Musicians from around Manchester descended on Piccadilly Gardens to perform in the first ever ‘Feel Good Friday’ a fundraising day for Samaritans.
Despite the freezing temperatures, busking duo Matty Fletcher and Matt Grant and solo artist Sean O’Connor played a number of Feel Good songs, including the North West’s favourite tune, Queen’s Don’t Stop me Now, much to the delight of shoppers and city centre workers on their lunch break.
Sean O’Connor said, “I really enjoy playing gigs but I’ve never actually busked before. It was great fun, even though it was freezing, I think the people of Manchester really enjoyed the variety of feel good songs we played.” Samaritans Head of Fundraising Chris Jarrett said, “Our first ever Feel Good Friday has been a huge success.
The buskers in Piccadilly Garden played loads of great songs despite the bitter cold weather.”
‘Feel Good Friday’ was sponsored by healthcare provider Simply Health. People across the country also took part in ‘feel-good’ themed fundraisers and challenges at their place of work, in return for a donation to Samaritans.
Showing posts with label manchester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manchester. Show all posts
Monday, 6 February 2012
Friday, 3 February 2012
Thoughts from Manchester's birthplace
As part of some of the research I am doing into Manchester's History,I took a walk down to Castlefield basin early yesterday morning.
It was a cold clear day and the water in the canal basin was frozen,the only sound that percolated the cold silence being the roar of the trams and the trains across the Victorian viaducts.It seems strange that this was once part of the bustling heart of Manchester.
My main purpose was to look at the Roman park.What was left of the Roman ruins were wiped away during the late 18th and 19th centuries as first the Rochdale canal and then the railways were built.
The reconstruction of the North Gate is built on what was found of the original foundations,a rough stone plinth.
The gate we see today is an interpretation of how it would have looked around 200AD.The Roman Road headed North from here,running parallel to Deansgate across Liverpool Road before heading towards where the cathedral now stands.
This photo captures the old and the New Manchester with 21st Century Hilton Tower overlooking the North Gate of the 2nd century fort
Just along from the reconstruction are the Roman gardens.it was here that excavations in the 1970's first established a civilian town outside of the fort servicing the garrison
It was a cold clear day and the water in the canal basin was frozen,the only sound that percolated the cold silence being the roar of the trams and the trains across the Victorian viaducts.It seems strange that this was once part of the bustling heart of Manchester.
My main purpose was to look at the Roman park.What was left of the Roman ruins were wiped away during the late 18th and 19th centuries as first the Rochdale canal and then the railways were built.
The reconstruction of the North Gate is built on what was found of the original foundations,a rough stone plinth.
The gate we see today is an interpretation of how it would have looked around 200AD.The Roman Road headed North from here,running parallel to Deansgate across Liverpool Road before heading towards where the cathedral now stands.
This photo captures the old and the New Manchester with 21st Century Hilton Tower overlooking the North Gate of the 2nd century fort
Just along from the reconstruction are the Roman gardens.it was here that excavations in the 1970's first established a civilian town outside of the fort servicing the garrison
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Disraeli, Manchester and one nation Toryism
It might seem inconceivable today but back in the 1870's Manchester was a seat of Toryism.
So much so that the Prime Minister at the time Benjamin Disraeli chose the city to test out his concept of one nation Toryism.
The year was 1872 and Disraeli chose the Free Trade hall to make his speech.
It wasn't his first speech in the town,indeed back in 1843,he had shared the platform at the Atheneum club with none other than Charles Dickens and Richard Cobden.
Disraeli had been fascinated by Manchester.One of his works Coningsby published in 1844 had compared the industrial revolution in the city as being as important as the cultural one in Athens nearly 2,500 years previously
Five years earlier the Reform Act of 1867 had given the vote to working men of property for the first time,thus giving urban centres such as Manchester the right to vote. The following year Manchester returned a Tory candidate Hugh Birley who topped the poll in what was at the time a three member seat.
In April 1872,Disraeli visited the city for a week and was persuaded to address his loyal supporters and delivered a three and a half hour speech to a crowd of 6,000 whilst fortified with two bottles of white brandy.
The speech was according to Tory party historian Alistair Lexden,"a defining moment for Toryism in Manchester and throughout the country" The speech was seen as helping to promote a greater sense of social duty amongst the Conservative party,something that would not be unfamiliar to the current leader of the party.
The speech certainly struck a chord for by the time of the next election,the party had taken two of the three Manchester seats on offer and in 1876 their annual conference was held in the city.
Here is a section of the speech
So much so that the Prime Minister at the time Benjamin Disraeli chose the city to test out his concept of one nation Toryism.
The year was 1872 and Disraeli chose the Free Trade hall to make his speech.
It wasn't his first speech in the town,indeed back in 1843,he had shared the platform at the Atheneum club with none other than Charles Dickens and Richard Cobden.
Disraeli had been fascinated by Manchester.One of his works Coningsby published in 1844 had compared the industrial revolution in the city as being as important as the cultural one in Athens nearly 2,500 years previously
Five years earlier the Reform Act of 1867 had given the vote to working men of property for the first time,thus giving urban centres such as Manchester the right to vote. The following year Manchester returned a Tory candidate Hugh Birley who topped the poll in what was at the time a three member seat.
In April 1872,Disraeli visited the city for a week and was persuaded to address his loyal supporters and delivered a three and a half hour speech to a crowd of 6,000 whilst fortified with two bottles of white brandy.
The speech was according to Tory party historian Alistair Lexden,"a defining moment for Toryism in Manchester and throughout the country" The speech was seen as helping to promote a greater sense of social duty amongst the Conservative party,something that would not be unfamiliar to the current leader of the party.
The speech certainly struck a chord for by the time of the next election,the party had taken two of the three Manchester seats on offer and in 1876 their annual conference was held in the city.
