INVISIBLE HISTORIES: SALFORD'S WORKING LIVES
Working Class Movement Library until August 2010  

Old tools wrapped in words…Photos of Salford's defiance…Press cuttings from mining disasters and strikes… Invisible Histories is an exhibition made by working people for working people, and links the city's real experiences to the archives at the Working Class Movement Library on The Crescent.

Salford won't let its history disappear.

DJ JOE SALFORD'S BANK HOLIDAY FUN

This is ace - DJ Joe Salford's guide to what's on and going off in the city - starring ace rappers M44 and Briggzy and top artist Joe Coffey - `you won't find the hood life business in Yellow Pages'... With honourable mentions for Eddie Smith's photos, Salford Media Scene and Salford Star too...

DJ Joe Salford - "out of work, signing on - out of time, signing off..."

Click and enjoy!

SALFORD CITY LIMITS EPISODE ONE
Salford Arts Theatre
Kemsing Walk, off Liverpool St
Saturday June 5th 7:30-11:30pm £5

Another new Salford music thang bursting onto the scene sees the first Salford City Limits night at Salford Arts Theatre on June 5th, starring Sick Nurse, Hans Island and Death To The Strange and Salford City Radio DJs…

Well worth a look…

ENGLAND'S HEARTBEAT LAUNCH AT KING'S ARMS
9th June 9:30-11:30pm
King's Arms
Bloom St
£5

Salford's World Cup anthem, England's Heartbeat by Shuttleworth – The Falls' Mark E Smith, Girls Peculiar and Ed Blaney – is being officially launched at the King's Arms at 9:30pm on June 9th.

After being shown exclusively on The Times website last week, the official video for the tune, shot at Salford City FC's Moor Lane ground and starring a crowd of Salfordians, is now on You Tube.

BANK HOLIDAY LAUNCH FOR SALFORD MUSIC CO-OP
May 30th and 31st 6pm onwards
King's Arms
Bloom St, Salford 
£4 advance for both nights or £5 per night on the door

Sunday night features Death To The Strange, John Herring, Violet Bones, Briggzy, Unguarded Moment and Push Kodi. While Monday night features Whipcord, The Brink, Sandbox, Mr Heart, China White and The Abstracts.

MARY BURNS PAGE

CAN WE CONTAIN OUR JOY IN SALFORD?

Oh my word! Oh my Lord! Oh my gosh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!!! I nearly wet my knickers when I received the latest update from MediaCityUK… Yes, a company that isn't backed with wads of cash from North West Development Agency is actually going to move into the place!

So which company is moving into MediaCityUK? Is it Google? Is it Disney Studios? Is it Pixar? Nah… To quote my MediaCity News bulletin "WHSmith is to open a kiosk"… How can we ever live with such excitement?

MARY BURNS PAGE

CAN WE CONTAIN OUR JOY IN SALFORD?

Oh my word! Oh my Lord! Oh my gosh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!!! I nearly wet my knickers when I received the latest update from MediaCityUK… Yes, a company that isn't backed with wads of cash from North West Development Agency is actually going to move into the place!

So which company is moving into MediaCityUK? Is it Google? Is it Disney Studios? Is it Pixar? Nah… To quote my MediaCity News bulletin "WHSmith is to open a kiosk"… How can we ever live with such excitement?

BLUE PETER GARDEN HYPOCRISY!

Next year, as the BBC Children's Department moves to its new site at Salford, the Blue Peter Garden will be installed, encouraging children to love the land and to become ecologically aware.

Yet the new MediaCityUK home for the Blue Peter Garden is owned by Peel Media, a subsidiary of Peel Holdings, which is allowing the destruction of what is being called `Salford's Rainforest' on Chat Moss green belt.

Now children are being urged to support the campaign to Save Chat Moss...

SAVE SALFORD'S RAINFOREST NOW!!!
"In terms of global importance, these habitats are our rainforest. We are determined to save the rest before it is too late" Mick Weston, The Wildlife Trust

A controversial and shocking application has gone in to Salford City Council to extend peat extraction on Chat Moss for another 15 years. It's happening on prime peat bog land owned by Peel Holdings (of course). It will release bucket loads of carbon into the atmosphere, destroy habitats for rare critters and make restoration of the place almost impossible.

