the edge of depression, Daniel’s life is forever changed by his friendship with young dog-sledger, Jim. Then, when news of the Cuban Missile Crisis reaches the base, total destruction looms.”.
SOUTH plays at The Lowry, Salford Quays. Date/Time: May 29th, 30th & 31st – 8pm start • Tickets: £10 see

Go to a talk….about Votes for Women, 1868 – 1928 on Tuesday 21 May, 7:30pm at Chorlton Library. Socialist historian, Michael Herbert will tell the story of women’s long and difficult campaign for the right to vote in which Manchester played a key role with activists such as Lydia Becker, Esther Roper, Hannah Mitchell, Eva Gore-Booth, Teresa Billington, Mary Gawthorpe and the Pankhurst family. Free. Chorlton Library, Manchester Road Library 21 9PN. Further details see

Worth listening to….PJ Harvey singing the Ballad of the soldier’s wife – music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. Originally called the “Ballad of the Nazi Soldier’s Wife” and Intended for broadcast to Germany as part of the US war effort, the song chronicles the progress of the Nazi war machine through the gifts sent to the proud wife at home by her man at the front: furs from Oslo, a silk dress from Paris etc., until finally, from Russia, she receives her widow’s veil…………see

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch…Manchester Film Co-operative – in association with the IF Campaign –have put together two films about the real economic crisis. It’s a double billing of We’re Not Broke and the award-winning Secret City.
6.30pm – 8.pm: We’re Not Broke, the story of how American corporations have been able to hide over a trillion dollars from Uncle Sam, and how seven fed-up Americans from across the country, take their frustration to the streets and vow to make the corporations pay their fair share. And at 8.30pm Secret City, not London but the finance sector in the City of London. This award-winning film exposes the Corporation‘s anti-democratic constitution, the ancient laws which allow it function as a state within a state, and what happens to those who oppose it. It’s followed at 10pm: Q&A session with Secret City director Lee Salter.
Date: Tuesday, 14th of May.

Time: Doors open at 6pm, the event will finish by around 11pm.

Admission: £5 waged, £4 unwaged for the double bill (or £3 waged, £2 unwaged for single film).

Look at….The exhibition Burning Bright: William Blake and Art of the Book which runs at The John Rylands Library from 8 February 8 – 23 June. Admission is free. Blake ( 1757 – 1827) was a poet, painter, and engraver. Ignored during his lifetime, and seen as mad by some people, he produced what are now seen as iconic images in his drawings and poetry. In this exhibition there are thirty of Blakes’ etchings and engravings as well as works by artists and designers who were influenced by him. What makes this exhibition unique is seeing so many of his engravings in one place and in the wonderful setting of the John Rylands Library. Further details see

Celebrate…The Smiths On Screen. Screen Stockport Film Festival is declaring Monday 13th May 2013 officially #SmithsDay in Stockport. It’s exactly thirty years to the day since The Smiths released their debut single Hand in Glove, which was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. There will be speakers discussing the cultural influence of the Smiths, as well as a showing of the film A Taste of Honey written by Morrisey’s favourite playwright Sheila Delaney. See

Get involved…..Derby Peoples History Group are organising a Peace and Justice Festival on 14 September. They have a planning meeting on Thursday 16 May and are looking for people to get involved. See

Join….. Greater Manchester Keep the NHS Public and be inspired by the dedication of people to challenge the privatisation of the NHS. …next organising meeting on Wed 15th May 7pm, Lounge Room, Methodist Central Hall, 1 Central Buildings Oldham Street Manchester M1 1 JQ. The room room is booked as Keep Our NHS Public. See

Listen to…. The making of a protest album (in 5 easy steps) by Quiet Loner who made a protest album called Greedy Magicians in 2012. He made it on one evening in a Salford Church and the artwork was created using 19 Century machines. On 18 May from 3-5pm he will be playing songs from the CD and explaining why he wanted to make a protest album. Free. Further info see

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch…and support Moston Small Cinema….Post Tenebras Lux Juan and his family live in the Mexican countryside and the film explores their lives, their marriage, poverty, gender and our relationship to the natural world. Maybe not the kind of film you would expect in Moston but that is the beauty of projects such as Moston Small Cinema, which is all about bringing cinema to the heart of a community, Find out more…..