Here is a section of the speech
Gentlemen, the program of the Conservative party is to maintain the Constitution of the country. I have not come down to Manchester to deliver an essay on the English Constitution; but when the banner of republicanism is unfurled — when the fundamental principles of our institutions are controverted — I think, perhaps, it may not be inconvenient that I should make some few practical remarks upon the character of our Constitution — upon that monarchy limited by the coordinate authority of the estates of the realm, which, under the title of Queen, Lords, and Commons, has contributed so greatly to the prosperity of this country, and with the maintenance of which I believe that prosperity is bound up.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Mapping Manchester-Saxton's lost map and 1650
If you haven't been following it,Manchester Archives have been tweeting a map a day to celebrate this year's history festival which is being held at the end of February.
The first published map comes from sometime in the 1600's and is reproduced here by kind permission of Chetham's Library.
You can see a better version of it HERE on their flickr site.
The date is put at 1650,although as J Lee writes in his maps of plans of Manchester,it has a somewhat confused history but there is much speculation that an earlier map of the town was produced.
According to John Dee who was as the time,master of Collegiate chapel,now better known as Manchester Cathedral,the famous English map maker,Christopher Saxton had turned his attention to what was then the small town of Manchester at the end of the 1500's.
Writing in his diary dated July 10th 1596,he says "Manchester Town described and measured by Mr Christopher Saxton.
Saxton was born in Yorkshire in the early 1540s and during his early life gained an enthusiasm for and understanding of map-making under the direction of a local vicar John Rudd.
During the reign of Elizabeth 1,he was commissioned to survey the whole of England and Wales. A huge undertaking given the times and the means available to him and he probably used a team of surveyors who may or may not have come to Manchester.
The survey was completed in 1577 and Saxton produced an atlas which comprised a general map of England and Wales and 34 others of either individual or grouped counties.
The county of Lancashire was one of the plates produced which was engraved by a
Remigius Hogenberg .It may have been this that Dee was referring to but if an individual map of Manchester was ever produced and published, it has so far alluded historians who hope that maybe it will turn up in a dark corner of Chethams.
But to the 1650 map of which no original exists but has been reproduced on many occasions.According to Lee,there is evidence that the map was produced at least two decades later than 1650 with evidence that in 1669,the Court Leets in Manchester ordered that a survey "of the land and tenemants of the said town of Manchester so that everyman should bear an equal proportion in the said taxes."
The map offers a unique perspective of a bird's eye view of the town.Centred on Collegiate,some of the roads that survive today can clearly be seen,including Deansgate,Market Street and across the Irwell Sacred Trinity Church is shown.
The course of the Irk entering the Irwell under where the MEN arena now stands can also be seen and the river which is bearly visible today can be seen meandering north through open fields.
The medieval part of the town,centred on what is now the Shambles and Exchange square is also clearly defined and somewhere where Marks and Spencer now stands was the Sessions House where the Court Leets sat.Past there to where St Ann's square now stands was Acres Field and fields also ran from Deansgate down to the banks of the Irwell
The first published map comes from sometime in the 1600's and is reproduced here by kind permission of Chetham's Library.
The date is put at 1650,although as J Lee writes in his maps of plans of Manchester,it has a somewhat confused history but there is much speculation that an earlier map of the town was produced.
According to John Dee who was as the time,master of Collegiate chapel,now better known as Manchester Cathedral,the famous English map maker,Christopher Saxton had turned his attention to what was then the small town of Manchester at the end of the 1500's.
Writing in his diary dated July 10th 1596,he says "Manchester Town described and measured by Mr Christopher Saxton.
Saxton was born in Yorkshire in the early 1540s and during his early life gained an enthusiasm for and understanding of map-making under the direction of a local vicar John Rudd.
During the reign of Elizabeth 1,he was commissioned to survey the whole of England and Wales. A huge undertaking given the times and the means available to him and he probably used a team of surveyors who may or may not have come to Manchester.
The survey was completed in 1577 and Saxton produced an atlas which comprised a general map of England and Wales and 34 others of either individual or grouped counties.
The county of Lancashire was one of the plates produced which was engraved by a
Remigius Hogenberg .It may have been this that Dee was referring to but if an individual map of Manchester was ever produced and published, it has so far alluded historians who hope that maybe it will turn up in a dark corner of Chethams.
But to the 1650 map of which no original exists but has been reproduced on many occasions.According to Lee,there is evidence that the map was produced at least two decades later than 1650 with evidence that in 1669,the Court Leets in Manchester ordered that a survey "of the land and tenemants of the said town of Manchester so that everyman should bear an equal proportion in the said taxes."
The map offers a unique perspective of a bird's eye view of the town.Centred on Collegiate,some of the roads that survive today can clearly be seen,including Deansgate,Market Street and across the Irwell Sacred Trinity Church is shown.
The course of the Irk entering the Irwell under where the MEN arena now stands can also be seen and the river which is bearly visible today can be seen meandering north through open fields.
The medieval part of the town,centred on what is now the Shambles and Exchange square is also clearly defined and somewhere where Marks and Spencer now stands was the Sessions House where the Court Leets sat.Past there to where St Ann's square now stands was Acres Field and fields also ran from Deansgate down to the banks of the Irwell
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
In praise of Manchester's buildings-No. 81 King Street
As you stand at the top of King Street in Manchester today,you may spot at No 81 an elegant building.
On its ground floor you will see the pink lit windows of a lady's fashion shop and around the side an elegant cocktail bar where for seven pounds you can relax over a Black Russian,a cherry pop or a Scarlet o'Hara.
The second floor is now occupied by amongst others the city's management company City Co but 150 years ago it was the site of Manchester's reform club,in its day a hotbed of liberalism.
The club was set up in 1867 to providing a place of resort for Liberal politicians and supporters of the Liberal cause in the Manchester area.
It started life in three rented rooms above the warehouse of John Bright & Brothers in Spring Gardens but at the end of the decade it had outgrown these premises and commissioned local architect Edward Salomons to design the building.
No lesser person than William Gladstone was on hand to open the building in October 1871.
It was a club for Liberal Gentlemen,indeed women were not invited to join for over one hundred years and as this piece from the John Rylands library says,its up and downs reflected those of the Liberal Party in Manchester and beyond.
