The name of the new public square in Stretford town centre will be revealed at the monthly community event ‘Stretford Socials’ on Saturday 6 July.
The winning name from the three finalists - Hibberd Square, Lloyd Square, and Enriqueta Square will be announced by Trafford Council leader, Councillor Tom Ross at 1.00pm.
A brand new ‘Name the Square’ exhibition will also be launched at the event. This will tell the story of the project and showcase many of the insightful suggestions made by the community during the call out for entries which saw hundreds of ideas put forward.
It will run from Saturday 6 to Monday 15 July with the support of Trafford Libraries, who have supplied archival photographs and information. The exhibition will be accompanied by artefacts that have been found during the development works so far. It will be a people-powered exhibition that tells the story of the area’s rich past, present and future.
James Tootle, Head of Retail & Leisure, Bruntwood said:
“We were bowled over by the number of entries that we had for our Stretford Name the Square initiative. It was fascinating to read the many thoughtful and insightful suggestions made by the local community and showcased just how passionate the people of Stretford are about their town centre. It felt right to display these ideas too and so we are delighted that this is a people-powered exhibition that tells the story of the area’s rich past, present and future. And of course we’re excited to reveal the name of the community’s new square - named for and by the people.”
A spokesperson for Trafford Council said:
“Thank you to everyone who took part in this competition – we had so many entries and it was difficult to choose a winner. The public square will be an exciting and vibrant addition to the new-look Stretford town centre. We’re delighted to be teaming up with Bruntwood on this and looking forward to announcing the winning name.”
This month’s Stretford Socials event is extra jam packed as the town centre also hosts a dirt bike track as part of StretFest. Located on the Mall’s temporary car park, the modular custom built pump track from Dirt Factory Manchester is for children and adults and aims to boost participants' bike skills, health and wellbeing. There will also be a DJ monster truck with tunes provided by a lineup of local DJs curated by Stretford’s Rainy Heart listening bar. No booking is required and it will be completely free to use with helmets and demo bikes provided and personal bikes or scooters can also be used.
The Stretford Socials will be taking place as usual in the Mall with stalls from amazing local traders and makers and a pop-up vintage clothes swap courtesy of Stretford Vintage pop-up. A selection of fantastic, local independent makers will be on hand:
DLC Gifts - Handmade jewellery, clocks, chess sets, keychains and lots more resin and handmade items
Beatties Bakery - A selection of brownies, blondies, and other homemade bakes
Urban Preservers - Award winning, local preserves and chilli sauces
Bumpkins Baby Girls - Baby sensory boxes and baby shower gifts
Juiced the Tip - Health drinks, homemade cordials, and non alcoholic cocktail
From 1-2pm Stretford favourites, the Longford Community Choir, will be performing next to the community piano in the centre of the mall.
Local Stretford residents will also have the chance to meet the team behind the town centre redevelopment works. From 12-2pm, the team will be at the new development corner next to the Chester Road entrance, providing insights into the progress of King Street and beyond, as well as answering any questions members of the community may have.