Listen to ….author and political activists, Lyndsey German and Betty Tebbs at Waterstones Book Shop on Monday 29 April at 6pm. Lyndsey German’s new book How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women, explores the history of women’s involvement in the Stop the War Movement over the last ten years and also reflects on why it has brought in so many women to the movement. Betty Tebbs, of Whitefield CND, will join her in the discussion about women’s role in the peace movement over the last 100 years. See

Look at…..the paintings of Brian Clarke at Gallery Oldham from April 20-Sept 14. He was born and trained as an artist in Oldham and is famous for his work in stained glass – see it in the Oldham Spindles shopping centre. His reputation is worldwide as he has been involved in projects from the Victorian Quarter in Leeds to Norte Shopping Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brian is 60 this year and this is a homecoming for him, a reflection on his work and also in the film that accompanies the exhibition we find out more about his family and his love of art. Although famous for stained glass he draws everyday and in the works shown here we see some of his greatest influences, including his early life. I loved his drawings of Oldham mills As he says: My love of architecture began with my love of cotton mills’, he says. ‘I am built of red bricks and covered in black smog

Enjoy……the work of John Crumpton… BAFTA award winning sound editor, film and video maker, writer, trainer, BECTU learning organiser and photographer. In 2005 he, together with Feisal Querishi and Michael Herbert. produced a film about the work of the WCML which is now accessible on his website, alongside several of his other hits including my favourite… I married a Cult Figure from Salford…see

Remember….Alice Wheeldon…on May 1 Derby Peoples History Group will be remembering her life as a suffragist who opposed the First World War. They will be unveiling a plaque to commemorate her life and politics see

Celebrate International Workers Day…on Saturday May 4. Assemble: Bexley Square, Salford 10am and march from Bexley Square at 11am. Bringing together campaigns against the privatisation of the NHS, against the Bedroom Tax and defending jobs in public services…further details see

Listen to,,,, Beautiful Africa by Rokia Traore. I saw Rokia in a small club in Oldham several years ago. Her music is essentially African and in her latest album Beautiful Africa she comments on the war going on in her home country of Mali. Now based in Bristol her music has developed and with John Parish, who produces the work of PJ Harvey, it has a more rocky feel to it whilst mixing in her brilliant voice and interesting African sounds…see

Enjoy…..the angry taxi driver. Who says the working classes are not philosophers? ! See his latest rant when the BBC ask him to take part in a documentary….but there is no payment………classic.. see

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch…Good Vibrations…and discover an aspect of 70s Belfast that is not well known…the punk scene and one man’s struggle to bring some life into a bombed out city. His name was Terri Hooley and he ran a record shop and record label called Good Vibrations. Together with the kids he created a punk community determined to breathe life into their society and to try and negate some of the hardships of living in an occupied and war torn city. On his record label he signed one of my favourite bands, the Undertones. The shop still continues, so if you are in Belfast……

Look at…the new video piece by Yoshua Okon called OCTOPUS. Staged at the Los Angeles version of B&Q, the Home Depot, the artist got former Guatemalan soldiers to act out their military past. Guatemala has a bloody and violent past with over 30 years of a civil war,  including genocide against the Mayan community, and widespread human rights violations. Many Guatemalans now work in LA as day labourers and it was in the Home Depot where they search for work that the artist found the participants for his project.  There is something really eerie about this video, partly due to it being projected against four walls, but also that it was shot alongside your everyday shoppers in a parking lot. See what you think…….

