13/4/09: Easter Event attracts over 500 people between 1pm and 4pm. Getting Manchester Moving, Community Funding, Grassroots Grants, Manchester Leisure, Four Avenues Residents Association, and Friends of Highfield Country Park organise the event. The day involved displays by Birds of Prey, egg hunting, willow weaving, and egg & spoon racing.

Spring 2009: The Friends of Fallowfield Loop have been funded by the National Lottery through Awards for All for Local Artist Rachel Ramchurn to create a series of public sculptures for the Fallowfield Loop in Levenshulme.These Sculptures will be installed at the beginning of May 2009. The intention behind this project is to create an experience that will inspire and energize people to care for and protect The Fallowfield Loop,Highfield Country Park and surrounding areas. The wood used for this project is Grey poplar, the sculptures are all from the same tree which was growing in Highfield Country Park, Levenshulme (adjacent to the Fallowfield Loop). The trees were felled in October when officers from Manchester City Council Agricultural Department noticed they were a hazard to nearby flats. Grey poplars are self-seeding and do grow quite large.

11/4/09: BBC Greater Manchester Radio mention Four Avenues Residents Association and Friends of Highfield Country Park's Easter Event for the forthcoming Easter Monday.

23/3/09: Katie from BTCV in South Manchester wrote on BTCV's news site the following, "Wildlife is benefiting from further improvements to woodlands in the heart of inner city Manchester. Highfield Country Park is a Local Nature Reserve in Levenshulme, Manchester. Known to locals as 'The Piggeries', this former brickworks and landfill site has been completely transformed over the last decade into a haven for wildlife and people in the middle of the urban sprawl. The site contains an unrivalled diversity of habitats and the woodlands have been the focus of recent attention from the Friends of Highfield Country Park and volunteers from BTCV. Funding from Greening Greater Manchester is going towards tree felling to improve the balance of the woodland and increase the diversity of wildlife. The felled trees are being re-used to create natural log-edged woodchip paths. These footpaths help make the woodland accessible and enjoyable for visitors." Image copyrighted to BTCV News.

28/12/08: Health walk to banish those Mince Pies   (hosted by PhotoBucket). 

14/12/08:  Bulb Planting (hosted by PhotoBucket).

2007-2008: Easter event 2007 and 2008, health walks and more. External Image Album.

21/11/07:  Boggart Hole Clough in Charlestown and Highfield Country Park in Levenshulme will now be declared protected habitats for many animal and plant species.  (See BBC’s article). 

June 2007:  Ecology Services UK Ltd. perform a Biodiversity Action Plan for Highfield Country Park.

8/7/2005: BTCV co-ordinated this with a programme of activities that culminated in the grand opening of the picnic area on 8 July 2005 by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Mohammed Afzal Khan, Manchester Arndale General Manager, Glen Barkworth, and Alec Cowan, Chairman of Friends of Highfield Country Park.

2005:  Highfield Country Park was transformed during the year-long Prudential Grass Roots project in 2005. BTCV, Prudential and Manchester Arndale, the project partners, recognised significant potential to build on the success of this initial Grass Roots project. Through having a specific focus on young people and engaging them in activities in the park, the project partners aimed to limit anti-social behaviour and to increase a sense of ownership and respect for the space.  Activities included pond dipping and maintenance; Litter picking and cleaning up; Habitat creation for butterflies; Family picnics; Diwali & Eid celebrations; and a Circus skills event.

2005: BTCV assisted with the following: Community consultation processes, which will help the Friends of Highfield Country Park build on the interest shown by locals to continue developing the facilities. Building a stone footpath, with help from Bovis Lend Lease, through the wildflower meadow in preparation for planting. Bovis also provided equipment to put up bat boxes in the autumn, and expert help with the design and development of the picnic area in the spring. Tree management during Islam Awareness Week with a group of local Muslims including children, teenagers and older people. Many of them returned to take part in other work, especially the tree-felling with hand tools. Nature trail signpost work with environmental conservation students from City College Manchester.

2004: The transformation process by Prudential and Manchester Arndale enabled local people to learn new skills, to provide a safe and accessible green space for people from other neighbourhoods who use the Fallowfield Loop to
enjoy. The Fallowfield Loop, which goes through the Park,
is a former railway line now used as a footpath, cycle route
and bridleway. They built a picnic area next to the Fallowfield Brook and close to the cycle route. It gave children from four primary schools an outdoor classroom in which they can learn about wildlife and other topics linked to the National Curriculum. The field enabled people with limited mobility and families with children in push-chairs to access ponds, woodland and meadows through the network of boardwalks and wide footpaths.

The land was used to extract clay for the manufacture of bricks for the building industry. 

The clay pit and brick works existed at the turn of the 20th Century, and by the 1950s was being operated by the Jackson Brick Company. 

The Brickie was an exciting adventure playground for the local children, but it could also be an extremely dangerous place! 

“The excavations were dotted with numerous ponds & small lakes, and it is likely that some children were badly injured while playing there” (Levyboy.com). 

The large pond close to the brick works & the railway was known as the The Brickie Pond and contained fish! 

In many ways The Brickie resembled a Canyon. 

In the 1970s The Brickie was used as a landfill. 

Images copyright of Manchester Libraries.

Highfield Farm.