Don't let Salford Council sell out Salford's rainforest, yet again. If you do one green action this year make sure it's this one. Object to this disgusting proposal…

Click here to find out how…

MARY BURNS PAGE

SALFORD COUNCIL CAN'T EVEN SPELL `SAFEGAURDING' NEVER MIND DO IT!

So, after all that happened last year – and the year before, and the year before that and the year before that etc – over the shocking state of Salford City Council's dire attempts to safeguard our kids, the subject is still `HIGH RISK' according to the latest Council `Strategic Risk Register'.

Not surprising really because the Council can't even spell "safegaurding"…Oh, and confidential Child Protection reports are being left on the streets too!

MARY BURNS PAGE

SALFORD COUNCIL CAN'T EVEN SPELL `SAFEGAURDING' NEVER MIND DO IT!

So, after all that happened last year – and the year before, and the year before that and the year before that etc – over the shocking state of Salford City Council's dire attempts to safeguard our kids, the subject is still `HIGH RISK' according to the latest Council `Strategic Risk Register'.

Not surprising really because the Council can't even spell "safegaurding"…Oh, and confidential Child Protection reports are being left on the streets too!

TOO MANY DJs STARRING PETER HOOK
Friday 28th May 11am-late Entrance by donation to Christies Appeal
@ Bar Yours and The Pav
Salford University Students Union

11 DJs, including Peter Hook and David Dunne, will slap up Salford University's students union bars this Friday with an all day music festival split between two venues – the Pav on Cromwell Road and Bar Yours in the main University Campus…

THE BEST BET THIS SUMMER!

A gamble you can't refuse comes courtesy of two new 12 week courses that are opening up at The Cornerstone in Langworthy and at the Hope Pub on Eccles New Road. They challenge Salford people to lose loads of weight. And he or she who loses the most pounds wins £300.

Sound good?

WORLD CUP SHOOT AT SALFORD CITY

Today, the video for Salford's World Cup anthem, England's Heartbeat, was shot at Salford City's Moor Lane ground in Kersal. The track, by Shuttleworth - The Fall's Mark E Smith, Ed Blaney and Girl Peculiar -  is already in Amazon's download Top 10.

SHOULD HAZEL BLEARS BE INVESTIGATED?

Today, the Audit Commission releases a report which praises the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) for helping to trace £215million in fraud, overpayments and error in 2008/09.

The biggest fraud increase, it states, was for the 25% discount claimed on council tax bills for a single person by people who weren't single.

But has the NFI missed Salford MP Hazel Blears who, in 2008/09, claimed a single person discount on her council tax, despite being married?

JASON LEGS IT…

Jason Legget, Peel Media's Head of Business Development for MediaCityUK has been `made redundant' and has now left the organisation after barely a year in the job.

This is a very strange move because only a few months ago he was chairing a panel on opportunities at MediaCityUK and his job involved increasing revenue streams at the £3billion site on Salford Quays.

Looks like his own revenue stream and opportunities have gone down the pan…

North West Youth Alliance Open Cup Final

Salford City 3 Altrincham FC 2 (aet)

SALFORD CITY YOUTH TEAM WIN THE CUP!!!

We won the cup! We won the cup! Ee-yay-adio we won the cup!!! 

You can stuff your Chelsea double, Moor Lane was the place to be tonight as a big crowd saw Salford City's youth team come back from the dead to beat league champions Altrincham with seven minutes left of extra time.

FORTY YEARS AT VICTORIA PARK

Park keeper, Barry Gordon, is set to retire at the end of the month after forty years of overseeing the revival of Victoria Park, its famous bandstand, its play areas and its huge variety of trees and flowers.

NIGEL PIVARO ON SALFORD'S LOST IDENTITY

"Salford has lost its unique identity as a city and with it maybe even its soul…"

In the year of the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street, Nigel Pivaro - former star of the country's most successful tv programme ever - writes exclusively on the demise of Salford's terrace houses and the loss of the city's culture.

MARK E SMITH AND CO DO THE WORLD CUP

England's Heartbeat by Shuttleworth (YipYop Records)

`Socks up at last
 Or Brazilian breakfast…'

The Fall's Mark E Smith has joined forces with Salford music stalwart Ed Blaney and Jenny Shuttleworth (Girl Peculiar) to come up with a World Cup song that is nothing like any previous anthems in the history of the game.

England's Heartbeat follows a tradition of Salford's World Cup involvement which has included New Order's World In Motion in 1990 and all the planet's top footy stars making their way to Little Hulton before the last World Cup to film tv idents at Web Studios.