Support the train  cleaners…invisible to passengers and paid peanuts by the companies who employ them. The RMT are raising the case of the cleaners on Arriva Wales who have outsourced the work to  a private company called Churchill’s. Like most of these companies,  they are a profitable firm,   but are refusing to give the workers a pay rise in line with inflation, who, like most low wage workers,  are seeing their real wages fall. RMT believe that it is  only if this work is brought in-house by Arriva Wales that this exploitation will cease. It is also calling on the Welsh government to get involved and to support the workers’ demands. You can support the cleaners by signing this petition at

Seek justice for Orgreave miners…The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign is seeking truth and justice for all miners victimised by the police at the Orgreave Coking Plant, South Yorkshire, on June 18th, 1984.Orgreave is part of the pattern of cover ups and lies by the police from many different forces, which are now being exposed. The campaign  calls for a full public inquiry, to take place as soon as possible, into the policing and subsequent statements recorded by the police at the time .It asks that everyone who seeks the truth and wants justice to support the campaign see

Oppose victimisation…many trade unionists face victimisation for  standing up for the rights of their members,  but UNITE activist Steve Acheson has done more than most to expose the illegal blacklisting of workers by employers, particularly in the construction industry.  He and others have been blacklisting for trying to ensure a safe working environment for workers in one of the most hazardous industries, or for trade union activity. Steve has been protesting outside Fiddlers Ferry power station since he was sacked from his job there in December 2008 as a result of being on the blacklist as a “troublemaker”.  He’s faced every sort of harassment – even having to fight off charges under anti-terrorism legislation to defend his right to protest.

Steve’s stand led to the blacklisting Consulting Association being raided by the Information Commissioner over offences against the Data Protection Act.  Its manager, Ian Kerr, gave evidence before a House of Commons inquiry a few months ago.  Kerr promised to give further evidence in private about matters involving the security services, but his sudden and unexpected death prevented him doing so.

There is an appeal to raise £25,000 to avoid Steve losing his home as a result of the illegal conspiracy to deny him work. Please make a donation to “Fiddlers Ferry Hardship Fund”  which can be sent c/o Warrington Trades Union Council, 6 Red Gables, Pepper Street, Warrington, WA4 4SB.

For more information see the Blacklist Blog.

Show your support… for the Morning Star, the only left wing daily in Britain, at the Ordinary Rebels Morning Star Social on March 28th from 7pm at 3 Minute Theatre. Join comedian Dave Puller, poet Alex keelan and singer Claire Mooney for an evening of folk music, stand up poetry and satirical sketches. Only £3! See for further information

Keep Our NHS Public protest …..on the Ist of April the NHS is going through a massive change and one that many of us are not happy with, so to mark our determination to challenge the new regime join us on 2nd April, 7.30am Cornbrook Metrolink, 7.45am Media:City Metrolink, 8am outside BBC building Media:City.. Join us at those times en route if you can’t make it to Cornbrook for 7.30am.
We’ll be leafleting commuters on the way.
A community choir will join us at Media City and everyone is urged to bring
NHS-related fancy dress for a bit of street theatre outside BBC building.
Let’s make this as lively and photogenic as possible!
We appreciate it’s early, but please do try to get along.
Organised by KONP Greater Manchester – supported by GMATUC/Greater Manchester Against Cuts.

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch..the Spirit of 45. Ken Loach’s homage to post war Britain:We have been the dreamers, we have been the sufferers, now we are the builders. (Nye Bevan) Nowadays its more a case of trying to hold onto what hasn’t been trashed by the ConDems or thrown away by Labour Councils. The film does feature some of our local heroes, including Karen Reissman of the Save the Bolton A&E campaign. Watch it at Moston Small Cinema 22-28 March from 7. 30-915pm only £3!!

