Save Ryebank Fields: Heart trail with the Friends of Ryebank Fields
Ryebank Fields is a beautiful, safe, wild space in a built-up suburban area that is under threat from building development. In Feburary 2023 we devised a craftivists campaign together with the Friends of Ryebank Fields themed on hearts to show our love for this precious space.
Find out more about Ryebank Fields and our other craftivist campaign to raise awareness with Manchester Council leader.
We love Ryebank Fields: A community celebration of the fields
Thank you to all who contributed to this wonderful hearts trail around Ryebank Fields. It was hung on 10 February and will be in place until 5 March. People gathered in the fields around a huge heart made from logs and twigs on 11 February to create a human heart-shape and created more hearts to display. In fact local people have continued to add hearts!
It was heartening to see this lovingly crafted awareness raising for these cherished fields that could be lost to polluting building developments.
The next step from 5 March
After being on display in Ryebank Fields, hearts can be gifted to people in any way potentially involved with the planned destruction of this beautiful wild green space. We will write messages inviting them to hear the love expressed for Ryebank Fields to remain as they are: accessible to people and wildlife, rather than polluted by building developments, losing flora and fauna and potentially causing local flooding.
If you contributed a heart, you can get it back by messaging Alison. Any smaller hearts that can be posted may be selected by the maker or anyone else involved to send as the next step of the craftivist action after 5 March.
You can send your heart, or any new hearts you make, directly to anyone you wish to gift it to. We will also organise a little meet-up after 5 March, together with the Friends of Ryebank Fields, to do this together. Arrangements will come via the Whatsapp group and our Chorlton Craftivists Facebook group.
Collage showing some of the hearts. Photo from Jay Clarke.
In the meantime do feel free to gather names and addresses of, for instance, those involved in the sale (Manchester Metropolitan University), development (Step Places and Southway Housing), local councillors and councillors (Manchester and Trafford wards could be worth approaching) or in planning, development or with environmental remits. Or how about sending a heart and message to people in the media who might help? All ideas welcome - actions can be individual or as a group. All considered, friendly, heartfelt approaches that can help save the fields are worthwhile!
Local artist Anna Violet is generously donating postcards of her Ryebank Fields painting for Chorlton Craftivists' to send messages of love about Ryebank Fields to help save them from building development.
Messages for people receiving a heart.
Have a think about what you would like to say to the person receiving a craftivist heart? Would you like to talk about the benefits of the fields to wildlife and local people?
Would you like to highlight the pollution and other problems caused by building here?
Maybe you'd like to invite them for a walk in the fields?
Certainly we can ask them to find out more on the Friends of Ryebank Fields website at
www.saveryebankfields.co.uk