A mum has shared a powerful video of a “monumental occasion” for her visually impaired son thanks to a community road filters trial in Levenshulme.
Sent into and shared on social media by Streets For People – Levenshulme & Burnage, the short video appears to show a young boy crossing Osborne Road at the junction of Slade Lane in the Manchester suburb of Levenshulme – one of the roads making up part of the six-month ‘road filters’ trial – but what makes this footage that little more special is that he is actually visually impaired and up until this moment, has never been able to cross the road on his own.
And this incredible feat wouldn’t have been possible without the Levenshulme & Burnage Active Neighbourhood.
In a tweet accompanied by the video – which has now caught the attention of hundreds of people across Greater Manchester and beyond – the mum said: “The monumental occasion when my visually impaired 11 year old crossed a road on the way to school – without holding my hand,
Whilst it is fair to say that the introduction of the scheme has gone on to cause some chaos and controversy among residents this week – with many appearing to be not so fond of it, mounting the pavements to get around the planters, expressing their confusion and criticisms on social media, and some even taking to vandalism – it is no doubt great to see these changes paying off in such a truly significant way for some of the most vulnerable members of the community.
Understandably, the video has been met with widespread praise online..
One Twitter user commented: “Designing safe streets with the most vulnerable at the top of the hierarchy. This is the way forward, communities become stronger when they are safer for people.”, with another adding: “That is just wonderful.”
“So simple but SO effective – brilliant.” said a third.
Unfamiliar with the Levenshulme & Burnage Active Neighbourhood scheme?
In an attempt by Manchester City Council to control the numbers of vehicles in the area, a total of 14 ‘modal filters’ – taking the form of wooden planters – were “strategically placed” at a number of locations across Levenshulme from Monday 4th January and are aimed at redirecting through traffic, whilst also allowing pedestrian, cycle and mobility vehicles through access.
Other similar Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTNs) schemes have been effective in reducing traffic on residential streets as they “limit traffic to local journeys, reduce pollution, noise and risk of a traffic accidents”, and in cases where emergency services need access, filters can either be moved or dropped if a bollard system is in place.
According to Streets For People – Levenshulme & Burnage, the reduction in traffic at previous schemes has also been shown to foster a sense of community and help people visit local shops more, as through traffic is reduced.
Speaking on the introduction of the traffic filters, Councillor Angeliki Stogia – Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport at Manchester City Council – said: “We’ve installed new traffic filters at locations across Levenshulme, on a six-month trial basis, where consultation told us that the majority of local people who responded were in favour of this going ahead.
“Where people have reservations about the trial, we urge them to continue to raise these with us in a positive way.
“It’s disappointing that a small number of planters were moved overnight and it’s really heartening to know that members of the community acted to clear up after the act of vandalism [but] we’re also aware that in some locations, vehicles have illegally driven on the pavement to go around the filters.
“This is unacceptable and dangerous.
“We’ll be looking at positioning additional planters where possible to deter this behaviour, while protecting essential access for people on bikes, pedestrians and people with disabilities [and] in line with feedback from residents, we’ll also be adding reflective signage, to improve the filters’ visibility at night.
“This investment into Levenshulme has the potential to benefit the health and well-being of the community in the wake of the pandemic, by making streets safer for people as they go about their journeys.
“The point of the current trial is to find out what difference the measures make on the ground and to carry on listening to local residents and businesses, so that we can work together and make changes where necessary to get it right, before any permanent decisions are made.”
You can find more information and have your say on the Levenshulme & Burnage Active Neighbourhood scheme anytime over the next six months via the Manchester City Council website here.
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Pep Guardiola hints at when Manchester City fans can expect to see their latest arrival
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given supporters a rough timeline as to when they can expect to see their new signing, or at least their latest arrival, make his first appearance.
The Blues wrapped up the January transfer window with four major signings: their new attacking number seven, Omar Marmoush (who has already bagged a hattrick on his home debut) promising defensive duo, Abdukodir Khusanov and Brazilian Vitor Reis, as well as their ‘mini-Rodri’, Nico Gonzalez.
However, the club has had another late arrival who was technically signed back at the start of last year but who has spent for the last 12 months or so loaned back to his previous parent club, River Plate in Argentina, waiting to make the move over to the Etihad Stadium – and now he’s here in Manchester.
Speaking on his touchdown in 0161, Pep said Claudio Echeverri won’t be thrown into first-team action straight away but did give a rough estimate as to when City fans could expect him to get involved. You can see him discussing the integration plan in his post-match press conference following the Spurs win.
The mention was only brief but there’s still plenty of reason for Man City fans to be excited by the late January signing.
“Yeah, he [Claudio Echeverri] is going to start to train and mainly will be for the end of the season, maybe the [Club] World Cup and as soon as possible [that] he arrives he can adapt quick for the future.”
As mentioned, the 19-year-old Argentinian attacking midfielder from Resistencia officially put pen to paper with CFG back in January 2024 and was quickly dubbed ‘the next Messi’.
Now, although the football world is often quick to jump the gun with these things and he isn’t the first and certainly won’t be last to be slapped with this premature title, he’s done more to back up these claims since then than he has rubbish them.
Starring at the 2025 Under-20 South American Championships, netting six goals in nine games to finish the tournament as the second highest scorer thanks to notable braces against Brazil and Uruguay as the young Argentine’s finished as runners up.
He also notched 48 senior appearances for River Plate thus far, netting four goals and grabbing eight assists in that time, not to mention having already captained his national team at the 2023 Under 17s World Cup, where he scored another five.
Safe to say there’s plenty of talent to be tapped in this lad.
Once again, Echeverri won’t go straight into the senior set-up for a little while yet, barring a major injury crisis, but he’ll be a more than exciting addition to the City Football Academy and for future first-team lineups for years to come.
Who knows, maybe he’ll be included in an FA Cup matchday squad? Nevertheless, you can expect him to not just come of the bench but hopefully show what he can do at the Club World Cup this summer.
City‘s first fixture as reigning champions of the competition will be against Moroccan side Wydad AC on 18 June 2025.
You can watch Echeverri’s first full interview as a Man City player down below:
The new Man City signing is excited to be finally be part of the club 13 months on from agreeing his contract.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2021 