Look…..at the beautiful Salford Cranes before Salford Council seeks to dismantle two of the most iconic landmarks that pay homage to the Manchester and Salford Docks and the community that was part of it. Support Alice Darlington who has campaigned tirelessly to save the cranes, sign her e-petition at
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/45202
see article at Salford Star

Show… your support for the Morning Star, the only left wing daily in Britain, at the Ordinary Rebels Morning Star Social on March 28^th  from 7pm at 3 Minute Theatre.  Join comedian Dave Puller and singer Claire Mooney for an evening of folk music, stand up, poetry and satirical sketches. Only £3!  See for further information
http://www.facebook.com/events/137061903130558/

Go to…Palestinian Fundraiser for the Palestinian Women’s Scholarship Fund…at Denshaw Village Hall,Saddlworth on Sunday 28 April 2-5pm. The documentary And Still they Dance made by Sheffield PSC will be shown. Tickets are £8/4 and can be booked by ringing 07975 908409 or emailing saddleworth.pwsf@gmail.com

Remember…Ethel Carnie who was a working class writer and anti-racist activist. This year marks the 100 centenary of the publication of her first book Miss Nobody. On 7 September the WCML will be hosting a one day conference to commemorate this event. Nicola Wilson,  who is organising the event,  is looking for papers or presentations on any aspect of Ethel’s life. Contact her on n.l.wilson@reading.ac.uk by Friday 28 June if you wish to contribute.

You can read my article on Ethel here.

Oppose blacklisting Steve Acheson Benefit Friday 22nd March 7pm
Saffron Restaurant £20/£12Steve Acheson, a trade union activist  has been blacklisted, cannot get work and doesn’t get benefits so a fundraising night has been organised by friends, including Salford Pensioners Association, to get him some financial help. See the blacklist blog

Find out more about… Charles Parker, the radio producer  on Friday 22 March from 10am to 4.30pm at an event hosted by the University of Salford, in the Digital Performance Lab at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays. The event seeks to recognise the work of the late BBC producer and celebrates the radio feature-past, present and future. 2013 sees the 50th anniversary of two of Parker’s famous Radio Ballads made with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger – ‘On the Edge’ about teenagers and ‘The Fight Game’ about boxing – so two of the main themes of this year’s conference are ‘the radio feature and young people’ and ‘sport on radio’.

The conference fee of £35 (£15 students) includes lunch and morning & afternoon refreshments.

More information here.

still time to see….Shirley Baker; Looking Outwards at the Gallery Oldham. Find out more about one of Britain’s best and most interesting photographers. Through her portraits explore her life from  Manchester in the 1960s to contemporary photos of Japan and France. See

listen to… Nick Cave’s latest album,,Push the Sky Away..that distinctive voice, quirky songs and great music!

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch out for….Viva, 19th Spanish and Latin American Film Festival at the Cornerhouse in Manchester from 8-24 March. There are some interesting political films: my top choices are:

30 Anos de Oscuridad (30 Years of Darkness), a documentary about the people who spent 30 years hiding from Franco. They lived in attics and secret rooms in private houses, they were the moles and these are their stories.

Violeta Se Fue ALos Cielos (Violeta went to Heaven) Violeta Parra was a Chilean composer, songwriter,folklorist, visual artist and mother of the New Chilean Song Movement. Find out about her life and hear a soundtrack of her influential songs.

La Voz Dormida (The Sleeping Voice),  based on the novel by Dulce Chacon is  the story of two sisters following the Spanish Civil War. One sister is pregnant and as an active Republican has been imprisoned and her sister steps in to try save her from  being executed.

Infancia Clandestina (Clandestine Childhood),  based on real events and told from the perspective of the 12 year old son of Argentine political activists who,  on returning to Argentina,  continued to work against the military regime.

For further info see

Look….Hidden exhibition at Peoples History Museum, which is  an Impressions Gallery touring exhibition.  Hidden recreates great moments in the long struggle for rights and representation with scenes involving the dissenters, revolutionaries, radicals and non-conformists,  who have often been hidden from history.

Each scene is carefully planned and lit, using costumed models in the style of tableaux vivants (living pictures). All the participants are volunteers,  including the actors and behind scenes technicians. There is an interesting film of the project which is worth watching to show how he created this fantastic exhibition. What makes this different from many other photographic exhibitions is that Red Saunders brings his politics into the project. He was a founder of Rock Against Racism in the 70s and he hasn’t lost his belief that art can change people; “My hope is that these images can give new life to these important episodes of working people’s history.”There is more than a nod to Sheila Rowbotham’s groundbreaking feminist history book  Hidden from History here. Check out his tableau of my hero, Tom Paine, not quite how I imagined him, but if it encourages people to find out more about his life then the project will succeed and our history will not be “Hidden” anymore.

