Corn Exchange’s Tampopo and Vapiano are offering a range of delicious healthy options to help you quench your vegan (or healthy eating) appetites. 

TAMPOPO

Experience authentic South East Asian vegan cuisine at Tampopo. Take the opportunity to explore the sizzling wok-fried dishes including tamarind tofu which boasts zesty tamarind sauce, served on a bed of Asian greens and topped with fried onion flakes. 

Also on offer is Jackfruit Rendang – a dish slow cooked in coconut, chilli and shallots, galangal and lemongrass, Served with roti slices, smacked cucumber salad, sambal, caramelised coconut flakes and peanuts.

Other delicious vegan snacks include cauliflower rice, edamame with sesame chilli oil or sea salt and hokkien noodles.

VAPIANO 

Think you have to give up pizza to enjoy Veganuary? Think again! The home of handmade pasta, Vapiano offer a range of tasty pizzas which can all be ordered with vegan cheese. The Verdure is filled with a bed of roasted vegetables, red onion, tomato sauce and mozzarella or the Marinara tomato sauce, fresh garlic, oregano (no cheese).

If you prefer something saucier, Vapiano has a wide range of homemade vegan dishes including the classic Pasta Arrabbiata, a tomato based sauce, garlic, onions and chilli. Or for something a little spicier the Pasta Pesco Rucola is Vapiano’s homemade rocket pesto dish with added onions, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, pearl peppers, cherry tomatoes and fresh rocket.

So, what are you waiting for? Have a look online today to order these fantastic dishes right to your door.

The Lowry launches timetable of FREE creative activities to support positive mental health in lockdown
 

The Lowry has released details of a new timetable of free creative activities for children and adults to enjoy from home during the new national lockdown.

Launching on Tuesday (19 January) with ‘Under 7s Dance Yourself Happy’, the programme is entitled Creativity for Wellbeing and is led by professional artists and workshop practitioners.

Each activity will run on the same day and time each week for at least the next five weeks to enable those home-schooling to factor events into daily lesson plans.

Events will be delivered on Zoom or livestreamed on Facebook.

The full list of confirmed events are:

• Under 7’s Dance Yourself Happy: Every Tuesday at 9.30am for 30 minutes.
• Colour and Craft: Every Wednesday at 12.30 for 30 minutes.
• LS Lowry inspired drawing: Every Wednesday at 6.30pm for 2 hours.
• The Sea Within: Yoga & Mindfulness for children: Every Thursday at 12.30 for 30 minutes.
• Creative writing & poetry: Every Thursday at 6.30pm for 2 hours.
• Walkeoke: Every Friday at 11am for 45 minutes.

No experience or skills are required to take part. All are welcome.

For more information about the events on offer, please visit: www.thelowry.com/CreativityForWellbeing

Creativity for Wellbeing has been made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, Art Fund and Salford City Council.

Science and Industry Museum gears up to explore ideas for a better world as Manchester Science Festival line up is announced

Royal Photographic Society’s Science Photographer of the Year. Brian Eno and ClientEarth. Manchester Science Festival Young People Panel. Royal Society. Zamzam Ibrahim. James Lovelock. Helen Czerski. Samira Ahmed. BBC Planet North and more.

The Science and Industry Museum is preparing for 10 days of online scientific celebration as Manchester Science Festival goes digital between 12 -21 February 2021. Further socially distanced, onsite activities, including UK premieres and a dedicated special event programme for families will also take place later in the year, supporting Manchester’s cultural, economic and skills recovery. 

Manchester Science Festival has been a key event in the city’s cultural calendar since 2007. This year’s event is a cornerstone of the Science Museum Group’s major public programme focused on climate and solutions to the urgent challenges facing the world ahead of COP26, the 26^th United Nations Convention on Climate Change, happening in Glasgow this November, when world leaders and delegates will convene to develop an international response to the climate emergency. 

As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester was the catalyst for scientific innovation and unprecedented change worldwide. Now, with Greater Manchester’s vision of becoming carbon-neutral by 2038, the city is primed to influence future progress. The festival will support this through a programme that encourages communities, scientists and activists to advance ideas for a better world.

The museum has unveiled a programme of free online talks, exhibitions, debates and activities to enjoy from home this February while it remains temporarily closed.

FREE ONLINE EVENTS THIS FEBRUARY

An extensive programme of digital activities will include a range of engaging and thought-provoking events.  

Track the global story of climate change with the The Royal Photographic Society’s Science Photographer of the Year competition, which will now be showcased digitally from Manchester for the first time in a captivating online exhibition that depicts how science, technology and engineering are addressing this urgent issue. It will exhibit stunning images, selected from over 1,000 entries taken by both expert and amateur photographers, including budding artists aged 17 and under, who submitted their photos as part of a specific competition for young people.

Hear from those at the forefront of the fight against our altering climate in Changing The System as renowned musician and climate campaigner, Brian Eno, joins ClientEarth founder, James Thornton, to discuss how to use the power of law to combat climate change, protect the environment and build a future in which people and the planet thrive together.

Join an expert panel in Earth, but not as we know it: Lovelock’s legacy and our future as they respond to specially-recorded provocations from Dr James Lovelock, the 101-year-old scientist who studied at The University of Manchester and created the influential yet controversial Gaia Hypothesis (the theory that organic and inorganic components of the Earth have evolved together as a single living, self-regulating system). The panel will be made up of a range of expert voices, each bringing a different perspective to the debate. This includes writer and broadcaster Gaia Vince, who has travelled the world extensively to research this unique time in Earth’s history, in which increasing human activities are changing the planet as never before; climate activist and scientist, Professor Chris Rapley, CBE, whose celebrated career has recently seen him focused on the role of climate scientists in delivering value to society through decision making, public policy and more effective communication; and Zamzam Ibrahim, who grew up in Greater Manchester and is now Vice President of European Students Union. Zamzam has led on a number of campaigns tackling social injustices, including climate justice specifically within the education system.

Manchester born physicist, oceanographer and BBC broadcaster, Dr Helen Czerski, will ask the question, ‘How can I be a good citizen of the world?’ during a series of three lively discussions about transport, food and social justice with communities and campaigners who are making a difference. Helen will be joined by a  wide-ranging panel of local guests, including the Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, and Director of Open Kitchen MCR, Manchester’s leading sustainable catering company, Corin Bell.

Manchester Science Festival’s Young People Panel are a team of budding Greater Manchester researchers and curators aged 14 - 24 who have been working across the festival to ensure the voices and interests of young people are represented. Join them at a special one-off online event, Let’s talk about eco-anxiety. Chaired by Nile Henry, founder and CEO of The Blair Project, the event will bring together the audience, a panel of young people and a number of climate enthusiasts, including Newsround presenter Martin Dougan, environmentalist Mya-Rose Craig and University of Bath Lecturer Caroline Hickman, for an insightful discussion about this contemporary challenge.

Home audiences can also tune into a livestream of the Royal Society’s You and the planet: air. Its expert panel will be tackling the important issue of air quality and how we can improve this and, subsequently, life on earth. Air pollution also has a major detrimental effect on our environment and without urgent action, global temperatures will continue to increase, as will extreme weather and damage to biodiversity. But what can be done to tackle the problem and how can clean, fresh steps forward be taken? The panel of expert academics and researchers will be attempting to clear the air by exploring solutions to this urgent issue, chaired by the Guardian’s North of England editor, Helen Pidd.

During The Electricity Revolution - Our Zero Carbon Future, a panel will examine the big changes happening around how electricity is generated and delivered. From low carbon electricity to heat our homes or charge our cars, to generating our own power through solar panels, an electricity revolution is in progress. Hear from the company that owns, operates and manages the electricity network that connects every home and business in the North West from Cheshire to Cumbria, and which is at the forefront of this revolution locally, Electricity North West. During this online event, audiences can discover more about its innovative work, discuss the future of energy and find out just how fundamental electricity is to how we live. 

How can we stop fossil fuels from harming our planet? That’s the question Professor Myles Allen will be answering during The Road to Carbon Zero online talk, alongside one of the museum's own expert Explainers. Find out more about what climate change means, hear about Professor Allen’s ideas for a Carbon Takeback Obligation and learn how his research could be used to help the UK achieve its net zero target by 2050. Viewers will also have the chance to ask their own question during a live Q&A session.

Our Hydrogen Future will help audiences to understand more about the universe’s most abundant element and how it holds the key to decarbonising our gas supply and achieving our carbon reduction targets. The event will be hosted by Cadent Gas, which bring gas to 11 million homes and businesses throughout the North West, West Midlands, East Midlands, South Yorkshire, East of England and North London. It is at forefront of developing the science and infrastructure that will enable low carbon hydrogen to heat our homes and power our transport.

There will also the opportunity to join Fazlun Khalid, author and founder of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, in A Liveable Earth: Climate change and faith community, to discuss the consequences of our lifestyles, how we can leave a liveable Earth for future generations, and whether faith communities play the role of bystander or agent of change.

The Science and Industry Museum has also joined forces with local BBC radio stations from across the North of England to launch Planet North, an initiative that has been shining a spotlight on environmental issues. Look out for content from Planet North Champions, a team of young people from across the North of England who are passionate about the environment and challenges facing our planet, exploring how the actions of young people, and us all, can help towards a better future.

Events are now available to book with more activities including activities families can do at home being added in the coming weeks. All events are free, with donations welcome to support the museum’s work. To view the full line up and to book, visit www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/manchester-science-festival

With daily exercise and getting outside making a come back for lockdown 3.0, here are some creative and covid safe ways to make the most of city centre living.

As the nation gets to grips with yet another lockdown, now more than ever it’s important to stay positive, get creative and make your one piece of daily exercise something a little bit out of the ‘new ordinary’. For those of us living in the heart of the city, finding spaces to exercise and get some fresh air safely is essential. Here are some exciting and Covid-safe ways to make the most of your time outside at Great Northern this lockdown, while adhering to government guidelines.

Fitness fanatics fear not! Gyms may be closed but you can channel your inner Gladiator or embrace the Rocky Balboa within by heading down to the amphitheatre at Great Northern and using the steps as part of your workout. Running is a great way of releasing those all-important endorphins and burning off frustrations (and mince pies).

For the art fans amongst us, why not take a leisurely stroll and soak up the culture by taking in the Messages of Hope Mural, or street artist Moze’s latest creation, located at the bottom of the steps on Deansgate. Great Northern’s best kept secret street, Deansgate Mews, also has an array of street art for you to enjoy.

Fancy making your own art? Camera phones at the ready – it’s competition time! The area is a photographer’s dream with stunning industrial architecture. Snap your favourite Great Northern sites and tag us to have your image shared on our social channels. We’ll pick our favourite each week, and the winner will receive a delicious box of Alex’s Bakery treats delivered directly to your door. The competition will run until 26^th February 2021, with weekly winners announced every Friday, starting on Friday 22^nd January. Get snapping!

We’ve all discovered the delights of Zoom, Facetime and long calls on our walks, but why not get creative and experiment with new ways to reach out and let your loved ones know you’re thinking of them. Grab a pack of Great Northern postcards from Forevermanchestershop.com and write a note to send to a friend and brighten their day - all proceeds go towards supporting Manchester communities. What’s more, Mail Boxes Etc have got it covered for all your worldwide parcel deliveries, courier or postal service needs.

Out for a stroll and fancy a treat? Alex’s Bakery is still open at weekends for take-out, so you can grab yourself a coffee to warm your cockles and something sweet if you fancy a much-deserved indulgence. Feeling generous? They’re still doing national and local delivery throughout the week so you can send a box of goodies to your loved ones (or treat yourself – why not?) From brownies to blondies, cookies to cupcakes, there’s something for everybody.

Fancy a night off from cooking? You can combine your daily walk with collecting a takeaway from Manchester’s best loved Spanish restaurant Evuna, who are offering special At Home boxes for you to enjoy over lockdown. Simply order on a Wednesday and collect on a Friday.

Thai restaurant Siam Smiles is also open for collection, or if you’re too famous to leave the house, you can get a sweet, juicy Almost Famous burger delivered to your door.

For more information on the Great Northern, including updates on individual brand opening dates and safety procedures, please visit: www.thegreatnorthern.com.

Join them as they delve into stories of football shirt design, technology and sponsorship, chat with key figures and experts within the industry and pore over the best (and worst) kits of all time.

Strip! The National Football Museum Podcast can be downloaded below:

Spotify

iTunes

Acast

Google Podcasts

Amazon Music

Stitcher

2020 has been a year unlike any other – but amid the challenges there have been triumphs, celebrations and plenty of talking points. In this special film to mark the end of the year, join Young Identity as they discuss the year that saw an unprecedented use of the word “unprecedented”, give their unique take on some of HOME’s 2020 highlights, and present new work live from HOME.

Featuring:

The Manchester Open Exhibition

Insane Animals

Homemakers

Future 20: Last Place On Earth

Young Identity: Working From HOME

HOME BFI Film Academy: Living at a Distance

HOME Sound Sessions featuring Dorcas Sebuyange, Berry Blacc, To!u x Aden

Joy Yamusangie, Nick Burton and MSR FCJ

This film is available to watch on a pay-what-you-decide basis, with free, £2.50, £5 and £10 options available.

A link to watch the film will be sent after you have booked.

Date & Time details

This film is available online, on-demand.

BOOK NOW

Jason Orton said: “Christmas is going to be a little different this year. Without the smiling faces of guests and loved ones, it’s so important to make sure we really go the extra mile, and this includes dressing the table in a five-star fashion and making it a truly memorable celebration at home.

1. FESTIVE TABLE SHOWSTOPPERS

“Your choice of centre can really finish the table setting. As it’s Christmas a ruby red poinsettia plant and candles are always best to help make the atmosphere festive and appealing.

“It is tempting to go with a festive smelling candle, the likes of cinnamon or winter spice, but for your table, I would recommend scentless candles, so as to not impact your senses when eating your delicious Christmas meal.

2. GOLDEN CHARGER PLATES

“Mainly used for presentation purposes, having the charger plate pre-placed on the table will really set your table alight and look ready for the meal ahead. 

“Usually larger than a dinner plate the charger is placed on the table and remains on the table until mains have been served. The charger plate should be removed before desert, as it is regarded as bad etiquette as is using them for eating purposes. 

“I wouldn’t normally suggest a coloured charger plate, I like to keep it white and simplistic. But as it’s Christmas Day, and let’s face it, we all need a little festive sparkle this year, I would recommend a festive golden coloured plate to brighten up the table and give you that five-star look.

3. PINECONE NAPKINS

“There’s many different options and styles can be made here to aid in the presentation – I always recommend a simplistic five-star napkin fold, with as few folds are possible.

“As it’s Christmas Day, a simple but effective addition to the napkin fold is to add a pinecone to your place setting – a real five-star touch. You could attach a small white label to the pinecone and write a festive wish to those in your household.

4. PERFECTLY POLISHED CUTLERY

“For the perfect five-star Christmas Day meal, cutlery must not go unnoticed and should be perfectly polished and placed well. All cutlery on the table should be a thumb nail from the bottom of the table.

“My top tip is to place your main plate on the table while setting the cutlery, so you know how much space to leave. Cutlery should never have to be moved to place a plate down it should be in the right place from setting stage.

