Exhibition today on Turkey which we should work with on the EU and Middle East.

A new home for Manchester’s Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Temple which I visited on Friday.

On Friday I also attended the celebratory ‘Oscars Evening’. The event showcased a intergenerational animation / filming project called ‘Animating Lives’ developed with young people living at the Manchester Foyer and older customers living at Dunston Court a Sheltered Scheme in Moston. Some great animation, Wallace and Gromit should worry.

Saturday: Viridor’s waste plant in Moston – a source of noise and unpleasant smell for locals.

Nephra Community Group’s Christmas Fayre New Moston – must be the first Xmas event anywhere but a lovely community.

Remembrance Sunday, Clayton.

Family Action and the St George’s Youth and Community Association celebrated the opening of the revamped St George’s Community Centre on 28th October. The centre has been refurbished and extended through a mix of Department for Education money through Partnership for Schools and Family Action funding from the Norma Leigh Trust.

The opening was a fantastic day with over a hundred local families and children taking part in a number of activities to re-launch the centre including face painting, arts and crafts, sports, pom-pom making and food and refreshments. Tony Lloyd MP, Sir Richard Leese, the Leader of Manchester City Council, as well as local ward councillors and other community organisations attended the event.

Mark Wheeler our Interim Director of Operations attended the St George’s opening. He said: “It was great to see St Georges so packed with local families and organisations. It is a fantastic centre and testament to the great work of Alison and Mel and our Manchester service. I’m sure the Centre will go from strength to strength.”

Young volunteers celebrated in style on Friday 21st October during the Greater Manchester Youth Network NCS celebration event. This event held at the Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester, celebrated voluntary activities carried out by local young people from Manchester, Bury and Oldham over the summer as part of the National Citizen Service project.

The young people ranging in ages from 15 to 17 had spent their summer taking part in team building residentials and volunteering activities such as the Manchester clean up after the riots, running their own multicultural event, raising funds for charities and conservation volunteering. Each young person received their NCS certificate on the night to award them for all their hard work.

Tony Lloyd MP for Manchester Central was present at the event and gave a speech thanking all the young people for all their hard work and praising them for helping to promote the positive image of young people.

Managing Director, Alex Fairweather said “It was marvellous to see all the volunteers enjoying themselves and celebrating all their hard work. They have made a huge difference to their community and should be very proud of their achievements.”

Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN), established in 2007, is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on empowering young people by supporting them to get involved in volunteering with a wide range of organisations. GMYN received funding from UK charity, v, as part of the “Summer of a Lifetime” national citizen services pilot projects.

Further details on Greater Manchester Youth Network, their projects, office location and general information can be found on GMYN’s website www.gmyn.co.uk

The new fund supports projects that embed long term increases in giving of time (volunteering, time-banking) or resources (money, property, fixed assets or equipment) in England. Over £20 million of funding is available to encourage social action in three areas:

> Social action in the community
> Social action inspired by the Olympics
> Social action for all ages

The fund is open to charities, community groups, social enterprises, public sector bodies and businesses with a social mission.

To find out more visit www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/our-funds or call 0191 269 2276.

Tony Lloyd MP participated in The Big Shave Off on Saturday 15th October. Orchid, who raise awareness for the three types of male cancer; penile, testicular and prostate hosted the ‘Guinness World Record Shave Off Charity Fundraising Event’ at the Manchester Arndale Centre.

Tony said, ‘Men aren’t typically very good at talking about these things, but we should all be talking about this very important cause.’

On 14 October Tony Lloyd attended the Bridging the Gap Graduation ceremony and presented the Outstanding Student of the Year Award. He is pictured here with award winners Ryan Tagger and Louise Evans.

The Bridging the Gap programme is organised by ADS, the leading regional charity specialising in alcohol and drug services across the region.

Tony Lloyd said, ‘The award winners are local heroes who have turned their lives around from alcohol addiction to helping other people and returning to the world of work. Each of the students present at the ceremony had genuinely inspirational and unique stories.’

Disabled people in the North West, along with their families and friends, took to the streets in Manchester to protest against Government cuts to disability benefits and services on 22 October 2011. Their message to the government was clear: stop these cuts.

Following the event Tony Lloyd said, ‘A huge number of angry people turned up to protest against these benefits cuts. We should protect those who are vulnerable which is why these cuts are particularly cruel.’

Tony is pictured along with local Labour teams outside the centre, protesting against the planned closure of this well used clinic.

Tony said, ‘Cutting health services to a community with some of the poorest health in the city is shocking. When Ancoats Hospital closed this community was given assurances about replacement facilities and we’re fighting to make sure that NHS Manchester honours the promises made.’