Lively but thoughtful church with lots of children and families. Great parish centre used by the…read morecommunity. Lots going on.

Sometimes you desperately need a short sharp shock of smushed fruit after your swim. Restorative…read moreVitamin C and lovely stuff. I kind of didn't want to walk all the way over to Amber Café on my way to Petersfield, and I'd noticed the little café at the Aquatics Centre a few times. It seemed to offer way more healthy treats than the archetypal vending machines at the South Manchester leisure centres (hey, they have those too. Hello Nice 'n' Spicy Nik-Naks!), and there was proper coffee too, so I sauntered up to the counter all exhausted with my hair all soggy (I refuse on principle to use my 20ps for hairdryers that wouldn't make a jot of difference to my multilayered thick hair) and asked about their smoothies. They could indeed do them to take away, but they only had about three options available on the generous list which didn't bother me in the slightest. I went for... come on, how could I resist the name?... THE IMMUNISER. It sounds like some kind of *machine*! It incorporated strawberry, kiwi and pineapple, three of my absolute favourite fruits, and it was awesome. Just the right portion and only a little over £2, how can one complain? I'll definitely be using this as regularly as my morning fruit shoot before breakfast. Thanks, Manchester Sports and Leisure! Nom.

Have been coming here to the gym on and off for a while now…read more The gym is small and compact but as everything you need in it for a workout there is always an instructor avaliable if you need any help on how to use the machines there is air conditioning on all the time so you dont get to hot and at £5.20 pay as you go you can stay as long as you like. downstairs there are a couple of pools and you can start at a beginners course or you can go in the advanced side , they also do a ladies only night for those who wish to just be with the girls. next door to the gym is a keep fit class and down stairs is a cafe and drinks machines staff are always friendly and helpful.

Stamford Park is a massive communal park that hosts many events throughout the year. The Bonfire…read morenight's are especially impressive but you have to arrive early as the roads quickly become congested and it's then hard to access the park by car. Vehicles often park on the banking next to the main road, but this causes other peoples vehicles to become trapped and it not advised. The shows are reasonably well funded which means things like the firework displays are rather impressive, with a good police and ambulances presence in case of emergencies too. The park is also worthy of a visit during any normal sunny day too, not just when there's an event on, it's very well taken care of, and there's good disabled access if required too.

When I was younger, I used to always want to go into the forested area here but my parents would…read morealways tell me to stay away from there. "What lurks there is not for you little one" they'd tell me. It wasn't till after Karen took my kids away did I realise that I learned the true meaning of sadness and want for revenge. I'd cry myself to sleep on the soft grass here, planning a way to get them back. One day I will. The cafe is nice too, they do good chips.

My Mum and Dad had their engagement party at Hough End Hall back in 1981 (the night ended with my…read moreMum getting drunk and dropping my Dad's meat pie supper outside the chippy on the way home - quite frankly, on the strength of that anecdote, I'm surprised that I'm even alive) so it's quite nice to see that the old place has been spruced up and reopened to the public after being closed for a number of years. Hough End Hall is a really beautiful old building, with a rather long and illustrious history behind it. It was built in 1596 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I by Sir Nicholas Mosley (ca. 1527-1612), when he became Lord of the Manor of Manchester and of the dependent Manor of Withington. The Mosleys were an influential Mancunian family from the 16th century onwards, and prominent in the affairs of the Manchester district for two and a half centuries. (Anthony Mosley of Manchester and his brother Nicholas in London were wealthy drapers.) At the time Manchester was incorporated as a borough (1838) the manorial and market rights were still the property of the Mosleys (in 1845 Sir Oswald sold these to the corporation). Mosley Street in Manchester is named after them, and yes - you are thinking correctly - they did produce 'that' Oswald Mosley. But enough of the history lesson, what's it actually like inside now it's been reopened to the public? Well, it certainly looks a lot more modern - the main bar area is filled with brand new leather sofas and in some places, you can still smell the paint. However, to me, the ambience felt like that you'd get in a 1980s style bar. The range of wine and beer wasn't that great, and I can't help but laugh at the thought that any bar thinks that someone would realistically pay £45 for a bottle of bog standard Smirnoff vodka. But still. I've yet to dine there, so perhaps I should reserve judgement until I've actually had a meal in their restaurant which is promising great culinary things for the people of South Manchester and beyond. Perhaps the venue just needs to settle down a bit and create an atmosphere which is distinctly 'different' and unique to everything else currently being offered. I look forward to paying it a second visit in the near future and seeing if the new owners of this wonderful building will really do justice to its magnificent history.

Yes, yes, yes. Just my kind of place…read more Somewhere I can drink coffee, relax and be surrounded by modern art. It is hard to find places like this near home. The art here is different, unusual and probably most people will find it strange and meaningless. Yes, there is a big rat head (costume) and a giant teddy bear hanging around. Constantly something is happening - life drawing, film nights and street artist exhibiting their creations. I'm always too distracted doing something or even just sitting on a comfy sofa drinking good coffee. So I've never tried the food here. Drinks are good. It is an interesting place to visit and take a break from your regular cafes. Why don't we have places like this in London ?

The quirky and cool social atmosphere…read more Plenty of seating that ranges from extra comfy to just plain weird. The coffee is great for the price and the tea is the same, the food is decent enough, if a tiny bit pricey. I'd say the staff are mostly awesome and friendly, although there is 1 guy who works though with a really crappy attitude that really puts me off staying whenever he is on the counter. Other than that, its a cool place.

TL;DR - An important historical building house a small but important museum…read more This house is a real slice of history, where the suffragette movement had its roots. There's something incredible about walking around the house and thinking about the conversations which must have taken place here... the back room has been restored to how it would have once been, and it's there in particular that you can imagine yourself back at the start of the 20th century. The museum itself is very small though. The front room contains a few exhibits about the key figures in the suffragette movement. The next room contains a very good video exhibit - make sure you watch the whole thing - and then the back room is a restored living room. On the other side of the house is an exhibition on more modern women's rights movements and from there you can access a small cafe. The museum itself is small and you can tell that this is a community/volunteer led affair rather than a commercial one. However, the historical importance of the movement combined with the significance of this particular building make it well worth a visit.

i love all thing to do with womans suffragetes so this was a real treat for me to get to visit the…read morehome of Emmeline Pankhurst.This is where the womans social and political union was formed in 1903 and i think without the work of these woman ,females still probably wouldnt be able to vote.The centre is for use by woman only