Levenshulme Old Library

We won an award! We're delighted that Levenshulme Old Library was a winner at last night's Best of MCR Awards in the 'Bringing Communities Together' category. Thanks to our volunteers, trustees, staff, partners and everyone who comes through our doors - and to @mancitycouncil.bsky.social for the 🏆

my local community art centre has a trinket swap box outside now and I'm basically going to constantly be there. just took these bad boys there to drop off so if you're in Levenshulme and fancy any of these delights get your skates on to the Old Library side fence area

Big dark room, big dark sounds. Big dark thanks to everyone who came down to Improvidence this evening - a night of live improvisation and analogue sound at Levenshulme Old Library, all bleeping and blooping away inside our echoey Edwardian space.

Was great to find a quiet time to catch up with Hannah Spencer, our new MP. Chatting arts, community and what we can do to make sure everyone feels welcome in our neighbourhood.

Eid Mubarak! Whether you’re celebrating today or not, we hope you find time for rest, connection and good company.

A dimly lit room. A voice. A story that you know is going to give you bad dreams. Robert Lloyd Parry returns to Levenshulme Old Library with A Pleasing Terror - an evening of MR James ghost stories performed live. 📅 Fri 20 March, 7.30pm 🎟️ Tickets limited www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-pleasing...

All cities are shaped by the journeys that lead people to them. Some are short - a few streets from one neighbourhood to another. Others cross continents, languages and whole lives before arriving somewhere new. Arrivals, our new podcast, is all about those journeys. arrivals.captivate.fm/listen

Sing it! We’re very pleased that Levenshulme Old Library has received funding from the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust to support Levenshulme Community Choir. This helps subsidise the choir’s use of our space, ensuring their regular sessions remain accessible and affordable for the local community.

"An afternoon at Manchester’s @allfm.bsky.social is like travelling through space and time. Broadcasting from @levyoldlibrary.bsky.social, an up-and-coming neighbourhood in the south of the city, the station prides itself on the diversity of its hosts and their interests." archive.ph/ZxGJP

Last month we hosted a festive party with Growing Together Levenshulme, who work with refugees and asylum seekers. Events like this don’t always make it into the spotlight but still matter. If you’re a community group in need of a welcoming space, get in touch. hello@levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk

Christmas Eve - the perfect time for a ghost story. You can listen to 'Items', written and read by @davidhartley.bsky.social, set in and inspired by Levenshulme, and then dip into the Ghosts at the Old Library archive for more ghost stories we've commissioned. ghosts-at-the-old.captivate.fm/listen

Our final LOL Writing Club session of the year is this evening, and we’re closing off 2025 with something a little bit festive and just a little bit uncanny… www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Out now: Secret Lake Stories. This is our winter solstice gift to you - an immersive audio portrait of a wild lake hidden behind an industrial site in Levenshulme, shaped by local voices, memory and sound. Enjoy + share! secret-lake-stories.captivate.fm/listen

Coming this week: a new audio piece about the Secret Lake, created by sound artist Emily Zurowski. It’s a portrait of the Secret Lake, one of Manchester's most mysterious spaces, created using sounds from the space and the voices of local residents. secret-lake-stories.captivate.fm/listen

Thanks to everyone who came along to Ghosts at the Old Library, particularly Marie Crook, David Hartley, Jenn Ashworth and Andrew Michael Hurley for their unsettling ghost stories, all performed in lantern-light. Together we raised £457.14 towards our new venue lighting. buff.ly/mlnYv94

Happy birthday, Levenshulme Old Library! On 5th December 1904, our building opened its doors for the first time. What followed was a century-long experiment in public access to knowledge - first as books, now as creativity, craft and community.

It’s nearly Christmas… and we’re closing out the year with a proper Levy party. Join us for A Levy Little Christmas - our big end-of-year celebration packed with live music, community cheer and all the cosy chaos you’d expect from a winter night at the Old Library. buff.ly/azHJeLH

A brand new edition of Lost Levenshulme is available now – just in time for December reading! Lost Levenshulme is all about the hidden stories of our neighborhood. Uncover the forgotten history, local legends, and mysterious landmarks that make Levenshulme unique. buff.ly/UD6ziGw

Next week we’re hosting a free women-only Self Defence Taster Session here at Levenshulme Old Library and we’d love you to join us. We’ll also have free food, refreshments and space to chat and meet others. Places are limited, so book your free spot.

We most certainly kicked off the festive season last night with a wreath-making workshop at Levenshulme Old Library courtesy of Irish Community Care If this looks like your kind of evening, sign up to our newsletter to hear about workshops, events and programmes in the new year. buff.ly/JoA1chr

Stitch Club returns next week for our final session of the year - a friendly, low-key session for anyone who enjoys working with fabric, thread and textiles. Bring your own project or start something new. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Ghosts at the Old Library is now sold out. If you didn’t manage to get a place this time, join the waiting list. If any extra tickets become available, or if we’re able to release a small number more, you’ll be the first to hear. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

We’re delighted to say that Marie Crook will be one of the writers joining us this year's Ghosts at the Old Library. Marie, has been published in Confingo and The Real Story, among others, and has been part of some of our favourite projects over the years. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

We're still looking for two more people to take part in our Migration Stories project. If you’re originally from Nigeria or Pakistan and now live in Manchester, and would be happy to share your story we’d love to hear from you. If you want to take part or know more please drop us an email.