“When dining, the golden rule is to work from the outside in, and as you would in any restaurant, the same rules apply for Christmas Day at home.

5. CRYSTAL CLEAR GLASSES

“Crystal clear glasses and importantly, odourless is so important.

“After the glasses have been washed fill a bowl or ice bucket with boiling water use the steam and a polishing cloth to achieve the glistening five-star shine.

“There’s many different glass placement opinions but for me the rules generally are:

• Three glasses per diner – white, red and water

• The stem of the white wine glass (smaller glass) should be in line with the main knife on the right side of the plate set-up

• The water glass should be to the right and slightly lower than the white wine glass

• The red to the right and slightly higher

Heartbreak Productions, that stalwart of open-air theatre, is jumping into the Panto game with an original, live-streamed, online Panto (for grown-ups) Tinsel in my Pants!

Never content with being conventional, Heartbreak saw no reason to stage an ordinary Panto. The story follows Terri the theatre tech as she bah-humbugs her way through another Zoom quiz. She gets sucked into Panto-Land via a faulty signal and must find her way back, revisiting 2020s challenges while coping with dames, damsels, and The Donald. This is very hard to do when Puss in Boots is carrying a whip and thinks “50 Shades of Grey” is an instruction manual. Tinsel in My Pants is Heartbreak's first piece of live, online theatre and will be done in true Heartbreak style with songs, silliness, and audience involvement.

The script is written in collaboration between Peter Mimmack, Heartbreak’s artistic director, and Emma Hodgkinson, founder of Dripping Honey Poetry. “I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into a theatre project,” said Peter. “Hopefully the joy of rehearsals, creativity and sharing will bring some lightness and laughter into living rooms across the UK.”

While Heartbreak traditionally tours open-air theatre (2021 will be their 30th year), 2020 has necessitated a shift in focus. During lockdown they created Heartbreak at Home, showing past productions for free on their YouTube channel and produced an Arts Council funded film project called Escape From Lockdown. Heartbreak has been so successful at adapting that they won the Leamington Business Award in the category of Business Pivot. This live, online panto is the latest answer from Heartbreak to the persistent Covid-19 question: how do we continue to provide cultural engagement and entertainment to our audiences in these topsy-turvy times? The answer - with love and laughter, and of course, a bit of silliness never goes amiss.

Maddy Kerr, Executive Director of Heartbreak, had this to say, “This year has been one of the most challenging in Heartbreak’s history and we’re very grateful still to be able to continue work in the industry we love with actors and arts professionals - huge thanks to Cultural Recovery Fund/Arts Council England.”

Tinsel in my Pants is suitable for ages 15+ and will be live streamed:

January 9th 2.30pm and 8.00pm January 10th 3.00pm and 7.30pm

Tickets available at www.heartbreakproductions.co.uk

Standard Ticket Price £15 Concessions Available

Photo by Vic Frankowski

DARK DAYS, LUMINOUS NIGHTS

It is 2021. Manchester. Gleaming apartments rise up over the ancient river Irk, and under the prime real estate of Angel Meadow, 40,000 bodies are buried. Cities change.

An immersive audio-visual experience for uncertain times.

26 January – 30 January 2021

The White Hotel, Salford

In their most ambitious collaborative project to date, Manchester Collective re-imagine the live experience for a volatile new age. Inspired by a journey along a ruined waterway, Dark Days, Luminous Nights is part-exhibition, part-installation: a tapestry of music, film, dance and photography.

Featuring the work of artists Simon Buckley and Blackhaine, alongside a dramatic score by Edmund Finnis, Béla Bartók, and Wojciech Kilar, this intoxicating work looks deep into the soul of a city and asks: what have we lost?

Commissioned and produced by Manchester Collective, Dark Days, Luminous Nights is an immersive, audio-visual installation which audiences will experience and explore in timed slots. At the heart of the experience is a newly created 30-minute film featuring subversive artist Blackhaine, alongside a display of photographs by Simon Buckley. All artistic content has been captured and recorded in Manchester and Salford, during the pandemic.

Music underpins the visual experience, with three contrasting pieces – Béla Bartók’s Divertimento, Wojciech Kilar’s Orawa and The Centre is Everywhere by Edmund Finnis – reflecting the push and pull of urban decay.

Rakhi Singh, Manchester Collective co-founder and Music Director, says: “In a time when we can’t physically be together, we wanted to shape an experience that contains humanity and creates space for reflection. Dark Days, Luminous Nights is the story of what we’ve all been going through, not as individuals but as a collective experience.

“When we met Simon Buckley, we discovered that he has a similar connection with cities that we have with music – looking for spaces that are passed by, in the darkness and ignored. He finds the beauty and personality in them, as well as the hidden stories. His work seamlessly blends the contrasts of the music with elements of dance, photography and film into a complete experience.

“Most of all, this is a project about Manchester. It’s about our journey as individuals – as musicians, producers, directors, photographers… We are all part of these bricks and mortar, and it is our story to tell.”

Making his directorial debut for this project, in the film Simon Buckley traces a journey along the river Irk as four lone figures make their way through an urban hinterland. Buckley says: “My work in Dark Days Luminous Nights stems from a project I began five years ago called Not Quite Light (NQL), in which I set out to reacquaint myself with the city I’ve known and lived in for most of my life, at a time of huge transition both for myself and for Manchester. I was interested in using dawn as a metaphor for change and this project has allowed me to translate my vision into a film – through themes of regeneration, displacement and isolation.

“The NQL project was initially conceived in Angel Meadow, one of the locations for this new work, and so provides an opportunity to further examine the changes which are soon to arrive in this ancient area of the city of Manchester. The film, along with the photographs on display, could be seen as fragments of a disquieting dream, which sits in reality.”

Dark Days, Luminous Nights launches on Tuesday 26 January and runs until Saturday 30 January 2021. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 9 December 2020 from manchestercollective.co.uk.

Manchester City of Literature has announced its new team, reaffirming its dedication to championing the city’s diverse cultural offering on a global stage. 

As part of the update, a new website has been unveiled, to be utilised to promote Manchester’s diverse literary sector as well as inviting curious minds to learn more about what the city has to offer. 

Manchester was permanently designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2017, following a successful bid by Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester Literature Festival and partners such as Carcanet Press, The Portico Library, and Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. 

The prestigious title recognises the city’s commitment to supporting excellence in literature throughout the city, and involving as many Mancunians as possible in all the opportunities afforded by Manchester’s rich literary past and thriving literary present. 

This year sees the launch of the Manchester City of Literature’s executive office and the employment of Partnerships and Communications Manager, Jo Flynn, and Community Engagement Manager, Reece Williams. All the team are passionate about promoting the city’s diverse literary activity and UNESCO status.

Ivan Wadeson, Manchester City of Literature’s Executive Director, believes that now is the perfect moment to reintroduce Manchester to the exciting work that Manchester City of Literature is doing.

“We’re a city that boasts four historic libraries in its centre, 24 public libraries, hundreds of literature events, two writing schools, more than a dozen regular spoken word nights - I could go on!” Ivan said. “If you live in Manchester, you know it’s bursting at the seams with creativity. It’s our job at Manchester City of Literature to make sure that news of what we have to offer is spread far and wide.”

He added that in a city where more than 200 languages are spoken, it was an essential part of Manchester City of Literature’s remit that people from all backgrounds had the opportunity to tell their stories. 

“We want a city that celebrates its diverse voices, where creative talent and industries are nurtured and where literary activity changes lives,” he said. 

“We’re going to do this by bringing together all our partners and the writing community to work with local communities very closely, to build well-being, their confidence and their skills to enable them to tell their stories, and share them.”

Zahid Hussain, Chair of Manchester City of Literature, added that the website was a key tool in promoting Manchester’s UNESCO status on a global level, as well as for linking Manchester’s local communities to the wider writing community. 

“The new website is really going to provide a meeting place for both Manchester’s resident creatives and for those from all around the globe who are curious about what our world leading city has to offer,” he said. “We want to make clear that as much as we love libraries and books, that isn’t just what literature is about. The website, just like literature itself, is for anyone and everyone. We believe that whoever you are, there will be something for you on it.”

The easy to navigate website is populated with all the latest information about events and activities. Whether you’re looking for writing packs for young people, activities in your local library or chances to get creative to benefit your mental health, the new site has got you covered.

It also offers details of projects such as the Festival of Libraries and International Mother Language Day, positioning Manchester City of Literature at the forefront of Manchester’s vibrant cultural scene.

The mayor of Greater Manchester has been vocal in his support of Manchester’s status as a City of Literature, expressing his pride at the UNESCO designation. 

“Of course Manchester is a UNESCO Creative City!” Andy Burnham said. “Our creativity in this city knows no bounds, and the thriving literature scene is something we should all be proud of. 

“Manchester has a strong literary heritage seen to this day in our historic libraries, long-standing universities, and celebrated heritage buildings such as Elizabeth Gaskell's House, but we also have an eclectic and diverse contemporary literature scene in our spoken word events, indie publishers and award-winning theatres. 

“Literature is for us all, it's in the ways we speak to each other every day, in how we teach our kids at home, in stories we see ourselves in. Diversity of language and freedom of speech are part of Manchester's radical cultural identity and I'm so proud to see Manchester literature recognised on this global stage.”

And Labour Councillor Luthfur Rahman has also expressed his delight with the designation, saying that ‘culture, arts, creativity and literature are so important to Manchester’.

“It's important to the city's economy, it's important to jobs, to the health and wellbeing of our city,” he said. “It's the reason people come to live here and work here, it's the reason Manchester is the second most visited city in the United Kingdom.

“So therefore, I am so delighted that Manchester has been designated a UNESCO City of Literature. I hope this designation acts as a catalyst for more people to get involved in literature, to take up reading, writing, and just enjoy the literary offer that's available in the city.”

The new website can be found at http://www.manchestercityofliterature.com/

Hatch’s friendly neighbourhood grooming salons - Portland Barbers and Industry will also be open to take care of that all-important post-lockdown, pre-Christmas haircut. Independent street food will be on the menu too with a slimmed down, tier 3 collection of traders opening for takeaway. This includes inventive sandwiches by Ate Days a Week, Asian street food by Fuku, fabulous takeaway wine by Vin-Yard, Sicilian street food by Tarricrii, vegan dishes from Herbivorous, Vietnamese street food from Hanoi 75 and Cyprian cuisine from Mezze. Takeaway food can be ordered and collected here: https://goodeats.io/hatch/all

The rest of the Hatch crew are gearing up to be back after the next tier review when it is hoped that the whole destination will reopen with the full Hatch experience.

As Manchester strives to get Christmas back on track, the Hatch teams are encouraging everyone to shop local this festive season, rewarding loved ones with something unique and extra special under the tree and supporting local businesses at the same time.

With Small Business Saturday coming up this weekend (Saturday 5th December) Hatch will be rewarding customers shopping from any of their indie traders by handing out Hatch gift vouchers as spot prizes. The vouchers will be assigned totally at random throughout the course of the day and there’ll be £100 worth given away. All shoppers need to do to be in with a chance of winning a voucher is to buy local and independent at Hatch on Saturday!

To give a more distinctive and considered gift this year head to Hatch for a Christmas shopping experience like no other…

Retailers Open
Suzy Loves Milo - find a one of a kind, upcycled piece from the king of vintage, Suzy Loves Milo. Something completely original for your festive wardrobe or the fashionista in your life.

O’Donnell Moonshine – Forget the same old supermarket spirits, this Christmas calls for something totally unique (and stronger). O’Donnell Moonshine make handcrafted spirits and liqueurs and serve in bespoke packaging. Inspired by the infamous spirits from the Prohibition period, you’ll find mini mason jars of sticky toffee, wild berry and bitter rose moonshines. You can mix and match creating your own boozy selection box to go under the tree. Genius! And only at Hatch.

Sneaker Pharm – give the gift of ‘like new’ trainers with a Sneaker Pharm gift voucher. At Hatch’s trainer boutique you can bring your old kicks in and Vinny and his team will restore them to their former glory. An absolute winner of a gift for the sneaker lover in your life.

Nordic Muse – The Nordic own-brand lifestyle collective has been at Hatch since the beginning and have established a huge following via their incredibly high value, high quality, beautifully designed minimalist jewellery and home-living collections. An independent, local gift alternative for the person who loves beautiful things. 

Blacksquare Beer - Black Square Beer will become your next favourite craft beer bottle shop! Stocking a wide range of independent breweries from our shores and further afield they offer the best IPAs, Pale Ales, Sours, Stouts, Lagers and more. Perfect stocking fillers for the beer lover in your life.

DJ Gym - Northern branch of the UK’s network of DJ studios will be open, continuing to offer one-to-one DJ and production courses accredited by the London Sound Academy.

Hatch is proud to be part of the 50 Windows of Creativity trail and a mural by Caroline Dowsett has taken over one of the units – it’s a painting you can walk right into and it can be spotted while you’re shopping at Hatch.

Andrea George, Director of Retail at Bruntwood Works, commented: “Hatch has been transformed into a gorgeous, cosy winter wonder village and all our retailers, hairdressers and takeaways are open and ready for the festive period.  We are open Tuesday-Saturday thus allowing customers plenty of time to come along and support local independent businesses in a safe environment. Our businesses have worked extremely hard to be able to open their doors safely within Tier 3 restrictions and we’re all looking forward to welcoming shoppers back to Hatch for Christmas shopping.”
 

Three of Manchester’s best loved, and most respected food experts have come together during the second national lockdown to launch a brand-new pop-up style deli at Holy Grain, Great Northern.

It’s a winning combination with Holy Grain providing its outstanding breads, The Crafty Cheese Man bringing its high end and frankly delicious craft cheeses and Julian Pizer – Edinburgh Castle and Cottonopolis former executive chef – making his own baked goods, pickles, and ferments. All three crafts will be combined in order to make sandwiches unseen anywhere else in the city and matched with local craft beers and natural wines.

Together, they’ve selected a range of cheeses, charcuterie, olives and crackers which you’ll be able to get your own hands on from Wednesday through to Saturday from 10am – 4:30pm

On the opening of 3 Hands, Centre Director, Mark Schofield, said: “We’re thrilled to see how Holy Grain is adapting its space on the Mews during the second lockdown to create a delicious deli. We work hard to support our independent businesses at Great Northern, and to see them innovating and changing during the toughest of times is such a positive!”

A fantastic way to treat yourself this lockdown whilst supporting local, independent business – it’s certainly one not to be missed!

3Hands can be located at Holy Grain on Deansgate Mews. The bakery will be open and offering takeaway Wednesday – Saturday, 10am – 4:30pm.

For more information on the Great Northern, including updates on individual brand opening dates and safety procedures, please visit: www.thegreatnorthern.com.

Follow 3 Hands Deli on Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/3handsdeli

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/11/3-hands-make-tasty-work-b1447#comments1447 Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/11/football-writing-festival-kicks-off-b1442 The seventh Football Writing Festival will run online between 23-27 November.

FREE FESTIVAL STARTS 23 NOVEMBER AND RUNS FOR FIVE NIGHTS

The seventh Football Writing Festival will run online between 23-27 November.