After World War 2,membership had declined to such an extent that the Club was facing the real prospect of closure.
In 1967 it merged with another Manchester gentleman's club, the Engineers Club, to form the Manchester Club,
However as membership continued to decline while running costs rose and with insufficient income from its membership the Club became financially unviable, and was finally forced to close its doors in 1987.
We still though have the building.As Claire Hartnell writes in Pevsner,Solomon's work was his best city centre building in his romantic of Venitian gothic
Writing in 1880 an unknown writer said this about the building:
“at the very top of King Street we are met by what auctioneers would call a splendid ediface,elaborate without an luxorious within….the very porch overhanging like a beetle brow.seems to indicate that momentous subjects on which may hang the fate of nations are daily discussed within its portals”
Salomon himself was a pupil of J. E. Gregan, who designed the Mechanics Institute building on Princess Street.He set up his own practice in Manchester in 1852 and have a left a collection of buildings doted around Manchester including Trinity Court on John Dalton Street and Manchester's Jewish museum in Cheetham Hill.
He also won the competition for the masonry shell of Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition Building of 1857. He died at Ireton Bank, Platt Lane, Rusholme, Manchester in May 1906, and was cremated at the German Romanesque Manchester Crematorium
On its ground floor you will see the pink lit windows of a lady's fashion shop and around the side an elegant cocktail bar where for seven pounds you can relax over a Black Russian,a cherry pop or a Scarlet o'Hara.
The second floor is now occupied by amongst others the city's management company City Co but 150 years ago it was the site of Manchester's reform club,in its day a hotbed of liberalism.
The club was set up in 1867 to providing a place of resort for Liberal politicians and supporters of the Liberal cause in the Manchester area.
It started life in three rented rooms above the warehouse of John Bright & Brothers in Spring Gardens but at the end of the decade it had outgrown these premises and commissioned local architect Edward Salomons to design the building.
No lesser person than William Gladstone was on hand to open the building in October 1871.
It was a club for Liberal Gentlemen,indeed women were not invited to join for over one hundred years and as this piece from the John Rylands library says,its up and downs reflected those of the Liberal Party in Manchester and beyond.
In 1967 it merged with another Manchester gentleman's club, the Engineers Club, to form the Manchester Club,
However as membership continued to decline while running costs rose and with insufficient income from its membership the Club became financially unviable, and was finally forced to close its doors in 1987.
We still though have the building.As Claire Hartnell writes in Pevsner,Solomon's work was his best city centre building in his romantic of Venitian gothic
"The two storey hall has a range of large windows,matched in the soaring oriels...beneath is a fanciful portal,richly adorned with carvings including large winged beasts,a motive repeated with variations amongst the lively foliage carvings of the freize"
Writing in 1880 an unknown writer said this about the building:
“at the very top of King Street we are met by what auctioneers would call a splendid ediface,elaborate without an luxorious within….the very porch overhanging like a beetle brow.seems to indicate that momentous subjects on which may hang the fate of nations are daily discussed within its portals”
Salomon himself was a pupil of J. E. Gregan, who designed the Mechanics Institute building on Princess Street.He set up his own practice in Manchester in 1852 and have a left a collection of buildings doted around Manchester including Trinity Court on John Dalton Street and Manchester's Jewish museum in Cheetham Hill.
He also won the competition for the masonry shell of Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition Building of 1857. He died at Ireton Bank, Platt Lane, Rusholme, Manchester in May 1906, and was cremated at the German Romanesque Manchester Crematorium
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
40 per cent of Manchester's children live in poverty says report
Manchester has been named as the North West's child poverty capital, with forty per cent of youngsters within the area covered by the city council in families surviving on less than 60 per cent of median household income.
Moss Side is identified as the worst ward within Manchester with 59 per cent falling into the catagory.Other wards above fifty per cent include Ancoats and Clayton,Newton Heath and Miles Plating,Harpurhey and Hulme.
Across the 10 Manchester authorities in the report from the end child poverty campaign,Salford and Oldham both have 29 per cent withing the category and outside the area,Liverpool is the next worst with 34 per cent.
Commenting on the figures nationally,Alison Garnham, the Campaign’s executive director, said: “The child poverty map paints a stark picture of a socially segregated Britain, where the life chances of millions of children are damaged by poverty and inequality. “The Prime Minister should make a New Year’s resolution to keep his pledge to “make British poverty history” – so that not just children in Witney but children all over Britain can enjoy a childhood free from poverty.”
Here are the figures in full for Manchester Ancoats and Clayton 52% Ardwick 52% Baguley 34% Bradford 49% Brooklands 31% Burnage 37% Charlestown 40% Cheetham 46% Chorlton 12% Chorlton Park 32% City Centre 13% Crumpsall 32% Didsbury East 14% Didsbury West 9% Fallowfield 43% Gorton North 43% Gorton South 41% Harpurhey 50% Higher Blackley 42% Hulme 53% Levenshulme 28% Longsight 39% Miles Platting and Newton Heath 50% Moss Side 59% Moston 30% Northenden 38% Old Moat 44% Rusholme 46% Sharston 41% Whalley Range 28% Withington 27% Woodhouse Park 42%
Moss Side is identified as the worst ward within Manchester with 59 per cent falling into the catagory.Other wards above fifty per cent include Ancoats and Clayton,Newton Heath and Miles Plating,Harpurhey and Hulme.
Across the 10 Manchester authorities in the report from the end child poverty campaign,Salford and Oldham both have 29 per cent withing the category and outside the area,Liverpool is the next worst with 34 per cent.
Commenting on the figures nationally,Alison Garnham, the Campaign’s executive director, said: “The child poverty map paints a stark picture of a socially segregated Britain, where the life chances of millions of children are damaged by poverty and inequality. “The Prime Minister should make a New Year’s resolution to keep his pledge to “make British poverty history” – so that not just children in Witney but children all over Britain can enjoy a childhood free from poverty.”