Further details see

Get active….Combat the Bedroom Tax…brilliant blog and campaign..love the angry cat logo…direct action gets satisfaction…..got a feeling that anarchists are involved…..challenging the myths about migrants are taking jobs when it’s the corporations who  are avoiding tax, exploiting the unemployed and making them work for their benefits. See

Support… our London comrades (its not their fault they are in the south).  Firebox is a political project following in the footsteps of the International Club and the Partisan Coffee House.  Not just a café,  they organise discussions, promote campaigns and are a meeting place for Londoners and,  because they are near King’s Cross Station,  it’s a convenient place to drop in if you are visiting the city. They  are located at 106-108 Cromer Street, London WC1H8BZ

They are now seeking to raise £5,000 to cement the cafe’s reputation as a haven for progressive minds. Their appeal is currently running through Kickstarter, an all-or-nothing platform; meaning the team have only 30 days to reach their goal.

Project co-ordinator Clare Solomon says The last six months have been incredible. We’ve worked with so many fantastic organisations – from the Haldane Society of Lawyers to the SockMob homelessness charity – and have had a brilliant response from the local community. Now we’re looking to fund a video editing suite for local residents and groups to use. We’d also like to run new events for the community, like free progressive parenting groups. Please give generously to allow us to do this; and pop in next time you’re in King’s Cross!

The appeal will run until Friday March 29th and can be accessed via the Kickstarter website

More…women’s events…at the Black Lion in Salford on Wednesday 13 March at 730pm. Kino Shorts; Women In Film.  Not particularly political films about women’s lives,  but featuring films from Greater Manchester to Europe that were produced, directed, written or acted by women. Go along, watch the films and join the discussion with the film makers.

Celebrate..St.Pat’s Day.. learn about our rich history and how it is entwined with the politics of the city..we are more than drinkers and singers ……Sunday 17 March,  11am,   The Irish in Manchester (Walk 1)

On St Patrick’s Day this walk will explore the history of the Irish in Manchester,  including Little Ireland, the Irish at Peterloo, the arrest of William O’Brien, MP and the story of the Manchester Martyrs. Meet at Oxford Road Station. Fee £6/£5. Advance  booking strongly advised.

More information and booking : redflagwalks@gmail.com

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch…Tull at the Octagon Theatre…what has happened to political theatre I am constantly asking myself,  and then up pops a brilliant play. It’s the real story of Walter Tull, the second black professional footballer in Britain,  and one of the few black officers in the British Army. Phil Vasili researched and wrote a book about Walter which has now been turned into a play. Its not just the story of a mixed race young man and his search for fulfilment on the football and military field but a young man who is part of one of the most dynamic periods of history in this country; 1888 to 1918. A period when the campaign for the vote for women was at its heigth and Vasili knows his history as we watch Tull’s suffragette girlfriend Annie speak at public meetings to make the case for equality and oppose the First World War, two of the most controversial subjects of this era. It all takes place on an empty stage and the actors wear modern clothes allowing the audience to concentrate on the words and actions of a dynamic and totally engrossing play. Its well worth catching but get there before the 16 March further details see

Look…at The original rocku/mocku/documentary. One More Chance by local film maker John Crumpton; Shane Ventura, the legendary rock ‘n’ roll artist of the late fifties and early sixties, narrates the emotional journey of his rise to fame and his equally meteoric fall…

John is a BAFTA award winning sound editor, film and video maker, writer, trainer, BECTU learning organiser and photographer. He makes inspiring and idiosyncratic films including the hit Tea Machine, and I Married a Cult Figure from Salford,  as well as documenting important political events such as the International Workers Memorial Day  featuring Claire Mooney singing A Day to Remember.  To watch these films see

