The placards strung up around the Shalimar convenience store on Chapel Street said it all this morning as residents from the Islington Estate rallied around to support Mo, who has run the shop for thirty years...
...`Profits Before People... `Greed Before Need'...`Vimto Gardens about the people, for the people How????'...
Mo's is the last local shop standing in the area as everything around it has been bulldozed. Within yards of his store, the new Vimto Gardens development has sprung up, comprising 97 luxury unaffordable apartments and town houses, with retail units underneath.
It's the first major development of the regeneration of Chapel Street by the English Cities Fund, or ECf - comprised of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), Legal and General, and Muse Developments, in partnership with Salford City Council. Altogether, the development has had over £11million support from public money (see previous Salford Star article click here).
With Mo's shop under threat of demolition, he wants to open a new store in the large unit in Vimto Gardens but is constantly being priced out by the massive rent being asked. Now the community wants to save their shop and around fifty people came to show their feelings throughout the morning.
"I'm here to save our shop because it's been part of our community for thirty years" said Camilla Walsh "It's convenient for us, our children and all our families and we'd like to keep it open because we don't know what we'd do without it. Mo's like family, he's our shop keeper."
The point was echoed by Sandra Tracey of St Philips Camera Club, who visits the Estate and has followed the story... "I just think it's wrong that they're not giving Mo a chance; they need him and his shop around here and I think somebody should help him. He's been here thirty years, why can he not stay here in the community? The people love him here and they need him."
Many also saw the fight to save Mo's shop as the front line in the beginning of a battle to save their community...
"That's how people here feel about his shop" explained Marie Gorvett "I think they'll get rid of the houses eventually because of the prices they're getting for one bedroom apartments. They're not going to let the likes of us live here. It's a prime area and the next step will be getting the community out of the houses. We were promised decent homes and they haven't even done our windows and doors. It's just not fair."
It's a point echoed by almost everyone who attended including Lauren Williams... "Vimto Gardens? That's for the rich who can afford these flashy apartments and whatever else; they'll get rid of the community if they get their way."
Lauren added that Mo's shop is the centre of the community and runs with a different attitude to the big chain stores...
"Some of us are single mums and when we've hardly got any money we come to Mo and he'll give us tick until we get our money" she explained "None of these new shops will do that for us. They look down on us. When we're skint and need food for our children what are we going to do? Go to Tesco? They'll just laugh."
Indeed, the whole battle is about the old, original community perceiving that they are not wanted in the flashy regeneration of Chapel Street...
"They say Mo and the community won't fit in but I can't understand why we won't fit in because they can build what they want but they can't build a community" said Sarah Millar, who helped organise the protest "It's local people who build the community. They should give us reasons why we can't have a local corner shop that has been here thirty years serving this community. They begged him to stay during the last regeneration so why don't they give a damn about him now?"
Ironically, Muse, one of the partners within ECf, is sponsoring the Celebrate Islington! festival on July 11th.
Sarah and others say that they have contacted their local councillors and new MP Rebecca Long Bailey for help but none have responded... "Basically they are a waste of time and want to keep out of it" she adds "They try saying that they involve us as a community but they don't involve us whatsoever. They've never contacted us, otherwise we would have done this a long time ago. ECf and Salford Council know what's going on, so it's up to them to do the u-turn."
Rather than face the peaceful protest from the community this morning, Vimto Gardens shut its sales office. But today's rally in support of Mo is just the first action of an ongoing campaign of which a public meeting is the next step and more demonstrations planned for the next few Saturdays.
"Lots of people turned up today but lots are also working and have given their support even though they can't be here" said Mo, who explained that buying the Vimto Gardens unit freehold at an independently set value might now be a more viable option than trying to meet the high rent.
"It's up to the people to decide where they want to take this but I'm standing with them as long as they want me to be here" he added "And I want to be here as well..."
* There will be a further demonstration this Saturday 12noon until 2pm outside Vimto Gardens
Read the full interview with Mo and see more details on the ECf in the Salford Star print issue click here
Photos by Steven Speed
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