The National Football Museum has brought together super scribes for the free five-day festival.

The line-up includes Melissa Reddy – senior football correspondent at The Independent, football finance expert Kieran Maguire and authors Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Eve Ainsworth and Ed Aarons.

Instead of a physical event, covid restrictions mean the festival will be digital and steamed on Facebook and YouTube. And for the first time, the museum’s expert team of curators will be leading the conversations.

Sam Broadley from the National Football Museum said: "We’ve moved the 7th annual Football Writing Festival to an online celebration. The ‘in-conversation’ events pair museum staff with renowned journalists and authors from the world of football.

“This is our most diverse line-up ever and the five authors will cover a wide range of themes, both contemporary and historic and all related to the beautiful game.”

Find out more: https://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/whatson/fwf2020/

Festival fixture list:

Monday 23 November 7pm

Believe Us: Melissa Reddy

The National Football Museum’s Dickie Felton joins journalist Melissa Reddy to discuss her new book Believe Us - How Jürgen Klopp transformed Liverpool into title winners. From 35,000 frenzied fans tracking Klopp’s first flight to Merseyside, through to Liverpool’s first Premier League title in 30 years, Melissa gets unparalleled access to the inside scoop.

Tuesday 24 November 7pm

Price of Football – Kieran Maguire

The National Football Museum’s Jon Sutton quizzes football finance expert Kieran Maguire in a hugely topical discussion examining how professional football clubs operate and balance the books.

Wednesday 25 November 7pm

Your Show – Ashley Hickson-Lovence

The National Football Museum’s Sam Broadley catches up with Ashley Hickson-Lovence. The author behind Your Show - an upcoming novel based on the career of legendary referee Uriah Rennie - gives us a stunning insight into the life of the first black official in the history of the Premier League.

Thursday 26 November 7pm

Kicking Off – Eve Ainsworth

The remarkable story of the Dick, Kerr Ladies is one that is well represented on the galleries of the National Football Museum. Curator Belinda Scarlett chats with award-winning author Eve Ainsworth about her new book Kicking Off, which brings this astonishing story to life for a new generation.

Friday 27 November 7pm

Made in Africa – Ed Aarons

Christian Allen from the museum talks to author Ed Aarons about his brilliantly insightful new book, Made in Africa. From Arthur Wharton to Mohamed Salah the pair look at the history of African players in English football. This fascinating discussion looks at the personal stories behind pioneers in the game and how confronting racism has helped change the face of English football forever.

BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER WITH A LIVE VIDEO CALL FROM SANTA THIS CHRISTMAS

With the festive season just around the corner but social distancing regulations still in place, the UK’s longest indoor snow slope, Chill Factore, is keeping the magic of Christmas alive by bringing Santa, and his grotto, to the comfort of your own home.

For the first time ever at the Manchester snow slope, children will be able to share their Christmas list with Santa via the power of video call. With the help of some specially trained elves, Santa has been brought up to date with all the latest technology, and will be available for exclusive live, interactive video calls with you and your little ones.

From 5th December until Christmas Eve, Santa and his Helpers will be in his magical grotto on Chill Factore’s real snow, before he flies off to make some very important deliveries.

With uncertainty on COVID-19 restrictions between now and Christmas Day, a live video call from Santa himself is one way to guarantee good tidings for you and your kin. This virtual grotto experience has the capability to dial in multiple callers and have them interacting on the same screen, meaning you can safely bring your family together to enjoy the magic.

Expect snow fall, mischievous elves and an interactive Naughty- Nice’ometer, which measures on screen how good your little ones have been this year. Live and interactive, the calls are bespoke to each family to provide a magical experience and spread festive cheer in 2020.

Your grotto experience will be recorded and sent to you by Santa’s Helpers so that you and your family can hold on to the memories forever. After all, it’s not every day that Santa calls!

And it’s not just homes that Santa will be calling from his magical Chill Factore grotto, as Chill Factore are also working closely with Saint Nick to bring this festive experience to the bedside of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for free, helping to bring Christmas onto the wards and make it a home from home for those children being treated in hospital over the festive season.

The Santa Calls experience will run from Saturday 5th December until 24th December 2020 and each call to Santa will last around five minutes. The experience can be booked from £20.99, and includes the call recording and the option to add multiple callers/screens so that the whole family can be brought together.

You can also text SANTA to 70125 to donate £2 to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to support seriously ill children this Christmas time.

To book and find out more information please visit:

https://www.chillfactore.com/christmas

2020 has been a difficult year, but it’s not like Vermilion to rest on its laurels and they are taking their food offering to the next level by hiring consultant chef Bobby Retnakumar Geetha. In 2016 he became the only South Indian chef to make the final 10 in BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals. The marriage of cutting edge technique and authentic spicing he showed then will astonish once again in Vermilion’s 20-dish Menu, which will be unveiled on Thursday, October 22.

This new project is aptly named ‘Vermilion: Awakened’.

One thing’s for certain – Manchester will never have experienced a take on the Subcontinent’s culinary riches quite like this. In his previous role overseeing the upmarket Asha’s restaurant empire across the Middle East and Europe Bobby was given carte blanche to explore India’s regions from the the Punjab and Ladakh to Mumbai and Delhi. Result: a rich melting pot of culinary inspirations far beyond his Keralan roots and a deep understanding of delivering consistent and quality food to people all over the world.

Pair this with a determination to use the finest UK regional ingredients, using skills learnt in Michelin-starred restaurants, in dishes that range from small plates to mains and tempting desserts and you can understand the excitement during kitchen trials. We’re not talking that much-abused term, fusion. This they are calling progressive Indian cuisine. Bobby is adamant that each dish is his own creation yet definitively Indian because of his judicious use of its  incomparable native spices.

Three deceptively simple recipes exemplify this. Take one of the small dishes. It is a samosa with a playful difference. From the outside it looks like a black bomb cheese but the shell is made from edible charcoal ash. The filling is a mixture of Shorrocks Lancashire black bomb, edamame and sweetcorn with ginger and spices. Elsewhere confit of duck leg has been cured in duck fat according to French tradition but that is as Gallic as it gets with Bobby finishing it in a coconut-rich South Indian korma sauce. A traditional hot-pot, topped with Cheshire potato, surprises with its with delicately curried kid mince filling.

Bobby was born in Kovalam in Kerala. Fish is a very important part of that Southern Indian state’s diet, which matches with a huge Vermilion selling point – access to some of the world’s finest seafood via its parent company, Seamark. Now 38 and relocating this year from Dubai to his new base in Leeds, Bobby has a wide-ranging global CV. Key moves were:

1. Being snapped up as a youngster for the management training scheme of India’s prestigious Taj Hotel group.

2. His inspirational internship at the legendary Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. He has also had Michelin learning stints with Heston Blumenthal at Dinner in London’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Raymond Blanc at the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Sign of his singular ambition while working for corporate hotel chains in the UK and beyond. Along the way he has been a semi-finalist in National Chef of the Year UK. In June 2015 Bobby started working as a head chef in The Podium Restaurant, London Hilton Park Lane, achieving an AA one rosette for culinary excellence with his new menu.

3. Making the quarter finals in BBC’s Professional Masterchef 2016, which lifted him back to his native Indian cuisine – in a progressive style. Judges Marcus and Greg couldn’t get their head round Bobby’s purple pancakes.

4. Co-ordinating 21 Asha’s restaurants from Dubai before going freelance to pursue his ‘Fine Dining Indian’ personal brand, publishing his own magazine and three cookbooks.

5 Now there’s this perfect platform as new consultant chef at Vermilion. “The MD Manzur Iqbal’s vision clicked with my vision and I felt there would be creative freedom. It’s not about food fusion but paying tribute to the wonderful local ingredients available and creating Indian food that is absolutely my food. Any chef can play it safe, copy. That is not my way.”

Manzur wanted to do something daring, adventurous and fun, to re-create and progress Indian cuisine in the North West, just the way Vermilion did it with interior design back in 2007. Bobby’s new dishes will form the flagship menu in the renaissance of Vermilion, accompanied by a new wine list designed to pair well with the new dishes along with an inventive cocktail  list created by mixologists that will match the progress of the menu.

Vermilion hopes that this will prove to be a great platform for the industry to be creative during these difficult time. Together with Bobby, Vermilion wants to be at the forefront of progressive dining experience in the North West and feels that now is the right time.

Situated next to Sport City in Ancoats, the venue has been one of the major drivers of regeneration in New East Manchester. The complex, six minutes by taxi from Piccadilly Station and boasting a 300-capacity car park, is also home to a 1,500 capacity banqueting operation geared towards weddings, gala dinners and conferences but with facilities and flexibility to cater for almost any occasion, either in the Grand Suite, the smaller Alan Turing Suite or a combination of the two. A beautiful bar lounge and en-suite bridal room/green room completes the package.

Vermilion is owned by Seamark, a global leader in the food sector. It has operations in Manchester plus Bangladesh and New York and has been actively involved in educational and charitable work, both in the UK and on the Indian sub-continent. More recently, during the coronavirus pandemic it has provided meals on a regular basis to NHS and frontline staff in hospitals such as Manchester Children’s Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital, Tameside Hospital, North Manchester Hospital and also to the homeless charity, Barnabus.

Image: Halloween in the City

From Friday 23 October Greater Manchester enters the tier three “very high” category of the UK government’s three alert levels. There are various implications of the new restrictions and we recommend that you familiarise yourself with our Know Before You Go page as you plan your trip to make sure that you have the latest information. 

One of the main implications is that people are advised to not travel to regions within tier three and likewise those in tier three should not travel to other regions. Whilst this means that there will be less visitors, residents of Greater Manchester can still in enjoy much of the region’s tourism offer and this week’s blog outlines just some of the many things that residents can STILL do safely in the coming week. 

When out and about in Greater Manchester, please remember to keep your distance from others, wear a face covering and wash your hands regularly.  

1. You can still enjoy a meal out with your family household or housemates. The new restrictions allow restaurants to remain open as well as many pubs and bars as long as they offer a substantial meal, such as one that would be eaten at dinner or teatime. Our top pick for the week is Vermillion over in New East Manchester which has just launched a new menu developed by Masterchef hero Chef Bobby Retnakumar Geetha. If you fancy something different check out the Food and Drink section of the website and don’t forget that many of your favourite restaurants are relaunching their make-at-home dining kits if you would rather stay at home. 

2. You can still visit our wonderful art galleries and museums. With half term upon us, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best things do to across Greater Manchester to keep the kids entertained – from amazing science to treasure hunts, dinosaurs to pumpkin picking – just make sure you plan in advance and pre-book tickets where necessary. One of our top cultural picks right now is the timely White Psyche exhibition at The Whitworth, which takes a new look at the story of Cupid and Psyche and addresses white dominance in its own collection of art. 

3. You can still take in the beauty of our abundant green spaces. Greater Manchester is packed with amazing green spaces to enjoy in groups up to six people. Our recently launched #GreenSalford series of films is well worth checking out for inspiration, with great places to walk, run and cycle including Clifton Country Park, Kersal Wetlands, Peel Park and Worsley Delph. Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, in Oldham we are super excited about Northern Roots, a 160-acre work-in-progress site offering lush urban green space that looks out onto the foothills of the Peak District. 

4. You can still shop and enjoy some retail therapy. With Christmas fast approaching Greater Manchester’s shops are all still open and ready to welcome you safely. From the high street to quirky boutiques, the Shopping section of the website has loads of inspiration. Wherever possible we recommend getting behind smaller businesses and organisations that need the most support, so our pick for this week is Northern Quarter icon the Manchester Craft and Design Centre which is open Tuesday to Saturday throughout October and November. And remember that some of the best gifts can be found within gift shops at our museums and galleries! 

5. You can still celebrate Halloween. Yes, it’s that time of year when The Monsters descend on Manchester city centre making a great day out to find them all – look out, look up, beware! Of course, there’s lots of other great Halloween events still planned and you can find details about them all on the dedicated Halloween in the City section of the website. Outside of the city centre, our top Halloween pick is Ordsall Hall in Salford where they have an outdoor Scarecrow Trail, spooky tours of the hall and pumpkin painting workshops. 

6. You can still treat yourself to a night in one of our fabulous hotels. Whilst it’s advised that those from outside of Greater Manchester should avoid staying overnight in the region, there’s nothing to stop you booking a night away and enjoying a bit of local hospitality. The Where to Stay section of the website is packed with ideas and there are some great offers to take advantage of. 

7. You can still take part in outdoor events. 50 Windows of Creativity is a new city-wide art trail showcasing the work of artists and makers and will see spectacular mosaics, installations, fine art, photography, craft, and murals displayed in a series 50 windows and spaces across the city centre. Brought to the city by the same organisation that create the Bee In the City Trail back in 2018, you can download an app or map, then get exploring from Monday 26 October. 

8. You can still join a walking tour. Limited to groups of six people, one of the best ways to explore Greater Manchester is on an organised tour with a guide and there are loads to choose from. Manchester Guided Tours are running their Discover Manchester tour every Saturday and Sunday at 11am, offering an ideal way to get reacquainted with the city. For an alternative viewpoint, tour guide Hayley Flynn has recommenced her hugely popular Street Art: The Modern History of the Northern Quarter with a selection of tour dates across autumn. Emma Fox is offering bespoke tours, covering places such as Southern Cemetery and the Bridgewater Canal Trail around Worsley. Jonathan Schofield has a vast array of tours to choose from, but one of his most popular explores the abandoned majesty of Mayfield Station, running on selected dates throughout November. Ed Glinert who runs New Manchester Walks has several varied tours planned, with highlights this upcoming week including ‘Manchester Music: The Hacienda Years’ and ‘Angel Meadow’. And Free Manchester Walking Tours are running daily, starting from the Alan Turning Memorial in Sackville Gardens. 

9. You can still get behind some of our cultural institutions that have yet to open. Unfortunately, there are still many places like theatres and music venues that have not been able to open yet and need our support. Oldham Coliseum has been closed for over six months, with no ticket income and is crowdfunding to secure its future. Contact youth theatre has Coronation Street actor Julie Hesmondhalgh amongst its many high-profile backers urging audiences to donate to help complete the renovation of the theatre which has been closed for three years and was due to reopen in 2020. If you can spare the cash, these organisations will greatly benefit from your donations. 

10. And you can still be confident that all of the places and spaces you visit across Greater Manchester are Covid-safe and ready to welcome you. But if for whatever reason, you don’t want to travel around Greater Manchester, are shielding or live outside of the region; you can still enjoy our Manchester Misses You series packed with our favourite ideas, inspirations and resources so that you can continue to enjoy Greater Manchester from home. 

First established in 1972 and a famous landmark on Manchester’s Oxford Road corridor, Contact is a leading UK theatre and arts venue, recognised nationally and internationally as a place that puts young people first.

Contact has been closed to audiences for three years, so that the building can be extended and refurbished to create an environment that puts young people at the heart of the organization

The contractors completed their work on the expanded and refurbished Contact building in July 2020. Julie’s video is specifically asking the public to donate £20 help throw open the doors to young people across Greater Manchester.

Other celebrity supporters of the campaign include Dr Who star Mandip Gill, Hollyoaks actor Haiesha Mistry and poet Louise Wallwein MBE, all of whom started their careers at Contact.

