At first glance the concrete car park behind a station doesn’t seem like the most inspiring setting for one of south Manchester’s most popular events.

But once a week the area behind Levenshulme train station, just off The Street With No Name, is transformed into a bustling market.

Tonight locals are celebrating five years of Levenshulme Market with a special birthday night market.

Strings of bulbs light up stalls packed with crafts, plants, artisan jewellery and gifts and a huge array of delicious food and drink from across the globe.

The smell of Thai, Malaysian and Mediterranean cooking floats over a buzz of chatter and laughter as scores of people, kitted out in bobble hats and scarves, tuck into deep fried pizzas and Polish dumplings on this nippy Friday night.

Steaming plates of Spanish paella, Malaysian curry and juicy hot dogs are devoured with hot cups of freshly ground coffee and pints of foaming beer.

A favourite amongst the suburb’s hipsters and young professionals, the market is also popular with families who come with an army of young children and designer dogs in toe.

(Image: Vincent Cole)

In the five years it has been running Levenshulme Market has garnered a reputation for good food and drink and a welcoming family atmosphere, bringing shoppers from across the city each Saturday.

“My mum comes to the market from Tameside. She loves it,” says Lauren Hudson, who works at Mediterranean street food outlet The Ottö-Men.

“Levenshulme feels like it’s very up and coming. It’s the next Chorlton.

“This market has got soul - it’s tight knit.”

Ottö-Men founder Nick Turkington likes the market so much he decided to move to Levenshulme.

“I think the market is great for the area,” he says. “Levenshulme has also got the Station Hop now. I still think it needs a couple of good restaurants and then it will boom here.

“This is the first market we did when we started two years ago but I had been coming to the market before then. It’s got a lovely atmosphere and lovely food - there’s something magical about it.

(Image: Vincent Cole)

“There’s a real sense of community, a very interesting mismatch of people and there’s also the family factor.”

By encouraging new talent, market bosses have commanded great loyalty from their traders. Diamond Dogs, Little Italy Kitchen and Unfold Shop, who all traded at the market in the early days, are here again tonight.

Jimmy Khor, who sells Malaysian street food from his stall Nasi Lemak, believes the market gives a real boost to Levenshulme.

“I’ve been here four years,” he says. “I live in Levenshulme and for a local trader it’s great. A lot of the retailers are local.

“If you had seen Levenshulme before the market you could see how much this has brought to the town. And I really believe the market compliments the other shops. When the market happens it brings a couple of hundred people out. I have not heard any traders saying it has taking their business - it’s the other way.”

The group of local traders who run the market as a social enterprise have a track record for encouraging new businesses and helping them to develop.

Ed Goodinson has been bringing his Wrap Scallion van to the market for four years.

(Image: Vincent Cole)

“The organisers really helped me out when I was starting out. From being a chef to being self employed was a jump so they really helped and wanted me to develop. The voluntary directors really care about the traders.”

In recent years a new wave of Levenshulme residents have taken full advantage of popular spots such as Trove, Levenshulme Antiques Market and, most recently, beer house Station Hop.

Though the market has played a big part in the suburb’s foodie revival, organisers are keen to stress that it’s not just about trendy food and drink.

The volunteer-led business is run as a community interest company to address socio-economic issues that affect the high street. Profits are ploughed back into projects aimed at improving the high street and making it an attractive place to shop and spend leisure time.

Directors also work alongside community groups such the Friends of Levenshulme Station and Incredible Edible to improve public realm spaces, and with groups like Heart and Parcel - which helps migrant women to improve their English skills by sharing recipes and cooking.

Market director Helen Power says the social enterprise market aims to drastically improve the area in which it operates.

(Image: Vincent Cole)

Over the years organisers have awarded residents with grants totalling £15,000 for entrepreneurial projects, generating around £80,000 of income annually for local people.

“When we first started we had a very clear sense of what we wanted the market to do,” says Helen.

“Bad high streets like Levenshulme don’t happen to communities that are economically healthy. A market alone can’t solve that but we can work on some of those problems at the same time.

“We were very keen to provide opportunities for local people, develop small businesses, build the skills we know our traders have. We want the traders to have somewhere they can gather and create somewhere people want to shop.

She added: “That area has always been an asset but five years ago it was not particularly welcoming.

“We have been able to work alongside these various groups and provide them with manpower and encourage residents to help and we’re now seeing people making improvements to the public realm. There are a number of people working on that.”

(Image: Vincent Cole)

Despite the huge success of the market and the obvious benefits it has brought to Levenshulme, Helen admits there is still work to do.

“Hand on heart I would say we’ve not seen the change in Levenshulme high street I would have liked to see,” she says. “That said, we’ve commissioned a social value report that assesses the value we have brought to the area. We now bring in on average just over £80,000 every year which goes to residents of Levenshulme trading at the market and stays within Levenshulme as income. For a small business run by volunteers that is quite significant.”

One problem the market team have identified is a lack of available retail space on the high street and a proliferation of takeaways along the A6, which earned it the nickname Takeway Mile.

As many of the fast food joints are shuttered up during the day it can be difficult to revitalise the high street.

“One of our aims is to work much closer with other businesses to see what can they do with the market,” says Helen. “I feel there is still more we can do.

“Levenshulme has a very strong night time economy and that’s increasing with the addition of places like Station Hop. But all the shutters are down when the market is open so what can we do for those businesses? We want to work that out.”

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