You Are Here

Secret Lake Stories is a soundwork by sound designer and composer Emily Zurowski, recorded on and around a small, enclosed body of water known locally as the Secret Lake, on the border of Levenshulme and Reddish in Greater Manchester. Largely hidden from surrounding streets and reached by footpaths through scrub and woodland, the lake sits within a patchwork of former industrial land, housing, railway edges and informal green space.The piece is centred on the voices of people who know the lake well and spend time there: walkers, neighbours and those who return to it regularly. Their reflections, memories and observations are interwoven with field recordings made at the site, capturing water movement, birdsong and distant human activity.The lake itself originated as part of an industrial-era water system, later falling out of use and gradually becoming rewilded. Over time it has developed into a quiet, unofficial local landmark, shaped as much by neglect and chance as by design.Best experienced on headphones.Composed and created by Emily Zurowski Produced for Levenshulme Old LibraryExecutive producer - Richard V. HirstRecorded on location in 2025 at the Secret LakeTo find out more, visit levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk.

Nutsford Vale – Portrait of the ParkProduced by Levenshulme Old LibrarySound design by OscilloscopeNutsford Vale was once a clay pit, then a landfill - now it’s a green space shaped by care, campaigning, and community vision.In this portrait, we hear from the people who helped make that transformation possible. Their reflections reveal the long, determined effort behind the park’s existence, and the quiet pride in seeing it grow into a space for future generations.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.

Highfield Country Park – Portrait of the ParkProduced by Levenshulme Old LibrarySound design by OscilloscopeHighfield Country Park stretches across woodland, open ground and winding trails - a space for wandering, noticing and sometimes getting a little lost.In this portrait, writer Dipika Mummery shares her personal connection to Highfield, reflecting on how its landscape and wildlife shaped her story, Parakeet.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Truck | Intelligible | Gains (Fallowfield Loop Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateA soundscape created using field recordings gathered on the Fallowfield LoopThe Fallowfield Loop curves through South Manchester - a former railway line turned walking and cycling route, lined with overgrown platforms, graffiti, birdsong and nature.This soundscape captures the fragments of life that echo along the Loop. Built from field recordings made on location, it offers a different way of listening to the park: not a story, but a space - shifting, layered, and full of atmosphere.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.

ParakeetWritten and performed by Dipika MummerySet in Highfield Country ParkAs snow falls on Highfield Country Park, Neena walks with her partner Mo. He’s made a decision - one that could take them away from the life they’ve built together. Parakeet is a quiet, powerful story about belonging, uncertainty, and what it means to put down roots.Dipika Mummery has written short stories and flash fiction across genres including sci-fi, fantasy, realist fiction and horror. Her work has been published by Comma Press, Arachne Press, Fox & Windmill, Tasavvur, and Fly on the Wall Press. She has an MA in Creative Writing from The University of Manchester and is currently working on a novel. You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: OscillateExplore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Lignum VitaeWritten and performed by Hette PhillipsSet in Chapel Street ParkA park watches the people who pass through: the ones who gather, the ones who grieve, the ones who disappear. With a voice that is slow, patient and rooted, Lignum Vitae unfolds as a quiet observation of life from the perspective of a place that is always changing but always the same.Set in Chapel Street Park, this is a story about memory, connection, and how the land itself carries the lives that move across it.Hette Phillips is a poet, fiction writer and artist based in Levenshulme. Her work has been published by Dostoyevsky Wannabe and For Books Sake.You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: Oscillate.Explore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

TripeWritten and performed by Verity PlattSet in Nutsford ValeMarta walks through Nutsford Vale, her thoughts drifting between motherhood, inheritance and the body - the weight of care and the strange rituals that shape our days.Set in a park that was once a clay pit, then a tip, Tripe is a lyrical, layered meditation on usefulness, repetition and the uncanny that quietly lurks on the edges of ordinary life.Verity Platt is a writer from Manchester whose work explores the intersections of place, and memory. Her fiction draws on folklore, domestic life, and the body.You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: Oscillate.Explore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.

Fallowfield Loop – Portrait of the ParkProduced by Levenshulme Old LibrarySound design by OscilloscopeThe Fallowfield Loop follows the path of an old railway line - now a walking and cycling route lined with trees, graffiti, and fragments of the city’s past and present.In this portrait, we hear from the people who helped shape the Loop as a public space, a local resident passing through, and writer Valerie O’Riordan, who reflects on the space as the setting and inspiration for her story Litter.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.