Here are the figures in full for Manchester Ancoats and Clayton 52% Ardwick 52% Baguley 34% Bradford 49% Brooklands 31% Burnage 37% Charlestown 40% Cheetham 46% Chorlton 12% Chorlton Park 32% City Centre 13% Crumpsall 32% Didsbury East 14% Didsbury West 9% Fallowfield 43% Gorton North 43% Gorton South 41% Harpurhey 50% Higher Blackley 42% Hulme 53% Levenshulme 28% Longsight 39% Miles Platting and Newton Heath 50% Moss Side 59% Moston 30% Northenden 38% Old Moat 44% Rusholme 46% Sharston 41% Whalley Range 28% Withington 27% Woodhouse Park 42%
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Anuj Bidve killing-a short comment
It is difficult to let the events of the early hours of Boxing Day in Manchester not go without some comment.
In what is always a quiet news time,the eyes of the rest of the country and the rest of the world were focused on the tragic shooting in Ordsall of 23 year old student Anuj Bidve,a guest of Manchester,Salford and of this country.
There have now been five arrests according to Greater Manchester Police,no doubt in due course we will discover exactly what motivations lay behind the apparent shooting at point blank range of an innocent student,three years in the country who was visiting our city to enjoy Christmas.
From all the reports from family and friends and tributes from Lancaster University,a young life with so much to give has been snuffed out,simply by taking a wrong decision in a city that he didn't know to walk through a wrong area at the wrong time.
This is the fourth gun related incident in the area in just over a year.The estate sitting between Salford Quays and the bright lights of Manchester is one of the most deprived in the city.
Yet whatever the problems that occur on that estate,there is no excuse for what appears to be a blatant cold blooded shooting of an innocent.
But for now our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Anuj,the inquests into how people can be roaming the streets during the festive season carrying guns in our wonderful city can wait until the New Year.
In what is always a quiet news time,the eyes of the rest of the country and the rest of the world were focused on the tragic shooting in Ordsall of 23 year old student Anuj Bidve,a guest of Manchester,Salford and of this country.
There have now been five arrests according to Greater Manchester Police,no doubt in due course we will discover exactly what motivations lay behind the apparent shooting at point blank range of an innocent student,three years in the country who was visiting our city to enjoy Christmas.
From all the reports from family and friends and tributes from Lancaster University,a young life with so much to give has been snuffed out,simply by taking a wrong decision in a city that he didn't know to walk through a wrong area at the wrong time.
This is the fourth gun related incident in the area in just over a year.The estate sitting between Salford Quays and the bright lights of Manchester is one of the most deprived in the city.
Yet whatever the problems that occur on that estate,there is no excuse for what appears to be a blatant cold blooded shooting of an innocent.
But for now our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Anuj,the inquests into how people can be roaming the streets during the festive season carrying guns in our wonderful city can wait until the New Year.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Happy Birthday to Manchester's Social media cafe
SMC_MCR began in 2008 under the guise of Social Media Cafe Manchester after Julian Tait and Martin Bryant met via a blog comment thread.
They shared a desire for a regular event in Manchester that would allow people to gather around the emerging possibilities of social media.
Events over the past three years have seen talks about the future of blogging, the impact of the Apple iPad, hyperlocal news, GMP24 and the role social media played in the recent Manchester riots and #occupy movement. In September 2011 Social Media Cafe Manchester re-launched as SMC_MCR.
Julian Tait said: “SMC_MCR is a community of people doing interesting and cool stuff with social media and digital ideas: this is why it has grown over the last three years. Lots of people are getting involved in organising the next phase of SMC_MCR and this should help it remain engaging and relevant”.
Sarah Hartley commented: “SMC_MCR has always been about the creativity of the people who give their time, interest and enthusiasm so readily to the event. I travel for work much more these days, but wherever I am on that first Tuesday of the month, I'm always following the #smc_mcr hashtag, wishing I was there in person”.
SMC_MCR’s third birthday/Christmas party takes places at Matt & Phreds, Tib Street, Manchester from 6pm.
Free registration can be made HERE
They shared a desire for a regular event in Manchester that would allow people to gather around the emerging possibilities of social media.
Events over the past three years have seen talks about the future of blogging, the impact of the Apple iPad, hyperlocal news, GMP24 and the role social media played in the recent Manchester riots and #occupy movement. In September 2011 Social Media Cafe Manchester re-launched as SMC_MCR.
Julian Tait said: “SMC_MCR is a community of people doing interesting and cool stuff with social media and digital ideas: this is why it has grown over the last three years. Lots of people are getting involved in organising the next phase of SMC_MCR and this should help it remain engaging and relevant”.
Sarah Hartley commented: “SMC_MCR has always been about the creativity of the people who give their time, interest and enthusiasm so readily to the event. I travel for work much more these days, but wherever I am on that first Tuesday of the month, I'm always following the #smc_mcr hashtag, wishing I was there in person”.
SMC_MCR’s third birthday/Christmas party takes places at Matt & Phreds, Tib Street, Manchester from 6pm.
Free registration can be made HERE
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Government signals approval for the remedy to cross Manchester bus travel
From Transport for Greater Manchester press release
A major project that will significantly improve cross city bus travel in Greater Manchester has won funding from the Government.
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, made in the House of Commons today, confirmed that the measures covered by the £54m Cross City Bus scheme can now go ahead.
It was one of 45 schemes competing for funding across the country.
The project, developed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in partnership with Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, will provide a package of improvements along three major bus routes:
Boothstown to Manchester via the A580 East Lancashire Road and A6 Broad Street/Crescent/Chapel Street;
Middleton Bus Station to Manchester via the A664 Manchester New Road and Rochdale Road; and,
East Didsbury to Manchester via Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road/Street.
A key aim of the scheme is to provide direct bus links across the city centre – so passengers will not have to change services or pay more than one fare – supported by infrastructure that will help to cut journey times and improve reliability.
In doing so, they will also provide better links between areas in the north, west and south of Greater Manchester and the education and health facilities on the Oxford Road corridor.
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “This scheme will play a crucial role in improving the journey times and reliability of bus services for parts of Salford, Middleton, North Manchester and South Manchester.
