Attendees
- Shelly Quinton-Hulme, Friends of Victoria Park, Stretford
- Andy Simpkins, Friends of Longford Park
- Simon Borkin, Friends of Stretford Public Hall
- Kate McGeevor, Friends of Stretford Public Hall
- Rosarie Walsh, Friends of Stretford Public Hall
- Clare Kelly, Friends of Stretford Public Hall
- Gib Lyn, Head Bar
- Mags Branney, Stretford in Bloom
Apologies
- Bethany Adam, Bruntwood
- Georgie Grzesiak, Uplift
- Verity Gardener, Trafford Community Collective
- Alex Giles, Rainy Heart
Meeting minutes
Intro
‘Stretfest’ has been proposed as a way to make the Town Centre Forum more visible to wider residents and showcase the organisations and businesses in Stretford during a disruptive time for the locality.
It was agreed at the last Forum meeting, it will take place on Sat 6th July across Stretford.
What We Want to Achieve with the Event
Initial discussion about what we felt we wanted to achieve with the event:
- 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of Trafford local authority and in a sense the end of Stretford as an independent borough. So it could draw on this milestone and focus on ‘reclaiming independence’ for Stretford.
Initial Ideas on Event Activities and Programming
As a group, we started to discuss what types of events and activities could take place on the day. We started to consider different areas around Stretford that could have separate programmes but then be linked. In particular, the idea of the new Kingsway public realm works being a key connector to other zones of Stretford Strip, Stretford Mall, Stretford Public Hall and Victoria Park.
In terms of activities in each of these zones, initial ideas suggested included:
Kingsway
- Silent Disco - potentially around the sun loungers
- Bike Hub / Wellbeing and active lifestyles - promoting cycling and active lifestyle and information.
- Poets and Storytellers: Potentially in collaboration with partners such as Gorse Hill Studios, inviting local poets and storytellers to perform.
- Soapbox: A platform for open public speeches, encouraging community dialogue and participation.
Victoria Park
- Stretford Brass Band - would be the main entertainment in the park with accompanying refreshments etc.
Stretford Public Hall
- Indoors - showcase groups that are active in the hall such as Singing Together, Stretford Children’s Theatre, Rock Choir etc as well as drop-in sessions from our regular classes i.e. yoga, dance etc.
- Car park - A proposed circus performance area
‘Stretford Strip’
- Focal point for live music and night-time events. Head to host bands and DJs starting from around 4pm with the hope that Rainy Heart, Souljuice, and Longford Tap could also programme activities.
Stretford Mall
- The date coincides with the monthly ‘Stretford Social’ taking place in the Mall which could go ahead as planned
- Other mall tenants including Uplift, Reel Round the Fountain and Feel Weird Studios could potentially host live music.
- Andy to approach Sam from Feel Weird about their involvement
General suggestions
- Try and work with current local food and drink operators to provide food offerings i.e. Bakehouse, Uplift, Canteen, Kingfisher
- Is there a way to incorporate Beat the Street into the day?
Budget Considerations
- Town Centre Forum will commit £500 for marketing and promotion of the event (from original grant to setup Forum)
- Simon is liaising with Trafford Council over the prospect of applying for a ‘Town Centre Grant’ of approx £5K - this would be utilised to cover costs associated with activities, permits and other logistical aspects.
- Kate suggested the Town Centre Forum should apply for Trafford Public Health in Arts Fud
https://traffordcollective.org.uk/public-health-in-arts-new-grants-for-trafford-vcfse-sector/
Marketing and promotion
- The was a lively discussion on the name of the event! The intention is to go with either ‘Stretfest’ or ‘The Stretfest’ rather than Stretford Day
- Simon to approach Pomona Studio to develop brand and logo using agreed funds
- Simon to liaise with Bruntwood on how to link in with their marketing / social media channels
Roles & Responsibilities / Planning Timescales
- Stretford Public Hall to manage budget / funding
- Simon to put together ‘project plan’ and Whatsapp group for planning team
Arrangements for Future Meetings
- Next meetings: Monday, April 15th at 6:30 PM and Monday, May 20th at 6:30 PM.
- Simon to send meeting invites out
- Potential to move to more frequent meetings from June onwards!