Fears | Boring | Chip (Nutsford Vale Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateA soundscape created using field recordings gathered in Nutsford ValeNutsford Vale sits in a quiet dip between roads and houses - once a clay pit, later a landfill, now a park. It’s a place shaped by layers, histories and reinvention.This soundscape gathers sounds and textures from the park, creating a layered, atmospheric reflection of the space as it is and was.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England.Explore the full project here: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.

Knots | Form | Strut (Cringle Park Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateA soundscape created using field recordings gathered in Cringle ParkCringle Park presents as a traditional Victorian park - wide paths, open spaces and quiet corners where people pass, pause and play. However at its centre sits a small stone circle whose origins are unclear but whose presence is quietly magnetic.This soundscape captures the layered sonic textures of the park: footsteps, birds and the steady hum of passing lives.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Jean, Darlene, JacquelineWritten and performed by Marie CrookSet in Cringle ParkEach morning, Jean puts on a different version of herself - a different wig, a different name. One day, a stranger in her local park mistakes her for someone else entirely. And for a little while, Jean plays alongSet in Cringle Park, Jean, Darlene, Jacqueline is a quietly uncanny story about reinvention, care and the longing be someone else.Marie Crook is a writer based in Levenshulme. Her work has appeared in The Real Story, The Caterpillar and Confingo, among others. You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: OscillateExplore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Chapel Street Park – Portrait of the ParkProduced by Levenshulme Old LibrarySound design by OscilloscopeTucked behind houses and running alongside the railway, Chapel Street Park is a small, open space with a quiet kind of presence - a place of memory and movement.In this portrait, we hear reflections from writer Hette Phillips and a local volunteer, each offering their own perspective on the park’s atmosphere, its role in everyday life, and the connections that form quietly in shared spaces.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Cringle Park – Portrait of the ParkSound design by OscillscopeCringle Park is a space for walking, sitting, drifting - a park with open paths and quiet corners, home to a mysterious stone circle and the routines of daily life.In this portrait, writer Marie Crook reflects on the role Cringle Park plays in her creative process, and how the textures and rhythms of the space shaped her story, Jean, Darlene, Jacqueline.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Lease | Moves | Slower (Chapel Street Park Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateAn audio piece created using field recordings gathered in Chapel Street ParkTucked behind terraced streets, not far from the railway, between a primary school and a pub, Chapel Street Park is a quiet, open space threaded with memory and movement.This soundscape brings together the ambient textures of the park, creating a layered listening experience that captures the pace and rhythms of the place.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England.Explore the full project here: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

Gives | Splice | Agents (Highfield Country Park Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateA soundscape created using field recordings gathered in Highfield Country ParkHighfield Country Park is one of Levenshulme’s largest green spaces - a mix of woodland, meadow, paths and water, where people and wildlife move together through the seasons.This soundscape weaves together fragments of that environment: birds, trees, quiet footfall and distant conversation - creating an immersive portrait of a space that feels both natural and lived-in.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England.Explore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.

LitterWritten and performed by Valerie O’RiordanSet on the Fallowfield LoopA man follows his ex-wife along a local litter-picking route, trying to make sense of the past, the future and what it means to let go. Set against the backdrop of the Fallowfield Loop, Litter is a story of disconnection, stubbornness and longing - and the way even the most familiar spaces can become sites of confrontation and reckoning.Valerie O’Riordan is a writer and lecturer in Creative Writing at Greater Manchester University. Her short fiction has appeared in Litro, The Lonely Crowd, The Manchester Review, among others.You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: Oscillate.Explore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.

You Are Here: Five Short Stories About Parks in LevenshulmeYou Are Here is a podcast of five original short stories, each inspired by one of Levenshulme’s green spaces. Written by some of Manchester's finest authors, these stories blend fiction with place, shaped by the histories, landscapes and lives that pass through them.Alongside these stories, the series also features portraits of the parks -episodes capturing the voices of people who use these spaces - and immersive soundscapes that bring the locations to life through audio.The full series launches on 24th April 2025. Until then, head to levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here to find out more, and follow @levyoldlibrary on Instagram.Levenshulme Old Library is a community arts and culture space, supporting creative projects, performances, and events for the local area.Music by Oscilloscope.You Are Here is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and made possible by Arts Council England.