 

Find out about…..The Youth of Palestine; How the occupation is blighting their future at a public meeting organised by Oldham Trades Council on Monday 18 March,  7pm. Speakers to include: Bernard Regan, Trade Union Officer, Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Venue; Oldham Unitarian Chapel, Oldham. Further details contact secretary@oldham.nut.org.uk

Celebrate…International Womens Week….here are some of my favourites…

3 March..Women at Peterloo walk…led by Michael Herbert from  Red Flag History walks, who is the author of “Up then Brave women”, Manchester’s radical women, 1819-1918.   He is also doing walks on 8 March on radical women in Manchester  and 10 March on “Votes for Women”.  booking advised in advance, go to

3-10 March at Three Minute Theatre:..an exciting programme of drama and arts events to celebrate minority womens issues and provide a platform for their voices. See

7 March 12.30-1.30 and 6pm-8. 30pm A talk about artists Isabel Dacre and Annie Swynnerton at Manchester Art Gallery. The gallery has 17 pictures by Dacre who studied at the Manchester School of Art who  with Swynnerton,  founded the Manchester Society of Women Artists in 1876. Not just an artist, Dacre was a member of the executive committee of the Manchester National Society for Women’s Suffrage. For more info see    FREE

8 March 1.15-2pm..Living History Performance; The Hard Way Up-A Suffragette’s Story. Hannah Mitchell is one of my heroes, her life is a testament to the many workingclass women who gave their life to the struggle for equality and justice for women and men. This is an excellent play, written by Eileen Murphy,  and we need more of these stories to inspire us today. See FREE

9 March…2-4pm  Working Class Movement Library.. northwest writer, Livi Michael,  author of  Malkin Child, and activist,  Ruth Eversley,  discuss what it means to be an outsider from  the Pendle Witches to the asylum Seekers and refugees of today.  For more information see FREE

More history…..A blog that offers the public the opportunity to tell their story about the history of Manchester. It says;

HistoryME is a community in which we all get to tell our story and how we have all contributed to the history of Manchester and how we are shaping its future. It’s where the History of Manchester is written  by you. Its simple because its FREE and all you have to do is write about what you know; you and your history, your family and friends, community and your relationship to the great city of Manchester.

 

Indulge in some forbidden arts……… Callout: Manchester Temporary Autonomous Arts is back!! 6th – 9th March. An underground movement has continued to rise over the past 10 years to become an exciting, active, and important network aiming to provide spaces for people not catered for in our consumer driven individualist society. Opening its doors to artists, poets, musicians and creatives of all kinds on Wednesday 6th March for the 4 day event, we hope YOU will join us in the tide of DIY culture, energy, ideas and fun. This unique open access event aims to unite people from all backgrounds on many different levels with creativity, workshops, food, discussion, skill shares, films, and music and and all good things people feel to bring. See

Eat……and make your views heard.…..  Salford based theatre company Quarantine are offering you a free lunch at Manchester curry house, the Kabana Café, if you talk to them for half an hour. It is refreshing that a theatre group want to listen to their customers,  and maybe other companies should follow when going to the theatre is a luxury item. For more info on the monthly curry and chats visit http://www.qtine.com or you can book your place by emailing info@qtine.com or calling 0161 830 7318.
Next date is Wednesday 13 March 2013
Time: Half hour slots between 12 noon – 2.30pm
Venue: Kabana Café
Address: 52 Back Turner Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1FP