“This will, in turn, offer new and improved links to jobs, education, healthcare and leisure pursuits. By laying the foundations to encourage through-services to run we aim to make bus travel a more attractive, reasonable alternative to the car for these journeys.
“We have been competing with projects across the country for this funding and would have had to go back to square one if we weren’t successful, so I’m really pleased that all the effort and hard work that went into making our bid as attractive as possible have borne fruit.
“The Government has clearly seen the value of this project and the other schemes covered in today’s statement. It demonstrates the clear value of the unique Greater Manchester Transport Fund and just what can be achieved when all ten local authorities work together.”
Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: “This multi-million pound package will herald enormous improvements to bus services through the city centre, improving links between outer parts of the city region and jobs, education and healthcare facilities.
A major project that will significantly improve cross city bus travel in Greater Manchester has won funding from the Government.
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, made in the House of Commons today, confirmed that the measures covered by the £54m Cross City Bus scheme can now go ahead.
It was one of 45 schemes competing for funding across the country.
The project, developed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in partnership with Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, will provide a package of improvements along three major bus routes:
Boothstown to Manchester via the A580 East Lancashire Road and A6 Broad Street/Crescent/Chapel Street;
Middleton Bus Station to Manchester via the A664 Manchester New Road and Rochdale Road; and,
East Didsbury to Manchester via Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road/Street.
A key aim of the scheme is to provide direct bus links across the city centre – so passengers will not have to change services or pay more than one fare – supported by infrastructure that will help to cut journey times and improve reliability.
In doing so, they will also provide better links between areas in the north, west and south of Greater Manchester and the education and health facilities on the Oxford Road corridor.
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “This scheme will play a crucial role in improving the journey times and reliability of bus services for parts of Salford, Middleton, North Manchester and South Manchester.
“This will, in turn, offer new and improved links to jobs, education, healthcare and leisure pursuits. By laying the foundations to encourage through-services to run we aim to make bus travel a more attractive, reasonable alternative to the car for these journeys.
“We have been competing with projects across the country for this funding and would have had to go back to square one if we weren’t successful, so I’m really pleased that all the effort and hard work that went into making our bid as attractive as possible have borne fruit.
“The Government has clearly seen the value of this project and the other schemes covered in today’s statement. It demonstrates the clear value of the unique Greater Manchester Transport Fund and just what can be achieved when all ten local authorities work together.”
Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: “This multi-million pound package will herald enormous improvements to bus services through the city centre, improving links between outer parts of the city region and jobs, education and healthcare facilities.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Manchester firms punching below their weight in the export markets says report
A report out today from Manchester's New Economy highlights how many firms in Greater Manchester make a significant proportion of their income from export sales.
Over £7bn worth of goods and services being sold in total from the region but the report also suggests that Greater Manchester firms are punching below their weight on the international stage
They export less in value terms than the city regions of Leeds and Birmingham,although more than Merseyside and the Bristol city region.
The findings show that due to the region’s size there is clearly scope to increase connectivity and further open Greater Manchester’s economy to foreign trade and investment opportunities.
In the current economic climate says the report Manchester needs to take advantage of growth opportunities internationally through exports more than ever.
Over £7bn worth of goods and services being sold in total from the region but the report also suggests that Greater Manchester firms are punching below their weight on the international stage
They export less in value terms than the city regions of Leeds and Birmingham,although more than Merseyside and the Bristol city region.
The findings show that due to the region’s size there is clearly scope to increase connectivity and further open Greater Manchester’s economy to foreign trade and investment opportunities.
In the current economic climate says the report Manchester needs to take advantage of growth opportunities internationally through exports more than ever.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Worrying figures from Manchester Freelance community as public sector cuts start to bite
Research from Manchester based Enterprise Freelance Fair found that 28 per cent of freelancers have little or no work.
Conversely, only 35 per cent were either over-worked or busy whilst just over one third are getting by on less work.
Neil Lewis, organiser of Enterprise Freelance Fair said that "we are seeing lots of new digital / technology freelance jobs on our website and at our events, but it is clear that some freelancer sectors, such as print design, are struggling.
"This huge imbalance in freelance activity is partly due to the ending of public sector funded projects which has left some marketing freelancers with less work, but also a symptom of the shift to digital marketing from more traditional forms of communication."
The research also uncovered that the greatest pain is being felt in the 45 year old+ age group – none of whom complained of having too much work.
Lewis will be leading a debate on these findings in Manchester and what employers and freelancers should do about them, on 22nd November as part of a celebration of National Freelancers Day.
The survey results were based on 160 responses from freelancers across the UK, during September and Oct 2011.
Tickets and more information at http://bit.ly/FreelanceMCR
Conversely, only 35 per cent were either over-worked or busy whilst just over one third are getting by on less work.
Neil Lewis, organiser of Enterprise Freelance Fair said that "we are seeing lots of new digital / technology freelance jobs on our website and at our events, but it is clear that some freelancer sectors, such as print design, are struggling.
"This huge imbalance in freelance activity is partly due to the ending of public sector funded projects which has left some marketing freelancers with less work, but also a symptom of the shift to digital marketing from more traditional forms of communication."
The research also uncovered that the greatest pain is being felt in the 45 year old+ age group – none of whom complained of having too much work.
Lewis will be leading a debate on these findings in Manchester and what employers and freelancers should do about them, on 22nd November as part of a celebration of National Freelancers Day.
The survey results were based on 160 responses from freelancers across the UK, during September and Oct 2011.
Tickets and more information at http://bit.ly/FreelanceMCR
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Manchester's Invisible History walks return
Three new Invisible History walks which will be taking place in November
Here are the details which you can also get from the website
Wednesday 9 November 2pm Alison Gill and Helen Ostell 'Safety in numbers: life in Prestwich Asylum in 1900'.
Wednesday 16 November 2pm Tim Gee ‘Counterpower'.
Co-hosted with the University of Salford
Wednesday 30 November 2pm George McKay - ‘Radical Gardening'.
Here are the details which you can also get from the website
Wednesday 9 November 2pm Alison Gill and Helen Ostell 'Safety in numbers: life in Prestwich Asylum in 1900'.
