Every third Sunday of the month, Friends of Platt Fields holds a volunteering afternoon. A couple of weeks ago, I went along to find out more, accompanied by some friends.

Platt Fields is supported by the Council, but a lot of the excellent work done in the park is undertaken by volunteers. On this particular afternoon, I found myself working as part of a team of half-a-dozen, stuffing barley hay into tubular bales. These bales will be dropped into the boating lake at Platt Fields, where they will counteract the troublesome lake algae by natural processes. It was hard work but enjoyable, and the organisers and other volunteers were great fun. Other groups were planting seeds in pots, and painting things for the celebration weekend on 7-9th May.

Platt Fields is an excellent resource for Fallowfield, and I will continue to support it if elected. I’m also planning to return for more volunteering, and I’d recommend it as a fun and rewarding way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The Manchester Liberal Democrats have released a manifesto of what a Lib Dem-run Manchester City Council would do.  Manchester Liberal Democrats are making 5 key promises for the 2010 local elections:

1. Cut Council Tax by £51 for a Band D property
2. Cut waste, including ending the Council Leader’s chauffeur-driven car and claiming back £421,000 owed by other councils
3. Lobby for the return of £82 million Greater Manchester Police Funding, which would pay for over 500 more police on our streets.
4. Spend over £1million extra on gritting and improving our roads.
5. Reverse plans to close Ewing school; and cut truancy levels.

We want to change Manchester for the better, making it safer, greener, cleaner and more local. We will play our full part in the future of Manchester’s City Region. We’ll stand up for the people of Manchester, and give power back to the people.

The Manifesto shows how committed the Lib Dems are to green and environmental issues. Unlike Labour we would include Manchester Airport and aviation in the City’s climate change plan. We would concentrate on improving recycling and reducing waste. Manchester’s Lib Dems are committed to protecting our green open spaces from developers.

Obviously, in a recession, cutting council tax is important to put money back in the pockets of families. Likewise, the main concern that people tell me about in Fallowfield is crime and anti-social behaviour. Increased police funding, and the strong commitment to effective community sentences from the manifesto, will help address these problems and make Fallowfield a safer, happier place to live.

I’m also impressed with the way that the priorities here in Manchester dovetail neatly with the Liberal Democrat’s national priorities. Our tax plans will put more money back into people’s pockets, where it will support struggling local businesses. Our education plans will see the end of tuition fees for students, and more funding and support for our younger children, making sure that our kids have the best chance at life we can give them. Our health plans will give Fallowfield people more say in Manchester’s health services. Our economic plans will see more investment in green local businesses.

The only way to achieve all of this together is to make your vote count, and vote Liberal Democrat for change that works for you in the upcoming local and general elections!

Platt Fields Park has kicked off a year of centenary celebrations with the unveiling of a new clock on the boathouse today. Friends of Platt Fields organised the event in conjunction with the Council’s parks and leisure department, and arranged funding for the clock from Sainsburys. The Friends have also received a £4,850 grant from Lib Dem councillors in Rusholme, towards the centenary celebrations.

The clock on the boathouse has been missing for around 50 years - nobody can quite remember when it went! However, even in these days when everybody’s got a mobile phone to tell them the time, it’s still very nice to see it back.

Friends of Platt Fields have organised a great series of events throughout the year to celebrate the Park’s centenary, and I’m looking forward to getting involved in many of them. I hope to see you there!