Part of the money raised will go towards completing a purpose-built recording studio for free, young people’s music and media projects. Donating £20 will buy a mic stand, and donating £100 will put a microphone in that stand, which will allow the voices of young people across Greater Manchester to be heard.

The fundraiser will also go towards properly fitting out and equipping a brand new rehearsal studio, which will be available for Contact’s Young Company to create new performances and shows. CYC usually perform three entirely new public shows per year, both at Contact and other cultural spaces around Manchester, which in recent years has included Manchester Art Gallery and the Science and Industry Museum. In addition, other young artists will be able to hire these spaces to work on and showcase their performances.

Funds raised will also help finish a brand new Arts, Health and Science space, the first of its kind in a UK theatre. This space, supported by Wellcome will bring young people, artists, healthcare professionals and scientists together to research and explore issues relating to young people and local communities, informing arts and wellbeing projects and future theatre productions.

A successful fundraising campaign will enable Contact to reopen in late 2020 for socially distant participation and creative activities, with performances scheduled to start in 2021.

The video can be viewed in full here:

https://youtu.be/0hIS9pTSbKE

Julie Hesmondhalgh said ‘I’m a proud supporter of Contact, Manchester, having seen the work at close quarters through many years, and having witnessed so many people’s lives being changed beyond measure by the incredible work of that building.

Now, more than ever, we need to keep that service alive, and well and thriving. Contact is part of the artistic fabric of the culture in Manchester, and the build is nearly complete. Please, if you can do anything to help, do it.’

Matt Fenton, Chief Executive and Artistic Director at Contact said: ‘It’s vital we’re able to welcome young people back safely to our building this Autumn. For the price of a few drinks, you can make a real difference to the creative life of a young person in Greater Manchester. Please help us raise £20,000 to kit out our spaces by the end of the year, and continue to support young people from all backgrounds to stay active and stay creative.’

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/10/actor-julie-hesmondhalgh-backs-fundraising-campaign-for-young-peoples-theatre-in-manchester-b1422#comments1422 Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/10/obstructions-new-exhibition-announced-at-castlefield-gallery-b1421 Earlier this year, Castlefield Gallery invited 15 artists from the North West of England to re-make an existing piece of their work with one condition: they had to accept a bespoke ‘Obstruction.. Earlier this year, Castlefield Gallery invited 15 artists from the North West of England to re-make an existing piece of their work with one condition: they had to accept a bespoke ‘Obstruction’ given to them by another artist in the exhibition. Inspired by a long history of artists using self-imposed restrictions to aid creative or free thinking, it also riffs off the restrictions and disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Selected from Salford Scholars who are supported by University of Salford Art Collection, Castlefield Gallery Mentees from Manchester School of Art, and the gallery’s bOlder programme, all the artists are either under 30 or over 50 years of age, creating the opportunity to foster a conversation between two distinct generations. At a time when perceptions of different generations may be fraught with misconceptions, this process has enabled them to learn from each other.

Artists: Heather Bell, Maya Chowdhry, Tara Collette, Alena Ruth Donely, Jack Doyle, Jane Fairhurst, Sarah Feinmann, Tina Finch, Sabrina Fuller, Parham Ghalamdar, Claire Hignett, Paddy O'Donnell, Chris Rainham, Katie Tomlinson, Ian Vines.

Each Obstruction varies: most are short, a few are long and detailed with sub points and several stages. Some are specific and practical while others are more conceptual and abstract, such as ‘…you must tell us a story which must include a Goddess and full-on, uninhibited anger’.Image Credit: Alena Donely, (She)ela (2020). Image courtesy of the artist.

With a desire to be supportive but also to challenge each other, each Obstruction has been received with mixed reactions. Some chose to push back against them, playfully interpreting them or taking them overly literally. What may appear to be a subtle request, may in fact be a great challenge for an artist as they are pushed out of their comfort zone, either with the materials they have to use or the way they have to think.

Artists who would normally rely on the support of the wall are having to make works that will ‘stand up on their own’. Those who usually make good use of colour are now seeing only in monochrome or have been simply forced to paint without their brushes. Others have had to work with washed up plastics or only the things they have acquired in the last six months. Often the obstructions have sent the artists in oblique directions finding themselves meeting up with their childhood imaginary friend in meta-narrative film works or constructing a war time bunker for one. The potential for failure is part of the excitement of the project. The artists know well that the benefit from risks taken now may have a long-lasting effect on their future work.

Castlefield Gallery continued to nurture contemporary visual artists during the lockdown period, taking its exhibitions online, generating paid work for artists in a time of great uncertainty, contributing to non-digital activity to reach out to vulnerable communities in the region as well as developing plans for connecting artists within the North West region and Greater Manchester with artists. As the artists in this exhibition are North West-based with the majority in Greater Manchester, the gallery focused its support with an opportunity to show their work and to connect with their peers and other artists locally that they might not otherwise encounter.

Obstructions

22 November 2020 – 17 January 2021

Preview Saturday 21 November (pre-booking, tickets to be released)

Castlefield Gallery will be closed from 21 December 2020 – 5 January 2021

To support the safe reopening of Greater Manchester’s tourism industry, we’re providing a weekly list of ten things that you can plan and enjoy for the week ahead, starting Saturday 17 October.  

All businesses mentioned in this blog are following the relevant government guidance but please familiarise yourself with our Know Before You Go page as you plan your trip to make sure that you have the latest information.  

When out and about in Greater Manchester, please remember to keep your distance from others, wear a face covering and wash your hands regularly. 
 

1. Hidden in the Northern Quarter is the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, which has recently reopened its doors with two new free exhibitions. Multiplicities in Flux explores identity and belonging in Britain through portraits and photography, and a film on ‘Britishness’. The second exhibition, Omid Asadi: Autopsy of a Home is an immersive experience highlighting the experience of migrants in new places, both run from the 15 October, every Wednesday – Sunday.

2. Do something a bit adventurous and try skiing or snowboarding at the UK’s longest indoor ski slope! Chill Factore uses real snow to cover its 180m long slope, where novices can book a taster session with an instructor, or those more experienced can book hourly slots. Find out more about the ‘cool’ experience and all the Covid-safety measures on their website.  

3. The Whitworth are running their newest exhibition White Psyche, which takes a new look at the story of Cupid and Psyche and addresses white dominance in its own collection of art. Visitors to the gallery can also enjoy the surrounding park, Whitworth Café and other ongoing exhibitions, with free tickets available to pre-book online.  

4. Get out and enjoy the autumn colours in one of Greater Manchester’s leafy parks; stretch your legs at Heaton Park with its historic tramway and working farm; visit Whitworth Park, just a short walk from the city centre; take a tram to Fletcher Moss in Didsbury where you will also find a Japanese zen garden; for waterside walks try Oldham’s Etherow Country Park; or take in the natural wildlife and an abundance of birds at Kersal Wetlands in Salford. Check out our Find Your Space guide for outdoor inspiration.  

5. The Imperial War Museum North have recently opened their latest temporary exhibition, Aid Workers: Ethics Under Fire, which explores the ethical dilemma’s aid workers encounter whilst working in conflict zones. The fascinating exhibition is part of the museum’s Refugees Season, and is open daily by free in-advance ticket.

6. Ahead of Half Term and Halloween, the People’s History Museum is hosting Where’s Wally? Spooky Museum Search! where kids will be able to spot Wally throughout the museum’s exhibitions. For the grown up’s, this museum charts the history of the UK’s democracy and ideas worth fighting for, and holds some fascinating stories and objects including the Suffragette’s, Peterloo Massacre, and politics in football. Pre-book a free space to visit the museum online.  

7. Newly renovated Contact Theatre opens its Black Gold Arts Festival on 23 October to mark Black History Month, with a series of virtual events including a Vogue workshop, a Black queer Manchester Garden Party, and an immersive grime rave from the comfort of your own home, alongside other events running until 25 October.  

8. Football lovers rejoice - the National Football Museum is currently open every Thursday to Sunday from 11am-4pm. The reopening will give you a chance to catch the amazing Strip! How Football Got Shirty exhibition which has been extended until December and features more than 200 football shirts.

9. With two new restaurant openings, the historic Corn Exchange now has a collection of 12 eateries to choose from, alongside the Escape Hunt experience that challenges you and your team to free yourself in just 60 minutes! Stop by the Corn Exchange for a pre or post-bite after a shopping spree at the adjacent Manchester Arndale or New Cathedral Street, where you will also find Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.

10. Treetop Adventure Golf are back in the swing of things, welcoming mini golf fans back to play one of the 18-hole trails. With no need to book in advance, visitors have the choice of two themed courses – a tropical trail or ancient exploration! Visitors can also enjoy food and drink from Treetop’s Bar and Café and can expect to see enhanced cleaning and other Covid-compliant measures to make guests feel safe.

Morning:

Start the day by heading out to one of Greater Manchester’s many picturesque country walking spots. Rivington Pike in Bolton, Dovestones in Oldham, Hollingworth Lake in Rochdale, Reddish Vale Country Park in Stockport, all offer spectacular countryside walking trails. Find the perfect spot to view the whole of the city from afar or explore winding woodland and reconnect to nature.

Lunch:

When you’re ready to rest your feet and refuel head back towards the city centre and make your way out to Salford Quays or Castlefield in Manchester City Centre. Both locations have a lot of choice for eating out, from big name chains to independent eateries, most overlooking the city’s expansive canal network.  

If you’ve got time after a bite to eat take the short journey from Salford Quays to Ordsall Hall, built in the 1300’s it is one of Greater Manchester’s oldest buildings, home to some friendly ghosts and a fascinating history.  Wander around the beautiful gardens and allotment – an oasis in the centre of Salford.

Alternatively, if you’re in Castlefield why not take the time to explore the city’s origins at the Roman Fort of Mamucium, part of the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park. Discover the replica fort and the original fort ruins.

Afternoon:

Spend a leisurely afternoon wandering through one of the city’s parks. To the south of the city, just off Oxford Road, you’ll find Whitworth Park, home to the Whitworth Gallery. Discover work by some of the world’s leading artists in the gallery and throughout the gardens that surround the building.

To the north of the city centre you’ll find Heaton Park. More than just a park the green space offers all the attractions needed for a full day out for all ages. Including play areas, golf course, pitch & putt, boating lake, Treetop Trek and a plethora of historic buildings dotted throughout the park.

Evening:

Head back into Manchester City Centre to freshen up before an evening of winding down in style.

Make your way to Spinningfields, home to luxury restaurants dishing up everything from South American barbeque, to traditional Spanish Tapas, to a modern take on Chinese cuisine. Alternatively, discover Cathedral Gardens and The Corn Exchange and all its original Edwardian beauty, home to a mouth-watering mix of restaurants dishing up cuisines from around the world

Extend your visit:

Find out more of what Manchester has to offer and where to stay for a weekend break.

NHS frontline workers will help mark the beginning of the festive season in Manchester and turn on the city’s Christmas lights.

The normal switch-on event - which attracts more than 20,000 people into the city centre - will not go ahead this year due to Covid-19 social distancing restrictions. 

However, determined to mark the start of the season in the city, the Council is working with BBC Radio Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust to choose three NHS key workers from their Hospitals across the city to do the honour. 

The small, socially-distanced event will take place on Tuesday, 17 November and will be live on BBC Radio Manchester and live streamed on social media for people to enjoy safely from home. 

Last week, the Council confirmed the festive events that could not go ahead - including the usual Christmas Lights Switch-on event and the fireworks event on New Year’s Eve. 

However, there will be Christmas Lights in the city centre as usual, and of course the Giant Santa will return - along with a trail of light sculptures through the city. 

The Skate Manchester ice rink in Cathedral Gardens - which can limit entry numbers to ensure social distancing - will go ahead and tickets can be booked at www.skatemanchester.com

And tickets for Lightopia in Heaton Park - an award-winning lantern and light festival - are already on sale at www.lightopiafestival.com

To note: all events are subject to covid regulations and restrictions, and could be affected if local Covid-19 guidelines change. 

Image credit: Bevan Ross

The Walk is an epic theatrical journey of a nine-year-old refugee girl from the Turkish-Syrian border to Manchester, in the form of a giant living artwork.

Manchester International Festival (MIF) announces its first event for the 2021 edition of the Festival (1-18 July 2021), with The Walk, the culmination of the extraordinary journey from Gaziantep in Turkey to Manchester of nine-year-old refugee girl, Little Amal in the form of a giant living artwork.

Working together with renowned theatre company Good Chance – creators of critically-acclaimed The Jungle – and world-famous creators of War Horse, Handspring Puppet Company, The Walk will see Little Amal – a 3.5 metre tall puppet and an emblem of the millions of displaced refugee children separated from their families - travel 8,000km across Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the UK in search of her mother. Embodying the urgent message ‘Don’t forget about us’ Little Amal will be welcomed by over 70 cities, towns and villages with art – from major street parades and city-wide performances of music, dance and theatre, to intimate community events, between April and July 2021.

The poignant finale moment on Sunday 4 July – forming a highlight of MIF21’s opening weekend – will be marked with a free large-scale outdoor event in the heart of Greater Manchester, a place that has long welcomed its diverse and dynamic population of refugee and migrant communities, and has the highest concentration of dispersed asylum seekers in the UK outside of London.

A programme of creative engagement activity in the lead up to, and across the Festival’s opening weekend with communities from across Greater Manchester will help to create Little Amal’s welcome.

The Walk will shine a light on the region and its people, as a home and refuge for those who need it. It will build on the legacy of MIF projects such as the Beating Wing Orchestra, ToGather (MIF17), The Welcoming Party (MIF17) and most recently School of Integration (MIF19) which saw over 100 people from over 50 countries take over Manchester Art Gallery to deliver unique classes, from food and customs, to ethics and politics.

John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Manchester International Festival said “We’re delighted to be a major partner on The Walk, our first event to be unveiled as we plan for MIF21, and to welcome Little Amal to Manchester for the conclusion of her extraordinary journey. At MIF, we have a proud history of creating large-scale participatory events that bring the city together. As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, a project like this feels more important than ever – encapsulating everything that the arts can do; crossing borders, starting important conversations, and bringing communities together.”

“We hope that families, communities, schools, friends and neighbours - everyone who calls Greater Manchester their home, will help us welcome Little Amal.”

Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk stated “It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and change the narrative around it. Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice. The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”

At this time of unprecedented global change, The Walk is an extraordinary artistic response: a cultural odyssey transcending borders, politics and language, to tell a new story of shared humanity - and to ensure the world doesn’t forget the millions of displaced children, each with their own story, who are more vulnerable than ever during the global pandemic.

FilmFear, HOME’s annual celebration of big-screen scares, returns for Halloween with a provocative programme that mixes thrills and chills with plenty to think about.

This year, FilmFear runs from Wednesday, 28 October to Thursday, 5 November, with Film4 and HOME co-curating a line-up of modern genre classics that sink their teeth into politics, race, sexuality, social issues and more. So, prepare yourself for the ‘Night of the Living Subtext’ - the real world can be unsettling at the best of times and, as FilmFear proves, horror cinema faces it all without flinching.