The track hasn't even been released officially on CD yet and it's already in Amazon's top 10. But what will Wayne Rooney et al think of the totally Salford track?

BATTERED RESIDENTS SEE CORRIE CHIPPY OPEN IN CONDEMNED STREETS

Salford's Controversial High Court Houses Host Coronation Street Filming…

The last few residents of the Top Streets in Higher Broughton, where rows of terraced houses remain tinned up, got a shock yesterday as a brand new chippy opened up, complete with huge hoardings and flashing lights. But it was only a Coronation Street set for an upcoming episode.

Residents have slapped an injunction on Salford City Council to stop it demolishing the houses after reneging on an agreement to refurbish them. The Council laughably argued that it would cost around £130,000 each to do up the two and three bedroomed properties, making the scheme `economically unviable'.

The case goes to the High Court on June 14th, around the same time that the Corrie episode goes out. By which time the Council might well have had its chips…

HAZEL BLEARS – THE COUNTRY SLAGS SALFORDIANS… AND SALFORDIANS HIT BACK

"If you're stupid enough to vote for her then wallow in your own filth" A Brief Encounter Blog

"hazel blears is still in salford? evidently salfordians can't read, so its pot luck as to where the cross went." Amyinyourface via Twitter

Websites, blogs and newspapers up and down the country have reacted with shock and horror to Salford people re-electing Hazel Blears in the General Election. Most of the stuff written has been vicious, patronising and spiteful, attacking both our city and its people, dredging up all the old stereotypes and prejudice.

Here, we analyse the Hazel fall out – beware X rated language!

GENERAL ELECTION FEVER ENSURES SALFORD LANDSLIDE FOR LABOUR

"It's obviously been a terrible day for the Liberal Democrats but a brilliant day for us…our best result for at least a decade…" John Merry, Leader Salford City Council

There was shock, horror, delight and disbelief in Salford today as the Labour Party made three gains in the hard core Lib Dem strongholds of Swinton South, Weaste and Seedley, and Claremont which went to a recount.

Salford's ruling party held onto all the seats it was defending as the General Election fear of the Tories gaining power nationally was translated into votes for local Labour candidates…

STRINGER GAINS BROUGHTON FOR THE MANCS

Graham Stringer eased his way into Salford with a 12,303 majority in the new ward of Blackley and Broughton in the late, late General Election result announced in the very early hours of this morning.

Many have questioned why Salford places like Broughton and Kersal  have been thrown in with Manchester wards Cheetham, Crumpsall and Harpurhey, so much so that the count was at Manchester Town Hall. Now Stringer's job is to prove to  people that he knows where Salford is and can empathise with our problems. Otherwise it's just another Manc takeover…

HAZEL BLEARS – INSIDE THE GENERAL ELECTION COUNT

"I make my promise now that …I will make sure that everyone in this city gets a fair deal, and that we will look after the most vulnerable and the people who really need our help…" Hazel Blears 5am 6th May 2010.

"I think the people of Salford have to start to question the way they continue to vote for Labour. You cannot complain week in week out that you get poor service, that your MP is not delivering or found wanting over expenses, and then you return the same people by voting for them again." Norman Owen, Lib Dems

"I think we've done really well for the length of time we've been in existence… We intend to build on this because we know what's coming in Salford, and we know that no-one else is going to stand up to those cuts..." Steven North, Hazel Must Go!

HAZEL BLEARS HOLDS SALFORD AND ECCLES

Hazel Blears has held onto her seat in Salford with a majority of 5,725 and 40% of the vote.

Boundary changes make comparisons with the last election totally pointless as the constituency has changed drastically. There were 41,702 votes cast
and her majority is 5,725. The turnout was 55.2%.

BARBARA KEELEY HOLDS WORSLEY AND ECCLES SOUTH 

Barbara Keeley has held onto her seat in Worsely with a majority of 3154 and 43% of the vote.

Boundary changes make comparisons with the last election pretty pointless as the constituency has changed drastically. But on a total vote of 41,884 (compared to 37,014 last election) her majority has been slashed to 4,337 from 9,368 at the last election. The turnout was 57.8% (53.3% last election).

SALFORD GENERAL ELECTION

The result of the General Election in Salford's three constituencies - Salford and Eccles; Worsely and Eccles South; and Blackley and Broughton is expected around 3am tomorrow morning.