We’re excited to announce David Hartley as part of this year’s Ghosts at the Old Library, our winter evening of Christmas ghost stories read by lantern-light. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Our final Romani support and advice session before Christmas takes place next Wednesday, 11am-3pm. If you or someone you know within this community needs help with paperwork or practical things, this is a good opportunity to get everything in order. To find out more email support@europia.org.uk

Levenshulme is one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Manchester, but it also faces some of the city’s starkest health inequalities. These free sessions for women from South Asian backgrounds are a part of how we try to respond to that reality. levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/active-welln...

We’re very happy to announce that Andrew Michael Hurley will be joining us for this year’s Ghosts at the Old Library, our annual celebration of the Christmas ghost story - a winter tradition that this year takes the form of an evening of live readings by lamplight. buff.ly/1umnXzE

A quick note for our Art Club regulars: there’s no Zine Club this Monday as both facilitators are away. However if you fancy a creative fix, join us for the next Writing Club at Levenshulme Old Library on Monday 24th November. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Announcing the first of this year’s writers, appearing at Ghosts at the Old Library. One of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fiction, Jenn Ashworth is best known for her novels but is also a writer of short stories, including numerous ghost stories. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Got some decorations that’s seen better days? A string of lights on the blink? A wobbly stool that needs a bit of love this Christmas? Bring them all along to Levenshulme Repair Café tomorrow from 10am-12pm for the final session of the year. Free and open to all - no need to book, just drop by.

Ghosts at the Old Library returns for one night only. On Saturday 6th December, we’ll dim the lights in the Old Library and gather for an evening of ghost stories for Christmas read by lamplight. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

We’re all set up this morning for Kahaaniya, our weekly stories, songs and play sessions for South Asian mums and their younger children. It's free to attend and runs 10am-11.30am each Tuesday. levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/2025/10/16/k...

Lost Levenshulme, our magazine looking at the hidden stories of our neighborhood, is back! Ancient waterways! Film noir filming locations! A secret lake! All this and more - available exclusively *tomorrow* at A Sense of Place, our evening of readings, sound and storytelling buff.ly/hT3uaSw

This Friday, we gather at Levenshulme Old Library to listen to stories about the places we move through every day One of them comes from Marie Crook, whose tale Jean, Darlene, Jacqueline, a story set in (and about) Cringle Park. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Stitch Club is back this coming Monday at Levenshulme Old Library - a gentle, welcoming evening session for anyone who wants to slow down, make something by hand and spend time with others. Bring a project or start something new with simple materials and ideas on offer. buff.ly/7aJW7qu

Kahaaniya held its first session this morning, bringing South Asian mums and their little ones together for stories, songs and early-years play. It was a warm start: calm, friendly and rooted in shared language and culture. We’ll be back next Tuesday morning. buff.ly/RCd0yNP

Stories take root this November in the form of A Sense of Place, a special one-off evening of words, sound and memory grown from our own community. Among the readings is Lignum Vitae by Hette Phillips, written for You Are Here: Five Stories About Parks in Levenshulme. buff.ly/FPa13ub

Next Friday we'll be hosting A Sense of Place, an evening of words, sound and memory that brings together some of the creative threads running through our neighbourhood. Among the readers is Ella Sprakarn, whose story Pipistrello first appeared in issue one of Lost Levenshulme. buff.ly/FPa13ub

One week to go! Next Tuesday, Kahaaniya begins at Levenshulme Old Library - our brand new weekly drop-in for South Asian women and their little ones (aged 0-4). levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/2025/10/16/k...

This coming Friday, Levenshulme Old Library transforms into a landscape of words, sound and memory for A Sense of Place. At the heart of the night will be Secret Lake Stories, a brand new binaural listening experience created by sound artist Emily Zurowski. buff.ly/FPa13ub

The stories of Levenshulme take centre stage this November, as A Sense of Place transforms the Old Library into a night of words, sound and memory. Among the readings is Parakeet by Dipika Mummery, set in Highfield Country Park, one of our neighbourhood's wonderful green spaces. buff.ly/FPa13ub

Who wants to run the country's best bookshop? Levenshulme’s much-loved independent bookshop Bopcap Books is looking for someone to take it on and keep it running via a quick cash sale of the shop stock and furnishings. If you're interested, contact bopcapbooks@gmail.com for more details.

Our friends at Fat Clothes Swap are back this weekend - 1pm-5pm on 1st November. Bring along clothes or accessories (size 16/L+) that no longer fit or feel right and head home with a brand new (to you) outfit. Keep in the loop by signing up to their newsletter: mailchi.mp/3d22ceaad6d9...

Looking for something creative to do that won’t cost a thing? Collage Club at Levenshulme Old Library next Monday is completely free -a relaxed, hands-on workshop where you can rip, cut, glue and piece together something new from the scraps of the everyday. www.tickettailor.com/events/leven...

Join us next month for an evening of words, sound and memory inspired by our neighbourhood. Among the readings, you’ll hear Litter by Valerie O’Riordan - a specially commissioned short story set along the Fallowfield Loop, where everyday life takes on an uncanny shimmer. buff.ly/FPa13ub

A free writing workshop? In this economy? Yep - and it’s back on Monday at Levenshulme Old Library. Kate Ireland returns from her whirlwind of nationwide performances to lead another Writing Club, our relaxed creative workshop series that welcomes anyone with an urge to write buff.ly/BQzCG0m