FilmFear is curated by Film4’s David Cox and HOME’s Creative Director for Film and Culture, Jason Wood. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, 6 October.

David said: “Even though what many of us are experiencing day-to-day may feel unprecedented, the horror genre has already seen it, done it and no doubt re-imagined it as either a city-devouring monster or an undead infestation. And somehow, these extreme representations of our worst fears and most unimaginable realities have the power to make us feel better – or at least distract us from the terror outside for 90 minutes.”

Among the terrifying treats on show will be Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, a savage slice of Reagan-era urban Gothic, and Philip Kaufman’s 1978 sci-fi thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers, starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams and Jeff Goldblum.

From Parasite Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho comes The Host, an aquatic creature-feature that says as much about Korean society as it does about beasts from the deep. Staying under the earth, a murder on the London Underground alerts authorities to the possibility of some sort of creature living in the long dark tunnels in Death Line which brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘mind the doors!’

In lieu of the remake, which should have been in cinemas this month, HOME will present a restored version of early 1990s horror classic Candyman, in which the vengeful, hook-handed title character proves that some urban legends are actually true. Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody’s Jennifer’s Body makes a well-deserved return to the big screen. Starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, and critically disregarded on release, the film has been reappraised as a feminist cult classic in the wake of the Me Too movement. And in The Stuff, a tasty, healthy and fun new dessert might seem irresistible but the truth behind what it is and what it does to you is the starting-point for a fiendishly original and darkly comic monster movie like no other.

And this year, FilmFear extends to Thursday, 5 November – Guy Fawkes Night – for a special screening of Attack the Block, writer/director Joe Cornish’s social-themed sci-fi/monster movie that’s set on this very night. As a special Bonfire Night bonus, Cornish will take part in a live video Q&A.

Crossing over with the ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival for only the second time, FilmFear also celebrates Chicho, Spain’s horror maestro.

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador is one of the most well-known, and best loved, names in Spanish film and television history. Forever linked to the horror genre, ‘Chicho’, as he was known to all, was responsible for the legendary TV series Historias para no dormir which ran intermittently from 1966. Chicho passed away in 2019, and ¡Viva! and Film Fear have linked with the Instituto Cervantes to bring to HOME a celebration of one of Spanish film and television’s most distinctive voices.

In the double bill of El asfalto and La residencia a young woman is sent to a gothic boarding school, where she finds a headmistress intent on keeping everyone in line with firm, physical discipline. With La residencia, one of the most atmospheric European horror films of the late 1960s, Ibáñez Serrador scored a major hit at the Spanish box-office, significantly contributing to the cycle of horror film production in Spain in the 1970s. The film is accompanied by El asfalto, one of the best-remembered episodes of Ibáñez Serrador’s legendary TV series, Historias para no dormir. And in 1972’s Who Can Kill a Child?, an English couple on holiday in Spain find more than they bargained for when they visit a beautiful island that seems to have no adults, only children.

FilmFear runs from Wednesday, 28 October to Thursday, 5 November. For more information, visit https://homemcr.org/event/filmfear-2020/

Celebrity hairdresser Adee Phelan is coming back to Manchester after 15 years. Adee created one of the most iconic haircuts on Manchester Unit- ed’s David Beckham and has always had a strong connection to the City.

Adee Phelan has been giving back to the NHS throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up his ‘Thank You to the NHS’ gift box campaign and now for the last few months the NHS Pop-ups campaign.

At the beginning of Lockdown Adee had an idea that he would like to give something back to the NHS heroes, so began collecting hair and beauty products to gift to NHS workers.

After his appeal on social media went viral, multiple product companies showed their generosity by donating pallets of products to Adee who then packaged them up and delivered gift boxes to hospital NHS workers.

Having donated over a staggering 10,000 boxes to 46 hospitals, equating to more than £1,000,000 worth of retail donations Adee has taken the giving back campaign one step further and has launched the first Pop-Up Salon for the NHS.

After two successful pop-ups in both London and Liverpool Adee is bring- ing the NHS love to Manchester for a week in October at the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre. The lucky guests are not only treated to drinks, a free haircut and blow-dry, but receive a gift box filled with hair and beauty goodies to take away too.  

Support has come from; David Haye, Paddy McGuinness, Max Beesly, Chef Tom Kerridge, Pete Wicks, Joey Essex, Piers Morgan, Kenny Dalglish, The Prodigy to name just a few.

Guests can expect to spot a few celebrities attend the pop-ups, with Calum Best and Paddy McGuinness both promised to make and appearance 

“At the beginning of Lockdown I could not quite believe what was happen- ing and just felt like I had to do something to give back. My expertise is hairdressing so I thought why not call upon all my contacts and see what we can pull together and do. I had no idea it would be such as success and cannot believe how generous the manufacturers have been,” said Adee.

Thanks to the kind donations of the public and his sponsors Calum Best, David Haye and Neon Management this has been all made possible.

“They deserve to be treated and recognised. They are our heroes.“

To help spread the good will even further, a Just Giving page has been set up. To donate, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/adee- phelan

Follow Adee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adee_phelan_5/ 

Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, the leading global boutique luxury brand from IHG® Hotels & Resorts, this week opens Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester. Kimpton Clocktower Hotel brings the brand’s cosmopolitan style, cool culture and heartfelt service style to Manchester.

Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is a magnificent terracotta Grade II listed building with a history dating back to 1890, when it first opened as The Refuge Assurance Company headquarters. The grand clock tower at the centre of its striking Victorian architecture is an unmistakable landmark on Manchester’s skyline. All 270 loft-style bedrooms, including 11 suites, were designed to make the most of the stunning, double and triple-height ceilings. Other original, period features including glazed bricks, tiles and faience, stained glass and carved wooden staircases, are combined with contemporary fittings and interiors. In the hotel’s lobby, there is a three-metre-tall bronze horse by artist Sophie Dickens which represents a horse-and-carriage ‘turning circle’ that once stood on the same spot.

An unrivalled stay experience

Guest rooms offer an homage to Manchester’s iconic music scene, with vinyl records of the city’s most iconic bands - from the Stone Roses and Oasis to Elbow and Take That – available to play on record players in each room. Each room borrows design inspiration from the spirited and renowned Manchester party and music scene, with vibrant, bespoke textiles designed by Timorous Beasties, which incorporate the iconic Manchester worker bee and bold contemporary graphic prints adorning the walls.

Hotel guests will enjoy Kimpton’s signature perks such as in-room yoga mats and the ‘Forgot It? We’ve Got It!’ service offering important guest essentials. Free tuck boxes of treats in all rooms, as well as fresh milk and mineral water in the fridge make for a relaxing in-room experience. Guests can also expect the brand’s industry-leading pet-friendly attitude and service that’s personal, unscripted and meaningful, fuelled by a hotel team who is committed to delight in surprising ways.

A 10-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is in the heart of the city, opposite Oxford Road Station. Visible from all around thanks to its clock tower, it is less than five minutes by foot from the world-famous LGBTQ area of Canal Street, and close to the city centre’s shopping areas and department stores. For those looking to explore Manchester on two wheels, Kimpton-branded bikes are available for hire free-of-charge.

Restaurants & Bars

Kimpton is renowned for its award-winning portfolio of local, seasonally-inspired restaurants and bars. At the heart of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is The Winter Garden, a space full of natural light, where guests can sit back and relax for a drink or a meal, whatever the time of day or night. Destination bar and restaurant, The Refuge by Volta, serves globally inspired small plates, craft beers and cocktails curated by the award-winning team from Volta and has a uniquely curated programme of events and happenings. Those wanting to make human connections can meet fellow visitors across socially distanced tables at the nightly Kimpton Social Hour to bond over hosted drinks from 5-6pm.

The hotel also offers 17 meeting rooms featuring charming Edwardian detailing alongside the latest technology, with capacity from four to 1,000 (as meeting and event restrictions allow) with the hotel boasting the largest hotel ballroom in the northwest of England.

There are currently 72 Kimpton hotels open worldwide with a further 34 in the pipeline to open in the next 3-5 years*. Kimpton Clocktower Hotel closely follows the opening of Kimpton Vividora Hotel, which opened its doors in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona this Summer.

Double rooms at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel start from £120 inclusive of VAT, service charge and Full English Breakfast. Bookings are now available at www.kimptonclocktowerhotel.com

The safety and wellbeing of our guests and colleagues is our top priority so we've introduced the IHG Clean Promise giving guests extra reassurance. Find out more at www.kimptonhotels.com/Clean

Morning:

Start your day in Castlefield. Explore the roman fort of Mamucium, the original heart of the city, where you can see the fort ruins and a recreation of what the fort would have looked like when the Romans first settled here.

Make your way to The Science and Industry Museum, just on the other side of Liverpool Road. Discover amazing objects and revolutionary ideas that helped to change the world forever. Explore Manchester’s rich legacy of innovations and discoveries in the Revolution Manchester Gallery, find out how the city's heritage is interwoven with the cotton industry in the Textiles Gallery and see science brought to live in Experiment, our family friendly interactive gallery.

Lunch:

When you’ve worked up an appetite, head to the Northern Quarter for a bite to eat on foot, or on the free metroshuttle bus. Edge Street and Thomas street are home to many independent eateries, now with seating taking over the street to increase capacity and allow easy social distancing, serving everything from Vegan junk food to fried chicken, there’s something for everyone.

If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth why not treat yourself to a milkshake or sundae at Home Sweet Home or an ice-cream at Ginger’s Comfort Emporium in Afflecks.

Afternoon:

Once everyone is refuelled take the short walk down to the National Football Museum at Cathedral Gardens.  Whether you’re a die-hard football fan or prefer other sports, the museum is full of fascinating social and cultural history for you to delve into, with intriguing objects and changing exhibitions showing how football became the game of our lives. You can also try your hand (or foot) at a penalty shoot-out, along with the museum’s other interactive exhibits.

Evening:

Discover the Corn Exchange and all its original Edwardian beauty, home to a mouth-watering mix of restaurants dishing up cuisines from around the world, plus Escape Hunt – the perfect activity to extend your evening – with just 60 minutes to find and solve a series of clues, the pressure is on you and your teammates to crack the escape code.

Extend your visit:

Find out more of what Manchester has to offer and where to stay for a weekend break.

Day 1

Arrive in Manchester

Get acquainted with the city and drop your bags at your hotel

Lunch:

Make your way to Hatch for a bite to eat, the award-winning food, drink and retail destination located underneath the Mancunian Way. Home to over 30 independent traders, you can find everything from Italian or Mexican street-food, to Manchester favourite Takk espresso bar. If you have time you could even pop in for a haircut or a new tattoo, alternatively take a look around the retail stores to pick up a new pair of shoes, perfectly-worn-in vintage clothing, or hand-crafted jewellery and homewares.  

Alternatively, head towards Piccadilly station where you’ll find Depot Mayfield, a long-forgotten freight depot from Manchester’s industrial past, now home to Escape to Freight Island. Hidden in plain sight, the inspiring urban landscape has been rebuilt and rethought around a visionary food market, a unique selection of bars and inventive culture spaces. Reimagined as a cultural space for the future this is a place where you can escape, just when you need it most.

Afternoon:

You’ll want to put some time aside to explore the Northern Quarter – full of street art, great coffee, restaurants and bars, boutiques, record stores and specialist shops. Make sure you save some time to hit the well-known ‘emporium of eclecticism’, Afflecks and the Manchester Craft and Design Centre before they close. Why not book yourself onto a Skyliner walking tour to discover the unseen parts of the city, from the history of Street Art to a walking essay following nature in spaces of urban decay.

Evening:

After a freshen-up at your hotel head to Spinningfields, Manchester's number one destination for shoppers, foodies and party-goers, unwinding in some of the city's best restaurants and bars. Head up to the terrace at 20 stories for spectacular panoramic views over the city whilst sipping an expertly crafted cocktail, or stay closer to the ground at the quintessentially English The Lawn Club.  

Late Night:

When you’re ready to eat stay in Spinningfields and discover one of the many high-end restaurants on The Avenue, or more casual dining at Leftbank. Highlights include Scene Indian Street Kitchen, Iberica and Tattu.

Alternatively head to Deansgate, the longest street in the city, where you’ll find a plethora of bars and restaurants waiting for you. Hawksmoor, House of Kai, Rosa’s Thai Café are all well  just off Deansgate you’ll find Tast and El Gato Negro on King Street, two of the city’s best Spanish restaurants. A little further down the street you’ll find The Great Northern and a host of independent restaurants such as Platzki, dishing up home-style polish cuisine, Almost Famous for American diner classics, and Siam noodle-bar for authentic Thai dishes. Great Northern is also home to Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing – the perfect place to test your daring and get your heart racing.

Day 2

Morning:

Take a stroll through the city aiming to be at Manchester Central Library for 11:00 where you can hop onto the daily Discover Manchester Walking Tour. It’s approximately 90 minutes and covers Manchester’s history and heritage, with an easily digestible level of detail. What’s the bee symbol all about? Why is the architecture so mixed? How did Manchester make its name in the world? Find out all this and much more.

Lunch:

The tour will finish around Exchange Square, a perfect spot to stop for a bite to eat. Discover the Corn Exchange and all its original Edwardian beauty, home to a mouth-watering mix of restaurants dishing up cuisines from around the world. Alternatively head to Mr Thomas’s Chop House, where they serve traditional pub grub, including their famous 10-day-in-the-making corned beef hash.

Afternoon:

Make your way to The National Football Museum and delve into the intriguing social history and culture of the much-loved sport. Discover fascinating objects and changing exhibitions or test your skills at the interactive football challenges, including Penalty Shootout.

Alternatively, if you’re not a sporting fan, the John Rylands Library is free to explore all day. Situated next to the modern glass buildings of Spinningfields, the 19^th century masterpiece of Victorian Gothic Architecture houses a world-class collection of rare texts, including the oldest known piece of the New Testament and a 1476 William Caxton edition of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  

Evening:

After freshening up at your hotel head to the Northern Quarter where you’ll find a plethora of independent eateries. Edge Street and Thomas street are home to many independent eateries, now with seating taking over the street to increase capacity and allow easy social distancing, serving everything from Vegan junk food to fried chicken and a-la-carte menus, there’s something for everyone.

Late-night:  

Stay in the Northern Quarter to experience the buzzing nightlife, with seating now taking over Stevenson Square, Edge Street and Thomas Street, to allow for table service and easy social distancing. Enjoy a cocktail in Cane & Grain or Cottonopolis, or a speciality beer in 57 Thomas Street Bar.

Alternatively head to Canal Street for a change of scenery - the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village. Home to traditional pubs, luxe cocktail bars and clubs and green spaces set alongside a long stretch of the Rochdale Canal, making it the perfect setting for alfresco drinking and dining.

Day 3

Day trip to McArthur Glen Cheshire Oaks

Morning:

Hop on a direct train to Chester from either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria stations. Then take the 1 or X1 bus from outside Chester Train station directly to the Outlet Village.  

Take your time and start exploring the Designer Outlet’s 140+ stores. Home to outlet stores for the likes of Build-A-Bear, Converse, Gap, M&S, Kate Spade, Polo Ralph Lauren and Armani, there’s something on offer for every type of shopper.