Salford Star will bring you the results as soon as they are announced... 

Local Election votes are not being counted until Friday

THE SHOCKING STATE OF SALFORD 2010

Affordable Housing – SHOCK!
Health – SHOCK!
Wealth – SHOCK!
Kids – SHOCK!

No matter how the politicians spin it, Salford is still one of the most deprived cities in the country by virtually any indicator. Here we look at objective figures for health, poverty, unemployment, mortality rate…it goes on and on and on. It's not pretty reading, even after all the regeneration money has been pumped in.

Today's election might whip the politicians but think about the unelected bodies which administrate the hundreds of millions of pounds put into the city – the NDC, the NWDA, the URC, the HMR and all the other agencies and `partnerships' that no-one knows what the hell they are. These organisations, staffed and stuffed with people on fat salaries, never have to face a public vote of confidence.

Make no mistake about it, these graphs show the people of Salford being totally let down, no matter which political party is in power.

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF SALFORD 

Today, we drove around Salford taking photographs of the other side of Salford – one that's a million miles away from the image being portrayed by MediaCityUK and The Lowry and the University of Salford. Yet all this is on the doorstep of these projects.

Welcome to the wreckage of Salford's regeneration – pictures speaking louder than a million empty words of politicians…

EXPENSES - Everything you need to know about your MP

3. HAZEL BLEARS MP – standing for Salford and Eccles

"Our parents' generation saw political activity as something to benefit the community. Today, people see politics as something to benefit politicians. This is a travesty." Hazel Blears 2008

Hazel Blears is the pin up girl of the MPs expenses scandal… The properties in London, the £1,773 on two TVs in less than a year, the cleaning bills, the £200 bath towels, the £9000 food bill and the husband who's picking up almost £80,000 from Salford Royal Hospital Trust as a non-exec director. It goes on and on and on…

So Hazel Blears and your expenses sheet, come on down…

EXPENSES - Everything you need to know about your MP

2. BARBARA KEELEY MP – standing for Worsley and Eccles South

From £469,800 on a second home, to £5.49 on a Burger King meal and 96p on Coconut Cookies! And what is a `3 Tier Ass' for £9.99?

Here we look at the expenses claims of Salford's standing MPs, and next up is Barbara Keeley, who represents voters in Little Hulton, Worsley, Walkden and all bits in between.

EXPENSES - Everything you need to know about your MP

1. GRAHAM STRINGER MP – standing for Blackley and Broughton

Expenses scandal was done for `political reasons'…says Stringer, who has no second home but spends almost £20,000 a year on hotels and food.

Here we look at the record of Salford's standing MPs, beginning with Graham Stringer, current MP for Blackley in Manchester, and standing in the newly merged constituency of Blackley and Broughton.

For anyone living in Kersal, Higher or Lower Broughton, Graham Stringer is your candidate.

SALFORD STAR ISSUES 20,000 LEAFLETS

The Salford Star is issuing 20,000 leaflets basically telling people that we're online only now and explaining how the Council stopped us getting back into print.

The leaflet states "The Salford Star did what a proper community magazine should be doing – exposing dodgy developers, looking at which drains all the public money is going down, holding Salford Council up to account and letting people at the sharp end of the city's `regeneration' tell their stories."

KERSAL MOOR PLAQUE UNVEILED IN CELEBRATION

A May Day weekend of Chartist celebrations ended today when a plaque to the brave Victorian vote fighters was unveiled by the Mayor of Salford on Kersal Moor, scene of huge demonstrations and rallies over 150 years ago.

SALFORD BANDS STORM SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY
Salford Music Cooperative at the Rovers Return

`Someone forgot about Salford bands when they organised this festival, so the Salford Music Co-op stepped in' says Salford Star reviewer Suzi Hoffman. By all accounts they did the city proud…

SALFORD UNDERGROUND TV – M44

"Things will always be the same… And it's only you who can make a change"

A top Salford rap video is currently ripping up You Tube with over 3500 hits in just a couple of weeks. The track, Make A Change by the M44 crew from Irlam, could easily be an anthem for Salford's young people as we head into the election…

"My mother said it's hard in life
The decision's yours to decide
Do you think we should change our ways
Or are things going to stay the same?
Things will always be the same
And it's only you who can make a change…"

Real, raw and positive – watch this video and believe in our kids…