A glimpse into the history and daily life of this self-contained community which has cared for a forgotten sector of society for over 150 years. Includes hands-on experience of original artefacts from Greater Manchester County Record Office's collections.
Wednesday 16 November 2pm Tim Gee ‘Counterpower'.
Co-hosted with the University of Salford
Counterpower is the power the ‘have-nots' can use to resist the power of the ‘haves'. No movement has achieved lasting change without it. From the revolutions of the 18th century to the Arab Spring of 2011, in his new book Tim Gee investigates the campaigns of the past and the present day and reveals the dynamics of social change.
Wednesday 30 November 2pm George McKay - ‘Radical Gardening'.
George McKay is Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Salford and his new book, Radical gardening: politics, idealism & rebellion in the garden, aims to show how notions of utopia, of community, of peace and of activism for progressive social change, are practically worked through in the garden.
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Manchester honours its outstanding women
Women, who have made outstanding contributions to improve women’s lives, have been honoured at an awards ceremony at Manchester Town Hall.
Awards were given in nine categories for women who made an outstanding contribution in business, art, sport, culture, science, the environment, older people, young person and the special women’s award in honour of a former councillor in Manchester, Kath Fry.
Councillor Suzanne Richards Manchester City Council's lead member for women's issues said:
"For those of us on the judging panel this year it was an extremely difficult task. The quality of nominations exceeded our expectations and is a reflection of the breadth of talent we have in the city.
From an outstanding young woman Sinead Andrews, who from the age of 12 has advocated the rights of young people, and recently was lauded locally and nationally for being the articulate teenage voice during the riots, to an inspirational older woman Margaret Mayne who won the Valuing Older People award for sharing her passion of singing as well as running an over 50’s singing group, there were some outstanding women in each category.
Details of the winners are below -
Women and Art – Charlotte Newson
Charlotte has a history of working with women from a variety of cultures and backgrounds on fantastic art projects including the successful art exhibition ‘Women Like You’ a portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst made up of images of women.
Women and Business - Rachel Ray
Rachel has a successful business based around a franchise model that trains women across the UK to manage a team of professional housekeepers delivering a high quality service to clients. This industry is largely unregulated but Rachel’s business implements proper training, salaries and fair working condition for its 100% female workforce.
Women and Science – Professor Ruth Itgzhaki
A Professor at Manchester University, Ruth won the science award because of her hugely positive impact on women and the wider community for work that she and her team have done in understanding the underlying reasons for Alzheimers with the real hope of a control for the disease
Women and Sport – joint winners Sarah Stevenson and June Kelly
Sarah is Britain’s only Olympic taekwondo medallist and four times European title winner. She won bronze in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She is part of the Great British academy in Newton Heath and is committed to helping young people to aid their athletic and personal development.
June has made a massive contribution to her community through sport. She coaches football at the Abraham Moss Warriors football club six days a week and in the past five years, she has personally coached 44 players that have gone for trials with professional clubs. She gives up more than 45 hours a week voluntarily and encourages the young people of Cheetham Hill to lead a healthy lifestyle, to steer clear of drugs, gangs and anti-social behaviour.
Women and Culture – joint winners Re-Verb and Ramona Constantin
Re:Verb are a group of young women with a passion for music and entertainment who want to change the way women are represented in the music industry especially within the hip hop genre. They have performed for Prince Charles and created their own five track EP of their music.
Ramona came to Manchester in 2009 from Romania and since then has been bridging the gap between the Roma culture and the wider community.
Women and Environment – Clare Sefton
Clare works as a scientist but her award is for her passion and commitment to the protection of bats and their environment. She is one of the leading authorities on bats in this country. She has run hundreds of events and activities over the year to raise awareness and understanding about bats and with her help the Council has undertaken a major city nature project to install bat boxes along city centre canals.
Outstanding Young Woman – Sinead Andrews
Valuing Older People – Margaret Mayne
Special Award in honour of Kath Fry – Jo Wiggans
Jo is the director of the Aimhigher initiaitive, which targets initiatives to young people from under-represented groups to progress to higher education. She was successful in raising aspirations and supporting young women from the most deprived areas to progress to higher education, enabling them to fulfil their potential.
Awards were given in nine categories for women who made an outstanding contribution in business, art, sport, culture, science, the environment, older people, young person and the special women’s award in honour of a former councillor in Manchester, Kath Fry.
Councillor Suzanne Richards Manchester City Council's lead member for women's issues said:
"For those of us on the judging panel this year it was an extremely difficult task. The quality of nominations exceeded our expectations and is a reflection of the breadth of talent we have in the city.
From an outstanding young woman Sinead Andrews, who from the age of 12 has advocated the rights of young people, and recently was lauded locally and nationally for being the articulate teenage voice during the riots, to an inspirational older woman Margaret Mayne who won the Valuing Older People award for sharing her passion of singing as well as running an over 50’s singing group, there were some outstanding women in each category.
Details of the winners are below -
Women and Art – Charlotte Newson
Charlotte has a history of working with women from a variety of cultures and backgrounds on fantastic art projects including the successful art exhibition ‘Women Like You’ a portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst made up of images of women.
Women and Business - Rachel Ray
Rachel has a successful business based around a franchise model that trains women across the UK to manage a team of professional housekeepers delivering a high quality service to clients. This industry is largely unregulated but Rachel’s business implements proper training, salaries and fair working condition for its 100% female workforce.
Women and Science – Professor Ruth Itgzhaki
A Professor at Manchester University, Ruth won the science award because of her hugely positive impact on women and the wider community for work that she and her team have done in understanding the underlying reasons for Alzheimers with the real hope of a control for the disease
Women and Sport – joint winners Sarah Stevenson and June Kelly
Sarah is Britain’s only Olympic taekwondo medallist and four times European title winner. She won bronze in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She is part of the Great British academy in Newton Heath and is committed to helping young people to aid their athletic and personal development.
