Moving to Manchester

[ANGELMOTHER]

I know there are some Mumsnetters up in Manchester, so just a little advice please.
Living in the South East for some time now and finding it impossibly expensive and next to impossible buying a home of our own.

We know our financial situation here is unsustainable...renting and barely making ends meet most days.
Dh and I have been doing some serious brainstorming and as we have a little family there and we believe a less expensive existence are now considering moving to Manchester.

Anyway what I need to ask for really aside from any general advice anyone can offer is pointers on areas and kiddie friendly spots in Manchester...
I know this is vague but our plans are still very hazy.
Thanks in advance.

What a big north-south debate! I come from Manchester and although I love my life in London, if I could get the same work up north (I definitely can't because it is only done in London) I would be gone like a shot. I could save a fortune on my mortgage and nursery fees and live like a queen! I think Manchester is child-friendly, although you might have to go and live in the suburbs. When I visit family in Manchester there are always lots of things on for ds to do. I also think that other parents are friendlier, eg on buses, in playgrounds, at children's events, so I would expect to make more friends in Manchester than in London. It was hard work to make friends in London!

Well folks the weekend went extremely well and we have all but made up our minds to go.
Longsight it won't be as dh's uncle no longer has the houses we had thought of and must say I'm a little relieved having seen the area.

Where we think we will most likely end up is a part of Rochdale known as Blackley..............eek ! not sure what reaction that will get............

Parts that we were looking at were just off the Rochdale Road and quite leafy and reasonably priced.
This is the thought for now but it all seems to now be a question of when.
Problem is I am 33wks pg and our present lease expires on my EDD so the inclination to go before the "drop" is there which means before the end of this month.................
Am I stark staring MAD

don't know that area but i'm sure it will be easier to move with a bump(lots of helping friends) than with 2 children, one being very tiny.My friend moved at around this time in pregnancy and just managed to co-ordinate lots of friends in to help and she was settled for about 10 days(and managed to paint/decorate and make curtains for the 2 childrens bedrooms)before babe arrived
Good luck

Angelmother, Rochdale Council has an excellent website here which has loads of information about local services etc.

It also has links to all sorts of other useful local websites like Middleton Guardian Blackley section

and estate agents on this page.

Good luck - hope you find something nice and cheap!

Oops - Middleton Guardian bit is here (sorry!)

Angelmum, have been googling the afternoon away (trying to keep my mind off something else!) and if I have the right place (?) Blackley is actually nearer Oldham, so houses are at Oldham estate agents - this page has 5 of them.

As part of Middleton I assume it still comes under Rochdale Council though (?).

Anyway Oldham Council also has a good website here which would probably be useful too.

Thank you JanH
Yes you've got the right place, it's Greater Manchester I believe, also New Moston, Failsworth etc....

We simply couldn't afford the likes of Didsbury and Chorlton as recommended here but we can dream

Hope it's nothing too bad on your mind.

Bit late to this as I have just come back from my hols, but...

Blackely is in North Manchester and is rather nice - I have friends there (I live in Sale - hmmm, dadslib, I wonder if I know you??) I had my ds at North Manchester General, and can highly recommend it if you do give birth after you move - I worked in the NHS at the time and chose to deliver there even though I live in the South - it really was the best maternity unit and the midwifery and clinical care was excellent. I can recommend a good GP practice in Blackely too if you're interested.

HTH

V.Interested Zoe please do tell, esp the GP in Blackley.

Must admit I'm starting to panic a little re: where to have baby. My original and still prefered plan is to have a home birth but not sure how this would be received by a midwife/GP in Blackley.

Have checked up local GP's in Blackley but not rung or spoken to anyone yet. I have my 33wk check tomorrow with my own GP and was going to ask for advice then.

Please do pass any medical recommendations as not sure where to turn without them

Angelmother, do you want to e-mail me for the GP practice name as I wouldn't want to get in any trouble for posting it on a board. AFAIK, the community midwife service is great in N Manchester and I know that home births are supported, but whether or not they have to be sorted earlier I don't know, but I bet that they would discuss it with you, and try to come to some suitable arrangement. If not, the Unit is very very nice.

Zoe have sent you my e-mail address through the link above, BIG thanks in advance for any details you can pass on.

Thanks for thought, Angelmother - no, it wasn't too bad and it's OK now.

Good luck with your home birth, wherever you are!

Angelmother with my last pg I didn't decide on a HB until my 37 week appt. MW dropped the stuff of a few days later and DD arrived the following week. Point is if they support HB they shouldn't mind at all that it is late. Only concern will be having time to get to know your MW - oh and getting your house sorted of course Go for it girl. Good luck.

Thanks for all the support guys, and Zoe big thank you for those details, got your e-mail.

I seem to go between panic and excitement about this move, but being a little bit of a control freak (I NEVER admit that) I know if I organise as much as possible from here I "should" just be able to get there and sit back........in an ideal world

Angelmother, are you still planning to move up here sometime? I know your B-Day is imminent (good luck!) but I seem to remember seeing a message of yours which sounded as if you weren't moving after all...???

(Just being nosey!)