There will be Lantern-Making workshops for PeaceWeek as follows:

Monday February 20 and Wednesday February 22, 4pm to 5:30pm, at the Amani Centre, Quinney Crescent, Moss Side, M15 7DG

Saturday February 25, 11am to 1pm, at Coverdale Church, Coverdale Crescent, Ardwick, M12 4FG

Learn how to make your own lantern and bring it to the PeaceWeek Lantern Parade on March 2nd

Workshops are free and do not need to be pre-booked. For more information send an email.

PeaceWeek 2012 is now just over 3 weeks away, and the pressure is on! Any and all offers of help gratefully received (publicity distribution, event stewarding, equipment setting up etc).

The next planning meeting will be on Wednesday February 8, 12 noon to 1.30pm at the Carisma Office, St Mary’s Parsonage, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, M15 5WD. Map.

Other planning meetings will take place on February 15, 22 - same time and place.

For this year’s PeaceWeek we are producing rolls of incident tape, like the Police use to put around crime scenes, only with the message “Work, hope, pray, long for Peace”. The idea is for buildings to be wrapped in the tape, making people curious, creating a buzz in the community, and drawing attention to the positive message. Where you take it from there is up to you. It is an idea borrowed from Make Poverty History a few years ago and it was suggested to us by a couple of local church leaders who found the somewhat bizarre wrapping of their buildings in MPH incident tape was the source of much interest, comment and positive reaction. Think of other ways to use it - be creative. Give it to the youth group… But just make sure to get permission, keep it legal and no littering. Have fun.

The rools of tape are 250 metres long, 75mm high and the message repeats every 404mm. If you would like a roll, or two, to wrap up your church, mosque, shop, workplace, other, then contact the Carisma Office - email or phone 226 9905. There is a production cost involved and we are asking for a donation towards PeaceWeek of £20 per roll. But if you can’t afford that, we can negotiate, as we’d rather you put the tape up than not.

With PeaceWeek 2012 now just over 4 weeks away, we have decided to meet weekly from here on in. So the next meeting will be on Wednesday February 1, 12 noon to 1.30pm at the Carisma Office, St Mary’s Parsonage, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, M15 5WD. Map.

Other planning meetings will take place on February 8, 15, 22 - same time and place.

The first Lantern-making workshops in preparation for PeaceWeek 2012 have been announced.

The workshops have been organised by Healthy Ardwick.  They will be held alongside Saturday Jumble Sales at Coverdale Baptist Church, Coverdale Crescent, Manchester, M12 4FG, and are free and family-friendly. For more details, contact Adam at Healthy Ardwick. Email or phone 0161 273 1262.

The next planning meeting for PeaceWeek 2012 will be on Wednesday January 25th, 12noon to 1:30pm at the Carisma Office, St Mary’s Parsonage, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, M15 5WD. Map. (And after that, Feb 8 and Feb 27 - same time, same place).

We’re getting some good ideas and suggestions to work on, and hearing of a number of linked events being planned.

More please…

We have now set dates for four more planning meetings for PeaceWeek 2012 in the New Year.

These are:

January 11
January 25
February 8
February 22

All meetings will be from 12noon to 1:30pm at the Carisma Office, St Mary’s Parsonage, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, M15 5WD. Map.

As always, everyone welcome. Bring your ideas, enthusiasm and energy and together let’s make PeaceWeek number ten a memorable time for our community.

Don’t forget to get those OSBA Nominations in.

Till then… Happy and Peaceful New Year.

The next PeaceWeek planning meeting will be on Wednesday 14 December,12noon at the Carisma Office, St Mary’s Parsonage, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, M15 5WD. Map. Everyone welcome.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Manchester’s Peace Week Guns to Goods is launching a T Shirt Design competition.

We are looking for original entries that depict ‘Peace’ either through illustration, photography or text. You may want to submit a drawing, create a digital image or write a statement/ poem. All art forms are welcome as long as we can transfer the finished design on to a T Shirt.

5 Winners will see their design manufactured and launched as a Limited Edition T–Shirt for sale at SHOW//METAL
As well as this, they will receive their own original printed T Shirt.

This competition is open to everyone. To enter send a sketch of your design/ text, along with your name and contact details (address/ email/ phone number) to: Peace T Shirt Competition, Sam Ingleson, School of Art and Design, Allerton Studios, University of Salford, Frederick Road Salford M6 6PU.
Or alternately send your entry via email.
Competition Closes on the 3rd February 2012

Guns to Goods is a company working in partnership with CARISMA, University of Salford and Greater Manchester Police to destroy guns and recycle their metal into fresh products. The sale of these products funds training and mentoring opportunities for young people in Manchester.

ShowMetal garments all feature recycled weaponry. Due to launch early 2012. Follow us on Twitter: @gunstogoods, @showmetal1

PeaceWeek 2012 is making progress, but there is a lot to do and room for more ideas, energy and input.

There will be another PeaceWeek Planning meeting on Thursday, December 1, 12:30pm at the Carisma Office, St Mary’s Parsonage, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, M15 5WD. Map. Everyone welcome.

The theme for PeaceWeek 2012 is ‘Fit for Peace’ (notice the subtle link to the Olympics) and here is the logo. What can we do to train ourselves to be Peacemakers?What attitudes and thoughts should we feed and which should we starve? What exercises can we use to practice and build up our skills?