June has made a massive contribution to her community through sport. She coaches football at the Abraham Moss Warriors football club six days a week and in the past five years, she has personally coached 44 players that have gone for trials with professional clubs. She gives up more than 45 hours a week voluntarily and encourages the young people of Cheetham Hill to lead a healthy lifestyle, to steer clear of drugs, gangs and anti-social behaviour.
Women and Culture – joint winners Re-Verb and Ramona Constantin
Re:Verb are a group of young women with a passion for music and entertainment who want to change the way women are represented in the music industry especially within the hip hop genre. They have performed for Prince Charles and created their own five track EP of their music.
Ramona came to Manchester in 2009 from Romania and since then has been bridging the gap between the Roma culture and the wider community.
Women and Environment – Clare Sefton
Clare works as a scientist but her award is for her passion and commitment to the protection of bats and their environment. She is one of the leading authorities on bats in this country. She has run hundreds of events and activities over the year to raise awareness and understanding about bats and with her help the Council has undertaken a major city nature project to install bat boxes along city centre canals.
Outstanding Young Woman – Sinead Andrews
Valuing Older People – Margaret Mayne
Special Award in honour of Kath Fry – Jo Wiggans
Jo is the director of the Aimhigher initiaitive, which targets initiatives to young people from under-represented groups to progress to higher education. She was successful in raising aspirations and supporting young women from the most deprived areas to progress to higher education, enabling them to fulfil their potential.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Manchester remains amongst top European cities in Cushman & Wakefield's annual monitor
In total 501 companies were surveyed from nine European countries and whilst Manchester has slipped slightly in some of the categories, it appears to be firmly reinforcing its position as a contender on a European level.
Manchester rose four places in terms of languages spoken in the city, which together with its excellent working environment for employees and internal transport links and infrastructure means that international businesses are keen to expand in to the city.
More information HERE
Manchester rose four places in terms of languages spoken in the city, which together with its excellent working environment for employees and internal transport links and infrastructure means that international businesses are keen to expand in to the city.
More information HERE
Monday, 10 October 2011
14,000 Manchester families face hardship due to ‘spare bedroom tax’
More than 14,000 families in Manchester living in social housing will face the stark choice of moving home or being plunged into hardship and debt under new Government proposals, the National Housing Federation revealed today.
Plans to penalise 120,000 families in the North West for renting a home with a ‘spare’ room will cost social housing tenants £74.88 million a year.
The North West will be one of the areas hardest hit by the Government’s proposed Welfare Reform Bill to be introduced in 2013, with 43 per cent of social housing tenants on housing benefit losing an average of £624 a year due to the ‘spare bedroom tax’.
Disabled people, foster carers and care sharers will be amongst the worst affected. Two-thirds of the people to be targeted by the changes are disabled even though many have had their homes adapted for their needs. Foster carers will also be hit as foster children occupying additional bedrooms will not count as part of the household for the purpose of housing benefit.
Under the proposals, social housing tenants with one spare bedroom will have a choice of moving or having their housing benefit cut by 13%, rising to a 23% cut for two or more spare bedrooms. It will apply to all social housing tenants of working age, in receipt of housing benefit, who are deemed to be “under occupying” their home even if they have lived there for decades.
Many people could be priced out of their homes or be forced to live in hardship and debt miles away from their family and support network as a result of the measures. In the North longstanding insufficient investment in social housing, previous urban depopulations and a lack of smaller homes has led to almost one in every two working-age social housing claimants classed as an ‘under-occupier’. Meanwhile, there are not enough smaller homes available for people to downsize into.
The National Housing Federation is calling for the Government to build more homes better suited to contemporary needs. Building smaller homes to facilitate downsizing would stimulate both the housing market and the economy.
Plans to penalise 120,000 families in the North West for renting a home with a ‘spare’ room will cost social housing tenants £74.88 million a year.
The North West will be one of the areas hardest hit by the Government’s proposed Welfare Reform Bill to be introduced in 2013, with 43 per cent of social housing tenants on housing benefit losing an average of £624 a year due to the ‘spare bedroom tax’.
Disabled people, foster carers and care sharers will be amongst the worst affected. Two-thirds of the people to be targeted by the changes are disabled even though many have had their homes adapted for their needs. Foster carers will also be hit as foster children occupying additional bedrooms will not count as part of the household for the purpose of housing benefit.
Under the proposals, social housing tenants with one spare bedroom will have a choice of moving or having their housing benefit cut by 13%, rising to a 23% cut for two or more spare bedrooms. It will apply to all social housing tenants of working age, in receipt of housing benefit, who are deemed to be “under occupying” their home even if they have lived there for decades.
Many people could be priced out of their homes or be forced to live in hardship and debt miles away from their family and support network as a result of the measures. In the North longstanding insufficient investment in social housing, previous urban depopulations and a lack of smaller homes has led to almost one in every two working-age social housing claimants classed as an ‘under-occupier’. Meanwhile, there are not enough smaller homes available for people to downsize into.
The National Housing Federation is calling for the Government to build more homes better suited to contemporary needs. Building smaller homes to facilitate downsizing would stimulate both the housing market and the economy.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Manchester's state of the city report is out
The latest state of the city report for Manchester is out today.
This is the blurb on it from the city council
This is the blurb on it from the city council
Manchester's State of the City report is an annual headline document measuring the city's current performance. The report shows that while deep-rooted challenges remain, especially because of the impact of the difficult economic climate and the impact of the government's financial settlement, the city continues to move in the right direction on many fronts and has shown greater resilience than most other major UK cities.
City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: "The picture that emerges from this report is that while the economic circumstances we have been extremely challenging, and while we certainly haven't achieved all the ambitious targets we've set, on the whole the city has demonstrated great resilience. We still have a strong foundation for growth.
"The creation of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester, dealing with policy areas where it makes more sense to work at a Greater Manchester-wide level, will also help us to deliver our goals."
Manchester's population has continued to grow, with mid-year estimates for 2010 showing that the number of people living in the city was 498,000 - surpassing the target figure for 2015 of 480,000 set out in Manchester Partnership's Community Strategy and reversing the decline of the 1970s and 80s.