Lunch:  

When you’re ready to re-fuel there are plenty of places to stop for a quick coffee or proper meal. From the usual suspects Costa, Starbucks and Pret, to international eateries Wagamama, Yo! Sushi and Comptoir Libanais, plus many more restaurant options to suit every palette.

Afternoon:

Continue exploring the outlet to find your perfect new wardrobe or household items for up to 60% off.

Early Evening:

Stay at Cheshire Oaks for your evening meal if you’re not done exploring. The centre closes at 8pm Monday-Saturday and 6pm on Sundays. Alternatively, head back to Chester train station on the 1 or X1 bus from Platform B, to catch your train back to Manchester.

Late Night:

After a long day on your feet you’ll want to relax in style when dining and drinking. Dine in at one of the city’s luxury hotels, Peter Street Kitchen at the Edwardian Manchester offers a delicious combo of Japanese and Mexican tapas-style tasting plates, perfectly paired with one of their signature cocktails. For a more relaxed atmosphere try Refuge at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, inspired by the restaurant founders’ travels enjoy a range of small and large plates perfect for sharing. Other options include; Mount Street Dining Room and Bar at The Midland, this newly opened restaurant offers a modern take on British classics focusing on great ingredients from local sources, and The River Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel, serving up classic dishes with a twist in luxury surroundings and overlooking the River Irwell.

Day 4

Morning:

It’s your final chance to explore the city or do some last-minute shopping. Spend some time in the luxury department stores Harvey Nichols and Selfridges on New Cathedral Street, then wander down through to St Anne’s Square and to Barton Arcade or King Street where you’ll find independent businesses and high-end boutiques respectively.

Lunch:

If you’re travelling by train stay close to the stations. For Piccadilly why not try Escape to Freight Island if you haven’t already, or Cultureplex in Ducie Street Warehouse for a relaxing lunch before you travel. Alternatively, if you have a little longer to spare, explore China Town and transport yourself to East Asia in one of the area’s many restaurants. Yang Sing is a highlight, famous for their dim sum afternoon tea and traditional Cantonese cuisine. Don’t forget to pick up dessert at one of the traditional Chinese bakeries in the area, Ho’s or Wong Wong.

If you’re leaving via Victoria try the Corn Exchange if you’re yet to visit, or why not try a different restaurant if you’ve been here already. Home to twelve restaurants serving cuisines from around the world; Banyan bar & kitchen is a crow-pleaser with something on the menu for everyone, for authentic Italian cuisine Salvi’s is the place, a family run restaurant and deli offering a slice of Neapolitan life in the heart of Manchester. If you’re short on time the Arndale Market is home to several independent street-food eateries, serving international cuisines for you to take-away.

Afternoon:

It’s time to say goodbye to the city. We know it will be difficult, but we hope you enjoyed your visit, and are planning to re-discover Manchester again soon.

The UK’s largest independent, late night, boutique bowling alley, Lane7, is to launch its latest venue at Manchester’s Great Northern Warehouse this autumn.

The alley will occupy the former site of All Star Lanes, overlooking the Great Northern Square.

Alongside ten pin bowling, Lane7 Manchester will, like its sister sites around the UK, carry a whole host of other exciting gaming and entertainment options. The owners are staying tight-lipped on what guests in Manchester can expect, but at other sites these include alternative takes on karaoke, pool, ping pong, shuffleboard, mini golf, retro arcades and darts.

The new Manchester venue joins the roster of other Lane7 alleys, including its original home in Newcastle city centre and sites in Aberdeen, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Sheffield.

Centre Director, Mark Schofield, said: “We’re delighted to add Lane7 and its boutique bowling and entertainment offering to the mix of exciting brands here at the Great Northern Warehouse. We know that this brand of fun is something the city sorely misses after months of staying home to stay safe and we’re sure the venue will prove popular with all of our visitors, whether they’re dropping in for a game of bowling, to enjoy the atmosphere while catching up with friends or eager to try any of the other activities Lane7 will be home to.”

Lane7 founder, Tim Wilks, added: "It's been a long term dream for us to find a city centre site in Manchester and we can’t wait to get the doors open. We're thrilled to be opening as part of the Great Northern Warehouse's varied leisure offering and can’t wait to welcome guests onto the lanes very soon."

Further details of the Lane7 launch, including opening dates, will be announced shortly.

For more information on the Great Northern, including updates on individual brand opening dates and safety procedures, please visit: www.thegreatnorthern.com.

To support the safe reopening of Greater Manchester’s tourism industry, we’re providing a weekly list of ten things that you can plan and enjoy for the week ahead, starting Saturday 26 September. All businesses mentioned in this blog are following the relevant government guidance but please familiarise yourself with our Know Before You Go page as you plan your trip to make sure that you have the latest information. When out and about in Greater Manchester, please remember to keep your distance from others, wear a mask and and wash your hands regularly. 

Ten things to do in Greater Manchester this week 

1. Our top pick for the week is very much a hidden gem of an attraction. The Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester in Cheetham Hill – a leisurely walk north from the city centre – contains over 70 vintage buses, coaches, trams and historic objects, all housed within an iconic 1930s bus garage. It’s a fantastic day out for kids who’ve grown up only knowing newer forms of transport and offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those a bit older. The museum is initially only opening Saturdays and Sundays, but no pre-booking is required. 

2. Next up, Greater Manchester’s student population is back in town and if you’re a new student reading this or know someone that has just moved here to study, let them know about our 9 things every new student should do in Manchester article. Once up to date on the essentials, students might want to take advantage of intu Trafford Centre’s Student Shopping Week which starts on Monday 28 September where more than 50 stores will be offering students some amazing deals and exclusive offers, with up to 50% off some brands. 

3. A brand new opening came to Manchester on Thursday 24 September when Napoleons Casino & Restaurant opened on Portland Street. The 24-hour Manchester casino, situated next door to Hotel Brooklyn, has a huge range of gaming tables, including American Roulette, Blackjack, Three Card Poker and Punto Banco, plus the latest market-leading Slot Machines and Electronic Roulette. A luxurious restaurant overlooking the buzzing gaming floor offers delicious gourmet grills, creative vegan and vegetarian dishes and a variety of world cuisines. 

4. The excellent Bolton Octagon theatre, which has been closed for a massive refurbishment and extension, is hosting a virtual live stream of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this week. Running now until Friday 2 October, Guildford Shakespeare Company’s special adaptation of their 2017 open air production is directed by Octagon’s Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham and is a great way to support our regional theatres while they remain closed to live performances. 

5. Our two top picks for last week should remain firmly on your radar: The Whitworth reopened last week with a brand-new exhibition WHITE PSYCHE, alongside five fascinating ongoing exhibitions; as did Manchester Museum, where you can see its popular Natural History galleries including Stan the T.Rex, and a vivarium full of endangered living frogs. Both are only currently open Wednesday to Sunday and request that advance tickets are booked online where possible. 

6. Speaking of dinosaurs, Dippy, the world-famous dinosaur cast from the Natural History Museum, is back on display in Rochdale after his previous visit was cut short in March. The exhibit and its accompanying exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale can now be visited Monday to Saturday until Saturday 12 December; however, all visits must be booked in advance using this link. 

7. The People’s History Museum, the national museum of democracy is now welcoming visitors to explore the past, present, and future of ideas worth fighting for. Opening hours are now Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm and to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience the team have introduced an online registration system where you can select a date and time up to two weeks in advance to visit the museum. 

8. A phased reopening of museum sites in Stockport means that both the superb Tudor manor house Bramall Hall and the eerie and poignant Stockport Air Raid Shelters are now open Thursday to Sunday until 12 September. Furthermore, with local restrictions lifted in the borough, now is a great time to visit and to explore everything the town centre has to offer. Tickets for both attractions need to be booked in advance. 

9. Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre is now open Thursday to Sunday. The museum – something of a hidden gem that helps visitors to discover more about Bury’s rich history – comprises an art gallery that houses the Wrigley Collection that contains over 200 oil paintings, watercolours, prints and ceramics whilst the Sculpture Centre features some of the most prominent sculptors in contemporary art. 

10. The wonderful people at Food Sorcery Cookery School in Didsbury were busy during lockdown making meals for vulnerable people, delivering prepared meals to the local community and hosting online cookery events. They’re now back open and running face-to-face cookery classes with reduced numbers and following industry standard approved guidelines. This coming week you can get involved in Japanese, Malaysian or Mexican classes that combine learning with a delicious meal to enjoy at the end. 

HOME’s main gallery will reopen on 24 October with three simultaneous solo exhibitions, giving visitors the opportunity to discover a trio of artists taking three very different approaches, but all using illustration at the core of their practice.

The gallery reopening will mark the moment when all three of HOME’s artforms – cinema, theatre and visual art – will have returned to the building following the coronavirus shutdown.

Nick Burton, Joy Yamusangie and duo Mike S Redmond & Faye Coral Johnson will all present separate exhibitions, tied together by the medium they use, but varying hugely in their approach and subject matter. For audiences starved of visual art during lockdown, it will provide a visual feast after a period of famine.

Visual art is the final artform to return to HOME following a phased reopening which began on 4 September with film screenings resuming in a socially distanced manner and will continue from mid-October with the return of live theatre to HOME’s stage.

“Art never left but adapted and evolved,” says HOME Curator, Bren O’Callaghan. “From online distribution to frantic final editing and composition of forthcoming premieres, we’re fortunate in that we haven’t had to cancel any exhibitions by rescheduling and reshaping, although our opening show is an entirely new addition to the slate.

“It's unheard of to turn around a main gallery exhibition in just a few months, but a little creative thought can be applied to any situation - given the opportunity, we'll turn the apocalypse into an urban watercolour meet-up.”

And while the artists’ styles are very different, Bren believes that the unifying use of illustration is the perfect route to explore for these uncertain times.

Bren continues: “The start point was our commission with Nick Burton during lockdown of Our Plague Year, which spoke to me of the capacity for illustration to operate as a Trojan horse. Seemingly childlike in technique, illustration possesses an underrated capacity to express complex political, social and even spiritual commentary.

“Each artist presented in our main gallery makes use of this 'sugared pill' at a moment when we require comfort and reassurance, but must face what lies beneath - be it cruelty, a desire for connection, or chaos.”

Nick Burton’s exhibition, Our Plague Year, is based on the hugely successful online comic of the same name, commissioned and launched by HOME during lockdown. Quickly gathering thousands of international subscribers, a Prologue consisting of the first dozen weekly episodes are presented here, alongside exclusive new material.

The comic is an alternative retelling of life in Eyam in 1665-66, when the local community made the decision to quarantine themselves to prevent the Plague from spreading. It’s a story of self-isolation and social distancing, told through the eyes of fictional characters, commenting on how an isolated village in lockdown brings out both the worst and the best in its people (mostly the worst).

Nick is an illustrator and storyteller living in Salford, England, who works on both personal and commercial projects. His comics and illustrations have been featured in Wired, The New York Times, Ride Journal, GQ and more. Nick’s recent comic tale of a lost bicycle, Lily (told from the perspective of the bicycle), was a finalist in the recent Manchester Open Awards 2020 at HOME.

Joy Yamusangie is a visual artist, working in London. Specialising in illustration, Joy experiments with a range of traditional processes such as drawing, painting and collaging to produce mixed media pieces. Exploring socio-political themes from a personal perspective, Joy’s work takes the form of paperworks, clothing and paintings on cardboard. Their work explores themes of memory, intimacy, race and culture within the Congolese diaspora, from a personal perspective.

Drawn from a palette of dreams, memories and hopes, Blue Glass Fortunes is inspired by a vision of blue goblets with candles set inside, flooding a room with light. The meaning remains unknown, revealed with future hindsight. Adrift in an ultramarine ocean of love and loss, we float suspended - no longer asleep, but not yet awake.

In rejection of conventional attitudes towards art, Mike S Redmond & Faye Coral Johnson (MSR FCJ) consciously push experimental ideas of making in order to discover new and surprising processes and outcomes. With a desire to challenge themselves, they adopt a mischievous, spontaneous approach.

Taking root during a residency at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland, Bubbling Pitch surfaces as a series of transitional drawings, paintings and a limited edition book. With a conscious disregard for any accurate representation, the artists instead pursue an intuitive, eccentric response to their time spent wandering the hallways of a dead person’s dark, dream castle.

Bren O’Callaghan adds: “All featured artists employ an unapologetic use of graphics and illustration as core to their practice, whilst the effects of working in isolation - be it in direct response to lockdown, or the continuing pursuit of an acutely personal journey - is also present throughout. The use of abstracted and playful figuration invites a closer reading, although a mirror can deceive as well as document.”

Entry will be free, but via a timed and ticketed system to allow for social distancing. Slots can be booked via the HOME website, by phone or in person from Thursday, 24 September.

HOME is a multi-arts venue, encompassing visual arts, theatre and cinema. The building reopened on Friday, 4 September, after 169 days of closure, with initially just the five cinema screens open to audiences. Live theatre will return to the building from 13 October, with a live performance from Young Identity, followed by visual arts from later that month.

For more information, visit www.homemcr.org

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/09/home-gallery-reopens-with-three-simultaneous-solo-exhibitions-b1378#comments1378 Wed, 23 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/09/manchester-science-festival-returns-to-explore-our-changing-climate-and-ideas-for-a-better-world-b1376 Manchester Science Festival, a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar and one of the most popular science festivals in the UK, is returning in 2021 with a jam-packed programme. Manchester Science Festival, a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar and one of the most popular science festivals in the UK, is returning in 2021 with a jam-packed programme.

The festival, produced by the Science and Industry Museum, is now planned to take place from Friday 12 – Sunday 21 February 2021. The first details have been unveiled, revealing a programme that will explore the role of science, technology and communities in finding solutions to our changing climate, one of the world’s most urgent challenges. It will include a wealth of inspiring, entertaining and playful experiences for all ages, kicking off with the opportunity to become the Royal Photographic Society’s next Science Photographer of the Year. 

Image Credit: Yevhen Samuchenko 

As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester was the catalyst for scientific innovation and unprecedented change all over the world. Now, with Greater Manchester’s vision of becoming carbon neutral by 2038, the city is uniquely placed to influence future progress across the globe once again.

Visitors will witness some of science’s most cutting-edge developments in the fight against climate change. They will be treated to an unmissable line-up, including premieres and immersive arts, fashion, food, theatre and sustainable living experiences, as well as the chance to talk to leading scientists and climate campaigners during a series of special events and debates. Due to take place over February half term, the festival will offer something for everyone, including a host of fun family activities.

All activities will inform, engage and ignite curiosity about our changing climate. Most will take place across the Science and Industry Museum’s city-centre site, where visitors have been safely returning since August.   

The Science and Industry Museum is collaborating with a wealth of contributors to deliver the exciting programme, more details of which will be announced later this autumn. The first key partner to be unveiled is The Royal Photographic Society (RPS), whose mission of 'promoting the art and science of photography' has formed the basis of its work since 1853.

In support of the festival, The RPS has, for the first time, introduced a ‘climate change’ subcategory to its prestigious Science Photographer of the Year competition. The inclusive competition encourages photographers of all ages and abilities from across the world to capture images that show science in action, depict its impact on our everyday lives and illustrate how photography helps to record scientific events. The additional category of climate change will also welcome submissions that tell the global story of climate change, showcase how science, technology and engineering are addressing this urgent issue and reveal its effects on our natural world.

