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squatting in Manchester! new social centre

reposter | 20.11.2009 23:53 | Free Spaces

Squatters in pub fight

November 20, 2009
SQUATTERS have set up home in a historic former pub and now want to highlight the plight of the dilapidated building.

Members of a group called The Freedom Project have moved into the Grade II listed Trafford Park Hotel and say they want the building to be a refuge for people who have fallen on hard times in the recession.

The group, which has about 50 members, plans to transform the Victorian-style building on Third Avenue, Trafford Park, into a 'social centre' with workshops and artists' studios.

And now they want to raise awareness of the troubles facing the pub, owned by Enterprise Inns, which was a cornerstone of the community for almost 100 years.

Home and refuge

One member of the group, Paul Seymour Harris, said: "As much as we consider this place our home and a refuge for people from all walks of life, we want to bring this neglect to the public's attention.

"This pub serviced the community well for many years. It's a shame they are letting it rot."

Built in 1902, the Trafford Park Hotel has lain empty since May 2008 and has been badly water-damaged because of drainage problems, with some ceilings on the top floor partially collapsed.

Members of The Freedom Project say they gained access to the building three weeks ago, through a side door that was left open and called Enterprise Inns to inform them.

There are now eight people squatting there including three from Poland and two from France, along with three dogs.

Repossessed

Paul, 46, originally from Chew Moor, Bolton, was left homeless in May when his house was repossessed after he lost his job as a mechanical engineer.

He found The Freedom Project through its Facebook group and was invited to move in to the Trafford Park Hotel.

He said: "The group is apolitical - it's about freedom of expression, activity and thought."

Enterprise Inns have taken members of The Freedom Project to Salford County Court where a judge gave the brewery an order for possession of the building.

Enterprise Inns declined to comment.

reposter

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Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Good

21.11.2009 10:22

Now, could you please contact the Boaz trust and Manchester Refugee Support Network and Refugee Action to see if you can help some of the desperate people whose asylum appeals have been turned down and who are now homeless as winter approaches.

anon


how can people help

21.11.2009 14:22

any thing people need?

do you know when the eviction will be attempted?

another manc


good luck

21.11.2009 14:42

Good luck!
Hope your site lasts a good deal longer than our two.
- Sheffielder

Sheffielder


all very well to ask, but...

22.11.2009 17:09

anon:
"could you please...see if you can help some of the desperate people whose asylum appeals have been turned down"
- If you notice the original post was a repost from the local newspaper; I'm nowt to do with it.
- Even if I was, rather than telling other people what to do, who probably already have too much to do AND have thought of all the things the space could be used for, why don't YOU go down there, make contact, and offer your help?

another manc :
see above. It would be great if YOU go down there and then let us all know via IMC. That'd be great, and thanks if you manage it.

reposter


original content only please, no reposts

23.11.2009 03:05

reposter, what a snaeky shit you seem to be - another manc was merely offering help.

You've done nothing but repost a mainstream media report yet have the gall to tell people how they should spend their time. I assume another manc thought you would know if they needed anything, what with you putting the info on IM.

Thanks for nothing. Good luck to the FP though, and good on another manc for the offer - if anyone IS in contact with the FP could you find out some real info from them thanks?

A


thanks A!!!

23.11.2009 10:22

Thanks for calling me a sneaky shit, that's really useful and makes me feel great!

I reposted something from the local rag, because it wasn't covered here and I thought it was something relevant to other activists. I could have re-written the original report so it wasn't a repost from the mainstream media, but I wouldn't have been able to add any further info so it would just have been a tokenistic nod to the guidelines.

My reply was meant to be more useful and transparent than saying nothing, or just saying No. Other comments have told other people what to do - I merely said "it would be great if you...and thanks"

Thanks A for being an insulting abuser.

My point in posting originally was not to create a chance for a slanging match, but to share with others in Manc something exciting that was happening, and to hope that someone had more time than me at the moment to actually make contact.

reposter


No worries

23.11.2009 11:07

Snarky, not sneaky. Excuse the typo.

WRT reposting, it is against the IMC guidelines. "Please only use reposted stories to quote from - or to illustrate/exemplify your own articles"

In the time it took you to type up that you could have telephoned the FP, got a little info and typed it into IM with a small link to the MEN for their version of the story. Instead you lazily copy/pasted from the MSM and then started demanding other people contact them for info. If you aren't willing to do it, please don't come on here telling other people who simply want to help what they should do.

Fair enough I can see why you'd reply the way you did to anon.

I do apologise for calling you a shit, but if you are simply going to repost a (copyrighted) MSM article and add nothing at all to it then it would be better not to bother (or just include a link to the article).

A


intentions

23.11.2009 17:18

I didn't intend to make demands, and there was no phone number in the MEN article. I felt I was responding to other people's demands, but can understand that in their haste they didn't realise that I wasn't involved.

You're right I could have written a little summary and posted a link to the MEN article increasing their hits and the amount of bandwidth someone uses, but thought it was better - despite the guidelines - to give people the full info I knew and could find out. I don't think it would be better not to bother.

I still hope (hope, not expect, demand, tell blah blah) that someone has the time to go down, meet the people and find out more.

reposter


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