Stop,Look,Listen…my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Watch…….William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe(DVD) You may have heard of Chartist journalist and lawyer Ernest Jones who went to prison for his politics in the 19th Century or Gareth Pierce and Michael Mansfield who have taken a rigorous political view of their trade as lawyers. William Kunstler, In the United States in the 1960s, took an equally political view of his role as a lawyer. In this film made by his daughters they examine why he took a path that led to him and his family facing their own trial by the media and the public. Kunstler came from a respectable middle-class Jewish family, became a major in the American army during the Second World War and then followed the usual middle-class path of becoming a lawyer, marrying and having two children, and living in a wealthy suburb of New York state. By the 1960s, however, he had abandoned this life style and became a radical civil rights lawyer. He represented civil rights activists in the South of America, the Chicago 10, who were on trial for protesting against the Vietnam War, and prisoners in the notorious Attica Prison. The film-makers are the daughters from his second marriage, who were on the frontline of Kunstler’s life as he moved his legal practice to the basement of their family home in central New York. It is fascinating to see the mixture of home movies and family films interspersed with TV news of Kunstlers’ legal cases and the reaction of the media and politicians to his work. During the Chicago trial he was himself sentenced to prison for contempt (although it was overturned on appeal ). It is hard to imagine that today any lawyer would put themselves on the line for their politics in the same way. The New York Times is quoted about Kunstler as “the most hated and most loved lawyer in America.” Watch the DVD and you will understand why.

Read..…When The Sky Rained White With Fire by Musheir El-Farrar (Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign, £8.99) Musheir is from Gaza and his book tells the true story of the 21 days of the Israeli Operation Cast Lead in 2008. Musheir interviewed 17 families who describe their horrific experience, an experience that makes you want to stop reading as the details are so awful. The launch of this important book is on Wednesday 30th January 2013 at 7.00pm in Friends Meeting House (behind Central Library) Manchester.

Listen to …some Lancashire dialect…From Tum Fowt to Windmill Land: Allen Clarke, Bolton’s literary champion of the working classes. Bolton Library and Museums Services are marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of local dialect author Allen Clarke with an event at Bolton Central Library on Saturday 23 February from 11am to 1pm. Speakers include Paul Salveson, MBE, author of a book on Clarke, and Clarke’s grand-daughter Shirley Matthews Clarke. Admission free.

Celebrate….. Lancashire Archives is hosting its celebration of LGBT History Month, Outing the Past 3!, on Saturday 2 February, from 11am to 4pm.The day will be free, including lunch. Speakers include Teresa Nixon, West Yorkshire Archives Service on the Diaries of Anne Lister; Robert Thompson, Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive, on the press treatment of homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s; and Kaye Mitchell, University of Manchester, on 1950s lesbian pulp fiction.
Further information from Kathryn Rooke, Lancashire Record Office, Bow Lane, Preston PR1 2RE; email record.office@lancashire.gov.uk; tel 01772 533032.

See a play………. for today…on Fri 25th, Sat 26th, Mon 28th & Wed 30th January, & Fri 1st February – Burjesta Theatre: The Pied Piper of Liverpool 7.30pm at The Casa, Hope Street, L1 9BQ - Sometime in the near future, Liverpool is a city in crisis. As the Mayor closes down hospitals, schools and libraries, a plague of rats overruns the city. Come from ‘afar’ the Pied Piper soon realises that all is not as it seems at the Town Hall. Look forward to seeing the dastardly ‘Lord Rug’, the villainous ‘Runcorn Local’, the seductive ‘Dame Hoodless’ and lovelorn Jennifer whose hearts pounds in vain for the Pied Piper. Will the noble Queen Rat rally ‘Ratkind’ to avoid a dreadful end? Will troubled 16 year-old Anthony come to the fore to save the day? And what does the Pied Piper’s Sparrow have to teach us about the meaning of life?
Not suitable for children! Tickets £5 – pay on the door or reserve on 07913 449 396

More info on Burjesta Theatre see

Look…….one of my favourite poets and artists William Blake is the subject of a new exhibition at John Rylands Library (a fascinating building) Burning Bright Focusing on his achievements in the art of books, this exhibition features designs and prints by the artist and poet William Blake, whilst also examining the creative impact of his works. You can visit the exhibition from 8 February until 23 June, but if you can’t wait until then, there is a programme launch event on Thursday 31 January at 6pm, where you are invited to celebrate forthcoming events and exhibitions over a glass of wine and nibbles.