The shortlisted photographs will be used to create an exhibition for Manchester Science Festival, bringing together science, climate and art in a stunning showcase of images. After its first showing at the museum, which will continue beyond the festival’s closing date, it will tour the UK and internationally.

The competition is now open for entries until 4 December 2020. Anyone aged 17 and under can enter the Young Science Photographer of the Year category, and those aged 18 and over into Science Photographer of the Year. More information can be found on the RPS website: www.rps.org/spoty.

Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum, said: “Our museum is home to ideas that change the world and continues to reflect and inspire innovators of the future through our exhibitions, activities and events. Manchester Science Festival is a major part of this, supporting citizens, scientists and activists to come together to explore and advance ideas for a better world.

“As we all continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic, Manchester Science Festival may look and feel a little different this year, but we are working closely with partners across the city and the UK to create a compelling  public programme that will deliver memorable experiences to visitors, whatever their interests. We are delighted to be working with The Royal Photographic Society to co-curate and display an exhibition created from the prestigious Science Photographer of the Year competition. It will provide an original and authentic snapshot of the immense effect both science and climate have on our world.”     

Dr Michael Pritchard, Director, Education and Public Affairs at the RPS, said: “Whether you are studying science or climate change at school, or working at the cutting edge of science or environmental research, this competition provides an opportunity to draw attention to your work and see it exhibited at one of the UK’s leading science museums. With science and the impact of climate change so much a part of our modern world, we encourage students and researchers to share their images in this year’s competition.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We are proud of our long tradition of scientific innovation in this city and Manchester Science Festival is one of the boldest, most creative and thought-provoking festivals in the country. What better way to explore the theme of climate than bring together artists, scientists, citizens, businesses and visitors to the city to play, talk and make the future together.”

Jonny Sadler, Programme Director at Manchester Climate Change Agency, said: "Manchester has set its targets in line with the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the latest science. Our priority now is getting on track to meet them, including reducing our CO2 emissions by 50% over the next five years, on the way to becoming one of the world's first zero carbon cities.

Image Credit: Carol Ballenger FRPS 

“This year's Festival will showcase the many practical actions visitors can take right now, adding to the growing number of people already working hard to make Manchester a leading city for urgent climate action." 

The Science and Industry Museum is part of the Science Museum Group, the world’s leading group of science museums. At the start of the year, the Group announced a major public programme focused on climate. Manchester Science Festival will be a cornerstone of this, showcasing some of science's most cutting-edge developments in the fight against climate change, introducing new technologies and connecting visitors to leading voices who are helping to shape our future. The Science Museum in London will also host the UK’s first significant exhibition exploring carbon capture technologies, opening on 31 March 2021 to coincide with COP26, the 26th United Nations Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow in November 2021.

The last festival was held in 2018. It was originally due to take place again in October this year, but the decision was made to reschedule for February 2021. It will be the first in a series of major events and exhibitions planned to take place at the Science and Industry Museum next year, further details of which will be announced later this autumn.

Sign up to the museum’s mailing list to be the first to receive more details about the festival programme as they are announced, or visit www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/manchester-science-festival

Leonardo Royal Hotels has revealed when The Midland Hotel in Manchester will be unveiled, following an extensive refurbishment project.

Due for completion at the end of September, the £14m refurbishment features a stunning transformation of all bedrooms and public areas. 

The most striking change, however, is to the hotel’s main foyer, which now features a brand new, split-level bar built on a raised platform in the heart of the hotel’s lobby, providing a spectacular space for both guests and non-guests to enjoy.

The Midland’s food and beverage offering has also received a brand-new look as part of the transformation and the hotel will now be home to two new venues. New restaurant concept, Mount Street, is a modern British style brasserie, which combines Northern hospitality with an all-day menu offering. Guests can also visit The Midland’s on-site restaurant, The Midland Lounge, where they will find an all-day menu serving classic dishes with a modern twist.

In addition to the public areas, the hotel’s 312 bedrooms have undergone impressive refurbishments. Featuring a restful, neutral colour palette adorned with luxurious soft padded armchairs, plump cushions and glowing lamps; the new rooms offer guests ultimate comfort and style.

Jason Carruthers, Managing Director of Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland, comments: “We are thrilled to have completed The Midland’s extraordinary transformation and look forward to unveiling it to the public, allowing guests to once again experience this iconic building. 

“The acquisition of The Midland hotel back in November 2018 marked the start of an extremely exciting chapter for Leonardo Hotels in the UK. The Midland’s £14m investment has allowed us to make our own mark on this famous Manchester property, whilst maintaining the hotel’s historical status. We can’t wait to see the finished product and look forward to welcoming guests, old and new to experience the stylish new surroundings of The Midland.”

The refurbishment follows the full rebrand of the award-winning on-site spa, which transitioned, into Rena Spa at The Midland in November 2019. The new spa offers a wonderful selection of specialist treatments, all using renowned French beauty brand, Caudalie, and Rena Spa at The Midland is particularly proud to offer a range of Wellness by Germaine De Cappuccini treatments specially designed for those who have or are recovering from cancer.

To book or for more information, visit themidlandhotel.co.uk.

It’s been six long months since resorts across Europe switched off their ski-lifts and the UK’s longest indoor snow slope, Chill Factor^e, shut its doors. So, to help guests adjust back to the slope, Chill Factor^e has shared the best exercises to get you ski fit.

In just one hour, a skier can burn over 350 calories, or the equivalent of one and a half Mars bars, so to ensure guests are prepared for their sub-zero workout, and to help prevent injuries, experienced Snow Sports Instructor, Callum Mackenzie, has put together a list of exercises that will strengthen your core, joints, balance and improve your cardiovascular fitness. 

Strengthen your core

Chill Factor^e Snow Sports Instructor, Callum Mackenzie: “It’s really important that you have good core strength when skiing or snowboarding, as this is what ultimately gives you balance. Snow’s an unpredictable surface so balance is vital to maintain perfect posture and to have a controlled descent on the slope. Simple exercises like the plank and side plank are great ways to test yourself before heading back onto the slope.”

Exercises:

Plank and side plank – start at 30 seconds and increase the length of time you hold the position each time

Balance on alternate legs – balance on one leg not allowing the other to touch the floor, alternate after 30 seconds

Prepare your joints 

Chill Factor^e Snow Sports Instructor, Callum Mackenzie: “Skiing and snowboarding can be tough on your knees and ankles. This is because both require a slight bend to help with the impact of uneven terrain. If you’ve not been able to ski or snowboard in a while it’s important that you prepare your joints for this pressure with exercises like squat jumps and ankle rotations.”

Exercises:

Jumping squats – jump up and down in squat position for 30 seconds

Ankle rotations – rotate your ankles clockwise and anti-clockwise to help with mobility 

Leg strength

Chill Factor^e Snow Sports Instructor, Callum Mackenzie: “I think it goes without saying that skiing and snowboarding requires a lot of lower body strength. Building up this leg strength is done over time when you’re on the slope regularly, but some squat holds or lunges can help build up strength in the quads and glutes faster.”

Exercises:

Squat holds – hold a squat, either free standing or against a wall, for a minute and repeat daily

Lunges – step backwards on alternate legs into a lunge position for 30 seconds. Once you feel confident doing this you can progress to jumping lunges

Cardiovascular

Chill Factor^e Snow Sports Instructor, Callum Mackenzie: “At sub-zero temperatures your heart has to work a lot harder to pump blood around your body, so cardiovascular fitness is key. It’s been hard for many people to maintain this during lockdown, so before heading back onto the slope try some short sprints or burpees.”

Exercises:

Sprints – Run for 30 seconds, followed by jogging for 20 seconds. Repeat this up to five times if possible to increase your heart rate

Burpees – Jump up and bend down into a plank. Do this for 30 seconds to increase blood flow around the body 

Chill Factor^e has reopened its doors with a ‘We’re Good To Go’ accreditation from Visit England, meaning that all of safety measures in place throughout the attraction are in line with government guidelines. 

All guests must book online and wear a face coverings around the attraction and on the slope. 

If this is the first time you’ve exercised in a while then make sure you consult your GP before doing the suggested workouts.  

To book and find out more information please visit: https://www.chillfactore.com/

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/09/back-to-snow-school-b1371#comments1371 Wed, 16 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/09/its-beautiful-to-be-back-manchester-museum-reopens-to-public-b1370 Manchester Museum is delighted to reopen to the public on Wednesday 16 September with new opening times of 11am to 4pm Wednesday to Sunday. Although only partially open, visitors will be able to see again their favourite objects in the Natural History galleries, including Stan the T.rex and the Vivarium. Manchester Museum is delighted to reopen to the public on Wednesday 16 September with new opening times of 11am to 4pm Wednesday to Sunday. Although only partially open, visitors will be able to see again their favourite objects in the Natural History galleries, including Stan the T.rex and the Vivarium.

Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, says:

“For the past few months we’ve continued to connect with the public through innovative and engaging ways online via our digital platforms, #MMinQuarantine and live streams, and this is something we intend to keep up. But we know nothing is better than welcoming our visitors to the museum in person. It’s beautiful to be back and we can’t wait for visitors to return.”

The Museum have been working very hard to put measures in place that will keep its staff and visitors safe. To comply with the latest government advice and mandatory statement for Covid19, hand sanitisers at entrance points will be provided, a new one-way route system in place to help with social distancing and the wearing of masks for those who aren’t exempt are observed.

Entry remains free but it is essential that visitors will book a timed ticket in advance, so the museum can guarantee a safe while still enjoyable visit. All the booking information can be found here: https://university-of-manchester.arttickets.org.uk/manchester-museum/

For people who don’t have access to the internet via a phone or computer, they can attend in person and a member of the Visitor Team can book for you when you arrive if there are available time slots. And from 23 September, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Museum will also have a dedicated time (11am-12noon) for vulnerable people with free priority tickets.

Visitors can find out all this information and more, including frequently asked questions on our website: https://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/visit/

The take-away coffee shop and the Museum Shop will reopen respectively on the 21 September and on Monday the 5 October. These will both be open seven days a week.

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/09/its-beautiful-to-be-back-manchester-museum-reopens-to-public-b1370#comments1370 Wed, 16 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2020/09/the-lowry-confirms-plans-for-six-the-musical-and-the-gruffalo-this-christmas-b1367 The show WILL go on this Christmas: The Lowry in Salford confirms plan for NOT ONE, BUT TWO socially distant shows this Nov/Dec The arts centre on Salford Quays will offer theatregoers the choice o..

The show WILL go on this Christmas: The Lowry in Salford confirms plan for NOT ONE, BUT TWO socially distant shows this Nov/Dec

The arts centre on Salford Quays will offer theatregoers the choice of the international smash hit musical SIX (27 November 2020– 10 January 2021) and family favourite The Gruffalo (12 December 2020 – 10 January 2021).

Both shows were originally set to take place in the venue’s 450-seat Quays Theatre- but have now moved into the much larger 1,700-seat Lyric Theatre which can allow for 1m+ social distancing between each booking.

All existing ticket holders for SIX and The Gruffalo are being contacted about the new arrangements.

The new seating configuration allows for COVID-secure deep-cleaning of the auditorium between each performance and ensures zero crossover of incoming and outgoing audiences. Temperature checks will be taken of all audience members entering the building and face covering policy will be in place together with sanitising stations throughout the venue and staggered entry times to reduce queues.

Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “We’re very fortunate to have three different sized theatre spaces under our roof – and moving an audience of 450 into an auditorium that can seat 1,700 has allowed us to accommodate the required social distancing measures as they stand – with any subsequent adjustments to those measures to be implemented as they arise."

SIX is returning to The Lowry after a sell-out run last Christmas. The show has become a global phenomenon since its early days as a student production at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been nominated for five Olivier Awards.

The touring cast for SIX includes: Lauren Drew (Catherine of Aragon), Maddison Bulleyment (Anne Boleyn), Lauren Byrne (Jane Seymour), Shekinah McFarlane (Anna of Cleves), Jodie Steele (Katherine Howard) and Athena Collins (Catherine Parr), with Alternates Jennifer Caldwell, Cassandra Lee and Harriet Watson. Accompanying the Queens are the show’s all female band The Ladies in Waiting.

New bookings for SIX in the Lyric Theatre go on-sale at 10am on Wednesday 16 September. New bookings for The Gruffalo in the Lyric Theatre go on-sale on Friday 25 September.

Photo: Andrew Billington Photography

Heritage Open Days, 11 to 20 September 2020

Victoria Baths is inviting people to discover hidden nature on the doorstep of one of Manchester’s most magnificent heritage buildings, with a special Nature Scavenger Hunt taking place from Friday 11 September to Sunday 20 September as part of this year’s Heritage Open Days.

Whilst the doors of the Grade II* listed building are closed for public events at the moment, this is the opportunity to have some family fun and relish the beauty around one of the most heritage-rich areas of Manchester. Bringing to life this year’s Heritage Open Days theme of Hidden Nature, explorers can walk through an urban oasis of Victorian and Edwardian splendor, with the occasional contemporary twist too.

Inspiration begins in the shape of Victoria Baths, first opened in September 1906 and where the walk starts.  The building is steeped in nature’s influence, from the famous lily stained glass windows that light up many of the changing cubicles overlooking the Gala pool to terracotta bees, fish in the mosaic floors and carvings of mermaids catching starfish in nets on the front exterior. The self-guided walk and quiz will take around one hour from start to finish, with a series of QR codes to be discovered along the way, starting on the noticeboard at the front of the Baths, each revealing a hidden nature themed clue to the next destination. It’s free to take part, all participants need is a phone to scan the QR codes.

Elizabeth Sibbering, Victoria Baths’ Operations Manager, says, “Victoria Baths is situated in what would have been one of the grandest areas of Manchester a hundred years ago, with much of the architecture still intact from the Victorian and Edwardian era.  It’s also culturally rich with museums and the former homes of some of Manchester’s famous historical residents are to be found close by, along with some lovely parks, making it a great area to explore.  Inspired by Heritage Open Days, we wanted to encourage people to appreciate their local heritage and the hidden nature to be found in urban areas, by taking part in our fun scavenger trail.”

Whether you’ve been inspired by the Nature Scavenger Hunt, or your own encounters with the natural world, the team at Victoria Baths is also inviting submissions for its Hidden Nature ZINE.  Submissions are limited only by your imagination and how nature has inspired you; poetry, journalism, drawing, photography, collages, recipes, cartoons, craft instructions, or your own original ideas, are all welcome. You may have noticed nature or the seasons more during lockdown or found a green space when exploring your local area. Contributions will be collected and published on social media and the full ZINE will be published as a digital download on the Victoria Baths website. The submission deadline is Sunday 20 September and publication date Friday 25 September.

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture, with over 2,000 organisations usually taking part each September.  It’s the chance to celebrate heritage, community and history, discovering hidden places and trying out new experiences.

Like so much of the cultural sector, Victoria Baths has been severely affected by the impact of Covid-19.  This has forced changes to its normal programme of public events, with announcements soon to be made on plans for the autumn / winter.