There is a strong trend of improvement in education. The largest investment programme ever seen in the city's schools, via the Building Schools for the Future and Academies programme, is having a visible impact. By September next year all of the city's secondary schools will have been rebuilt or refurbished. The percentage of pupils achieving five or more A*-C grades including English and Maths continues to rise while persistent absence in Manchester and primary schools is steadily falling.
Sustained investment saw the number of journeys made by public transport increase from around 50 per cent to more than two-thirds between 1997 and 2010.
Over the period of Manchester's Crime and Disorder Strategy (2008-11) serious acquisitive crime has reduced by 38.2 per cent and violent crime by 16.7 per cent, although as the Tuesday 9 August disturbances showed there is no room for complacency.
But long-term challenges remain complex. For instance while life expectancy at birth for women has increased from 78.8 years in 2006-08 to 79.1 years in 2007-09 and for men from 73.7 years in 2006-08 to 74.0 years in 2007-09, this remains among the worst in England.
A gap remains between the average wages of all people who work in the city (£424.70 a week in 2010) and those of Manchester residents (£349.90 a week in 2010.)
Also published today is Manchester's State of the Wards report which look at progress at a ward and neighbourhood level. The State of the City and State of the Wards reports can be downloaded from http://www.manchesterpartnership.org.uk/
Monday, 3 October 2011
What can Manchester teach the Tories about the economy?
Great piece by Julian Dobson on his living with rats blog on what the local Manchester economy could teach the Tories.
Quite rightly Julian points out that
Whether Julian's solutions to our local economy are correct,I am not so sure.
Don't get me wrong,the strategic aims are good but investing in technologies, design and ways of behaviour that both reduce the environmentally damaging effects of the city are not going to create wealth in the amounts that we need to bring these communities back on board.
The reason that these initiatives fizzle out is that no local political leader is going to stand up,put his or her hand in the air and say vote for me because I am going to make your economic circumstances worse than last year.
I don't profess to know the answer.I understand that it growth needs to be our secondary motive but how you get form where we are today to this ideal without causing major social upheaval is beyond me
Quite rightly Julian points out that
outside the retail Mecca of the city centre, much of Manchester has never felt the benefits of that credit-driven and publicly funded resurgence. One Mancunian friend lamented to me the other week that people's aspirations were so low that during the summer riots they looted the pound shops.
Whether Julian's solutions to our local economy are correct,I am not so sure.
Don't get me wrong,the strategic aims are good but investing in technologies, design and ways of behaviour that both reduce the environmentally damaging effects of the city are not going to create wealth in the amounts that we need to bring these communities back on board.
The reason that these initiatives fizzle out is that no local political leader is going to stand up,put his or her hand in the air and say vote for me because I am going to make your economic circumstances worse than last year.
I don't profess to know the answer.I understand that it growth needs to be our secondary motive but how you get form where we are today to this ideal without causing major social upheaval is beyond me
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Manchester City Centre-where legions are paid to sell you stuff you don't need
Whilst Zoe Williams' article in the Guardian smacks of everything that is wrong when your parachute a London Hack into a Northern City,her analysis of Manchester's economy is spot on
As Daniel Bentley tweeted to me earlier
if it's a jewel in the free market crown, untouched by consumer slump, it also represents neatly everything that's wrong with the economy: the endless Keynesian circle-jerk, where legions of people are paid to sell you stuff you don't need so they can buy stuff they don't need and as long as you have your head above the water, it doesn't matter if a shark is about to eat you.
As Daniel Bentley tweeted to me earlier
Shop staff on minimum wage plus commission selling designer clobber to footballers, WAGs and Spinningfields bankers
Monday, 26 September 2011
Manchester near the bottom of housing survey
Manchester has not fared particularly well in a table revealing the state of housing in England’s 10 biggest cities.
The city finished eight in the rankings ahead of Liverpool and Leicester in the survey carried out by Shelter and Places for People.
They asked nearly 3,000 residents from across England to find out the extent to which they met five key criteria for housing satisfaction, based on affordability,a home in decent standard of repair,security to stay as long as they needed,neighbourhood safety and a home that is the right size for their needs.
Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb said: “While most of us are lucky enough to have a secure, decent and affordable place to live, today’s findings show that the picture across the country is extremely mixed adding:
“We know from the people we see every day that bad housing, whether it’s overcrowded or in disrepair, has a devastating impact on people’s lives. Improving people’s housing needs to be top of the government’s agenda.”
The city finished eight in the rankings ahead of Liverpool and Leicester in the survey carried out by Shelter and Places for People.
They asked nearly 3,000 residents from across England to find out the extent to which they met five key criteria for housing satisfaction, based on affordability,a home in decent standard of repair,security to stay as long as they needed,neighbourhood safety and a home that is the right size for their needs.
Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb said: “While most of us are lucky enough to have a secure, decent and affordable place to live, today’s findings show that the picture across the country is extremely mixed adding:
“We know from the people we see every day that bad housing, whether it’s overcrowded or in disrepair, has a devastating impact on people’s lives. Improving people’s housing needs to be top of the government’s agenda.”
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Councillor Grace on the miners and the riots
Manchester City Councillor for Fallowfield Grace Fletcher Hackwood has been writing on Labour List today about the media coverage of the South Wales mining tragedy last week.
Grace writes:
It's a fair point
It is though her rather tongue in cheek comments about Manchester's reaction to the riots that intrigues me:
Now I am not saying a word
Grace writes:
the media didn’t exactly ignore the miners - Sky even sent Kay Burley along to ask people what a colliery is – but you might have noticed that last week’s tragedy (four deaths) has now dropped off the news altogether, as compared to the riots (five deaths, six if you count Mark Duggan) which dominated the news all summer.
It's a fair point
It is though her rather tongue in cheek comments about Manchester's reaction to the riots that intrigues me:
In Manchester we did it our own way – branding the city with a cheesy recycled slogan, slapping it on tacky t-shirts, icing it on cupcakes in the Northern Quarter, encouraging people to party and businesses to offer bargains.
Now I am not saying a word
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