To find out more about Victoria Baths and how you can support one of Manchester’s historic gems visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk  For further information on the Nature Scavenger Hunt visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk/visit/2020/nature-scavenger-hunt/ Everyone who completes the hunt and correctly answers the series of nature questions will be entered into a prize draw for a Victoria Baths “goody bag”.  For details of how to submit something to the ZINE visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk/visit/2020/ make-a-zine/

The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant launches new ‘at home dining’ with award-winning chef

We won't tell it's not all homemade if you don't!

The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant has today (7 September) launched an at-home cookery service to enjoy AA rosette food from the comfort of your own home. 

Residents of Greater Manchester can now enjoy the finest tastes from the River Restaurant with the new service called @ HOME by The Lowry Hotel.

Renowned for its sumptuous Sunday lunch and decedent afternoon tea, no stone has gone unturned when it comes to this new at-home dining service which has been created by award-winning Executive Head Chef, Dave Ashton.

@ HOME by The Lowry offers customers restaurant quality food at home via a pick-up service from the River Restaurant and orders can be placed via the hotel’s website here.

The decadent Afternoon Tea @ HOME requires no cooking, just an artful arrangement at home and consists of a fully prepared afternoon tea spread inclusive of tea from the Manor and a bottle of Prosecco – perfect for the Queen inside us all!

The Lowry’s bubbly afternoon tea is complete with filled sandwiches including prawn and crayfish, brie mousse and coronation chicken, freshly baked scones with Cornish clotted cream and a selection of desserts including; chocolate dipped strawberries, white chocolate and raspberry choux buns and lime cheesecake served with Caribbean flavours in mind - roasted pineapple and Malibu.

Afternoon Tea @ HOME is priced at £50 for two people and is available for collection 10am-1pm Friday & Saturday (available to order online or through the hotel until 11am Wednesday prior).

The Lowry Hotel's Famous Sunday Lunch is also available using the new @ HOME service.  It comes boxed with the freshest of locally sourced, quality meat, plenty of mouth-watering gravy and a methodology card which explains how to finish cooking this irresistibly wholesome Sunday roast at home.

The menu includes; organic sourdough bread served with chicken fat butter, crayfish and prawn cocktail, succulent roast beef dinner complete with all the trimmings and everyone’s favourite weekend sweet treat – sticky toffee pudding with sherry soaked raisins, served with Dave Ashton’s secret butterscotch sauce.

Some assembly and cooking are required, but the package is 80% prepared for you and ready to go.

Sunday Lunch @ HOME is priced at £40 for two people and is available for collection 10am-12pm Sundays (available to order online or the through the hotel until 10am Friday prior).

Dave Aston, Executive Chef at The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant said: “With @ HOME by The Lowry, we wanted to bring you the tastes from our kitchen to be enjoyed with friends and family in your own home.   

“Afternoon tea is one of our most popular offerings at the River Restaurant, so we’ve done all the hard work and made it super simple for you to enjoy, all you need to do is setup how you wish.

“Whether you want to display a beautiful masterpiece for a celebration or enjoy on the sofa with a great cup of British tea, it’s a simple as that.”

“Our Sunday Lunch is a firm favourite and we have made every effort to support local by purchasing as many ingredients from local Manchester suppliers.

“So why not impress your dinner guests by having all components of the Sunday dinner hot and ready all at the same time. We won't tell it's not all homemade if you don't.”

On confirming a booking of Afternoon Tea @ HOME or Sunday Lunch @ HOME, the customers will choose a collection time on checkout and this is the time they will collect from the River Restaurant.

What’s on the menu

Afternoon Tea

Sandwiches:

Coronation Chicken – Golden Raisin and Apple (C/G, EG, MU, SO, SU)

Brie Mousse – Cranberry, Compressed Cucumber (C/G, MI, SO, SU)

Prawn and Crayfish – Little Gem, Marie Rose, Sun Blushed Tomato (C/G, CR, EG, MU, SO, SU)

Freshly Baked Scones, Cornish Clotted Cream

Desserts:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries – Dehydrated Strawberry and Chocolate ‘Rocks’ (SO)
Choux Bun – White Chocolate and Raspberry (C/G, EG, MI, NU, SO, SU)

Lime Cheesecake – Roast Pineapple and Malibu (C/G, MI, SU)

Macaroons – Assorted Flavours (EG, MI, NU, SO, SU)

Lemon Meringue Tart (C/G, EG, MI, SU)

Sunday Roast

Organic Sourdough – Chicken Fat Butter (C/G, MI, SU)

Crayfish and Prawn Cocktail – Avocado Mousse, Fennel, Tarragon, Sweetcorn Cream (CR, MI, MU, SO, SU)

Topside of Beef – Yorkshire Pudding, Cauliflower and Lancashire Bomb Cheese, Honey Roast Carrot, Duck Fat Roasties, Braised Cabbage, Beef Gravy (C/G, CE, EG, MI, MU, SU)

Sticky Toffee Pudding – Butterscotch Sauce, Clotted Cream, Sherry Soaked Raisins (C/G, EG, MI, SO, SU)

Allergens

C/G - Contains Cereals/Gluten CR - Contains Crustacean (shellfish) EG - Contains Eggs
MI - Contains Milk
MU - Contains Mustard
NU - Contains Nuts
SO - Contains Soya
SU - Contains Sulphites

Orders for @ HOME Sunday Lunch and @ HOME Afternoon tea can be purchased here - https://www.thelowryhotel.com/dining/home-by-the-lowry-hotel/

Kimpton Clocktower Hotel brings cool culture and luxury service to Manchester

MANCHESTER, UK: Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, the leading global boutique luxury brand from IHG®, will open its Kimpton® Clocktower Hotel in Manchester, on Thursday 1^st October, joining Kimpton® London Fitzroy, Kimpton® Blythswood Square in Glasgow and Kimpton® Charlotte Square in Edinburgh as the brand’s fourth, and last, hotel to open in the UK. A fitting, final launch for Kimpton® in the UK, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel brings the brand’s cosmopolitan style, cool culture and luxury service to Manchester.

Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is a magnificent, terracotta Grade II listed building with a history dating back to 1890, when it first opened as The Refuge Assurance Company headquarters. The grand clock tower at the centre of its striking Victorian architecture is an unmistakable landmark on Manchester’s skyline. All 270 loft-style bedrooms, including 11 suites, were designed to make the most of the stunning, double and triple-height ceilings. Other original, period features including glazed bricks, tiles and faience, stained glass and carved wooden staircases, meet contemporary fittings and interiors, including a three-metre-tall bronze horse by artist Sophie Dickens which sits in the lobby. The piece denotes a horse-and-carriage ‘turning circle’ that once stood on the spot.

Guest rooms offer an homage to Manchester’s iconic music scene, with vinyl records of the city’s most iconic bands - from the Stone Roses and Oasis to Elbow and Take That – available to play on record players in each room. Each room borrows design inspiration from the spirited and renowned Manchester party and music scene, with vibrant, bespoke textiles designed by Timorous Beasties, which incorporate the iconic Manchester worker bee and bold contemporary graphic prints adorning the walls.

Hotel guests will enjoy Kimpton’s signature perks such as in-room yoga mats and the ‘Forgot It? We’ve Got It!’ service offering important guest essentials. Free tuck boxes of treats in all rooms, as well as fresh milk and mineral water in the fridge make for a relaxing in-room experience. Guests can also expect the brand’s industry-leading pet-friendly attitude and an approachable luxury experience fuelled by a hotel team who is committed to delivering heartfelt care and personal service in surprising ways.

Those wanting to make human connections can meet fellow visitors across social distanced tables at the nightly Kimpton Social Hour to bond over hosted drinks from 5-6pm. The setting for Kimpton Social Hour will be in The Winter Garden, an interior glasshouse within The Refuge; a dining room and public bar, set in a 10,000 square foot of space.

A 10-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is located in the heart of the city, opposite Oxford Road Station. Visible from all around thanks to its clock tower, it is less than five minutes by foot from the world-famous LGBTQ area of Canal Street, and close to the city centre’s shopping areas and department stores. For those looking to explore Manchester on two wheels, Kimpton-branded bikes are available for hire free-of-charge.

Kimpton is renowned for its award-winning portfolio of local, seasonally-inspired restaurants and bars. At the heart of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is The Winter Garden, a space full of natural light, where guests can sit back and relax for a drink or a meal, whatever the time of day or night. Destination bar and restaurant, The Refuge by Volta, serves globally inspired small plates, craft beers and cocktails curated by the award-winning team from Volta and has a uniquely curated programme of events and happenings. The hotel also offers 17 meeting rooms featuring charming Edwardian detailing alongside

21^st century technology, with capacity from four to 1,000 thanks to the largest ballroom in a hotel in the northwest of England.

Johan Scheepers, General Manager, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel commented on the opening: “Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is the latest addition to the global Kimpton brand. Each Kimpton hotel is an escape from the ordinary, and Kimpton Clocktower Hotel will offer a real ‘wow’ factor stay with a warm Mancunian welcome.

“Kimpton continues on its incredible expansion across the globe with the opening of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel marking our fourth opening in the UK. The Kimpton brand is rooted in human heartfelt connections and we look forward to welcoming guests and locals in a city world renowned for its warmth, charm and exuberance.”

There are currently 66 Kimpton hotels open worldwide with a further 33 in the hotel development pipeline. Kimpton Clocktower Hotel closely follows the opening of Kimpton Vividora, which opened its doors in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.

Double rooms at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel start from £120 inclusive of Vat, Service Charge and Full English Breakfast

Bookings are now available at www.kimptonclocktowerhotel.com

The safety and wellbeing of our guests and colleagues is our top priority so we've introduced the IHG Clean Promise giving guests extra reassurance. Find out more at www.kimptonhotels.com/Clean

HOUSEHOLDS CAN RELAX AND DINE AL-FRESCO-STYLE AT MANCHESTER’S NEWEST OUTDOOR DINING SPACE THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER

Foodies, behold! The Great Northern and Eat Well MCR have announced a triple threat takeover of the Community Kitchen on the Square this weekend (Friday 4^th – Sunday 6^th September) with not just one, or two, but three unique menus to indulge in. 

From Friday, expect an eclectic mix of cuisines from a collective of brilliant Manchester based operators, from the non-profit organisation Eat Well MCR; featuring Things Palace on Friday, ARMR Store on Saturday and The Creameries on Sunday.

Eat Well MCR has prepared and delivered over 20,000 meals to NHS workers and vulnerable people in Manchester since forming in April 2020. Diners can add a voluntary £1 donation to Eat Well MCR onto their bill to continue help Eat Well MCR to providing delicious meals to those in our local community who need them.

Kicking off on Friday 4th September at midday with Things Palace, chef Lorcan Kan, combines his Malaysian heritage and his experience from around the globe into his menu. From Kari Pap, a Malaysian pastry snack filmed with roasted pumpkin and dulse seaweed, to Kari Ayam, a traditional Malaysian chicken and potato curry, every dish reflects the Eat Well MCR commitment to fresh seasonal ingredients.

On Saturday, ARMR Store bring their plant based, Caribbean inspired goodness to the party. Each dish is meat-free and includes organic ingredients that are packed with flavour. Enjoy a roast broccoli & pumpkin curry or jackfruit burger with garlic and dill mayo, red pepper relish and a hash brown and add loaded fries with a selection of toppings if you’re feeling hungry.

Closing the weekend, and ahead of their long awaited reopening next week, The Creameries will take over the pop-up kitchen, serving up the simple, elegant savoury dishes which Eat Well MCR founder Mary Ellen McTague is famous for. Featuring a Grilled Cheese made with much loved Ogleshield and served with sauerkraut, to a Rabbit Pie with black peas & vinegar, expect a selection of unique dishes accompanied by a handpicked wine list of Creameries faves to wash it all down.

The Great Northern Community Kitchen x Eat Well MCR collaboration will be open from 12 noon-9pm Friday to Sunday. No need to book, simply pop down and enjoy drinks and food outdoors either solo or with the rest of your household.

The pop-up restaurant on the square provides a Covid-secure space for local businesses that are restricted with limited outdoor dining space. The weekly takeovers allow these restaurants to serve up their delicious cuisine right in the heart of Manchester.

All diners will experience table service to reduce close contact and ensure social distancing to kept at all times.

Joining the pop-up experience, the Great Northern is also welcoming Didsbury Gin. Born in Manchester, Didsbury Gin is an the award winning gin producer with a range of bright, vibrant and zesty gins, including Raspberry & Elderflower and Blood Orange & Ginger. Didsbury Gin will be available from the bar for visitors to enjoy with their choice of tonic.

On Great Northern’s restaurant on the square, Centre Director Mark Schofield said: “We’re really excited about our guests at this weekend’s Community Kitchen. Not only do we have three outstanding menus to choose from but diners will also have the option to donate to Eat Well MCR which is a really worthy local cause.”

Check out details of the community kitchen, sponsored by Estrella Damm, here.

For more information on the Great Northern, including updates on individual brand opening dates and safety procedures, please visit: www.thegreatnorthern.com.

To learn more about the Great Northern’s restaurant on the square’s primary sponsor, Estrella Damm, please click here

The team behind the highly acclaimed Higher Ground will be taking over Native’s Ducie Street Warehouse’s restaurant throughout the month of October, running a series of pop-up dinners each weekend, continuing their evolution and development within the Manchester food scene.

Having enjoyed a successful residency at Kampus*, Higher Ground is a joint venture between chef Joseph Otway, previously of Where the Light Gets In in Stockport and Richard Cossins, formerly of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

The ground floor at Ducie Street Warehouse has fast become a favourite hang-out for many, offering co-working space in the Lounge during the day, as well as a breakfast and lunch menu during the week and a brunch menu at weekends. Ducie Street is also home to Native’s 166 beautifully-designed apartments on the upper floors, offering a variety of living spaces from studios and one beds to two-bedroom penthouses, complete with garden terraces.

On Fridays and Saturdays in October, the Higher Ground pop-up will serve a five-course sharing menu, championing seasonal produce from the North West and pouring bottles of natural wine. The sharing menu is £45 per guest with an optional wine pairing for £25. Wines by the glass, cans of Manchester brewed beer and wines by the bottle will also be available on the night.

There will be 40 tickets available for each dinner, with the first two weekends in October available to reserve from Friday 4^th September via Tock. The maximum table size is six guests, with pre-payment for the food menu required when booking.

Joseph and Richard of Higher Ground said: "We couldn’t be more excited to bring our style of cooking and approach to service to DSW. DSW have provided us with an ideal platform to work from and we once again look forward to connecting with the many producers and farmers in the local area."

Jacqui Griffiths, General Manager at Native Manchester & Ducie Street Warehouse, said: “Native have been exploring different options for the restaurant at Ducie Street and a collaboration with the Higher Ground team felt like the perfect way to relaunch the space. We are passionate about working with local operators, which is also a key focus for Joseph and Richard and we’re delighted to be able to offer them a platform to continue their journey. Over the last few months we’ve seen the ground floor come to life again, creating a safe and vibrant space, and this collaboration will help to create even further buzz and excitement.”

To book a table, click here.