From a Spanish feast to a mouth-watering Afternoon Tea bundle - both delivered straight to her doorstop – the Great Northern Warehouse has lots on offer to inspire your homage to Mum.

ALEX’S BAKERY

Let mum indulge in a selection of sweet treats from Alex’s Bakery. For Mother’s Day the bakery, thanks to its home to mouth-watering brownie boxes, is spreading the love with a delectable afternoon tea basket which can be collected or delivered locally. 

With a selection of tasty sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, brownies, blondies, quiche Lorraine and that all-important cup of tea all for just £29.90, it’s a real feast and guaranteed to impress on her special day.

EVUNA

Transport mum to sun-drenched Spain with Evuna’s heat-to-eat, ‘Evuna at Home’ meal box experience.

Evuna has hand-picked a selection of its favourite Spanish dishes to feature on the collectable feast, with plenty of veggie options including a delicious paella packed with a mixture of tasty vegetables.

Don’t forget the booze on mum’s special day! Evuna has a fantastic ‘Mother’s Day Trio’ deal to help her celebrate in style which features three bottles of fizz including the award-winning Navaren Cava. The trio is currently on offer for £35.00 – saving you £4.50 from the original price of £39.50.

Finally, as an extra special treat this year, Evuna is adding an extra £5 onto any gift cards purchased with £35 or more on! Perfect for when restaurants open up again

DORMOUSE CHOCOLATES

Let’s face it, nothing quite says, ‘I love you’ like Manchester’s most luxurious and indulgent Chocolatier’s Dormouse Chocolates. Your Mum will be in Chocolate heaven with an award-winning range that makes a perfect gift, she might even share! 

The Anatomical Heart chocolate is a unique gift she’ll simply love. Cast in a selection of our bean to bar chocolate origins and dusted with an edible shimmer. For a present that will last, grab her a Podmouse Pin. The small enamel pin badge with a glitter finish, will give mum 10% off all purchases when wearing in the shop, she will also receive a discount code valid for 1 year online.

THE LIFE CENTRE

Mums definitely deserve some time for self-care and a break away from the mayhem. The perfect gift this Mother’s Day is brought to you by The Life Centre who are offering a whole month of unlimited virtual yoga for £39, or treat to her a one-off drop-in session for only £5. 

Get in your Mum’s good books and treat her to this absolute gem of a deal that will add positive yoga vibes to the rest of her month.

3Hands Deli

The tastiest deli in town and the perfect place to buy delicious, fresh produce in preparation for the big day (not to mention grabbing yourself one of its famous toasties whilst you’re there!).

With the incredible sourdough, amazing cheeses and a great selection of pickles, ferments and home-baked goods, you can’t go wrong this Mother’s Day.

Forever Manchester

For every Mancunian mum there’s a perfect Mother’s Day gift from local charity, Forever Manchester. With a full range dedicated to all things Manchester and all proceeds going to support local communities across Greater Manchester, what more could mum want?

There’s a wonderful selection of gifts to choose from including a unique collection of 11 iconic designs of landmarks, buildings and spaces across Manchester, including Northern Quarter, Fallowfield and Hacienda.

Why not also grab the Great Northerners Postcard collection by Stanley Chow featuring a range of Manchester icons, all voted for by Great Northern Warehouse visitors, including Liam Gallagher, Caroline Aherne, Tony Wilson, Alan Turing, Emmeline Pankhurst and more. 

The set of 14 postcards, featuring all of the Stan Chow's 'Great Northerners' designs, retail at just £14.00 and all profits go to Forever Manchester.

The wonderful portraits also form a permanent exhibition at the Great Northern Warehouse.

PLATZKI

Spoil mum with a £25 gift card to Manchester’s favourite Polish eatery, Platzki’s, which she can enjoy now with collection or just save until Government restrictions are lifted so she can fully enjoy the delicacy.

She can choose from a range of tasty treats including a mouth-watering Polish baked cheesecake to the sweet pierogi, Polish dumplings filled with cottage cheese and blueberries topped with butter and village sugar – both superb as desserts and available for collection now.

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

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2021/03/mothers-day-gifts-from-the-great-northern-warehouse-b1513#comments1513 Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2021/03/manchester-literature-festival-spring-programme-announced-b1512 Manchester Literature Festival Spring Programme Announced with Kazuo Ishiguro & Jackie Kay in conversation and a series of exclusive new writing commissions to be performed at the Festival Manchester Literature Festival Spring Programme Announced with Kazuo Ishiguro & Jackie Kay in conversation and a series of exclusive new writing commissions to be performed at the Festival                                              

Manchester Literature Festival’s Spring digital programme launches with Kazuo Ishiguro and Jackie Kay in conversation about his new novel, Klara and The Sun alongside new writing commissions by poets Roger Robinson and Caleb Femi.

Kazuo Ishiguro & Jackie Kay in Conversation

19 – 26 April 2021

This event will be first broadcast at 7.30pm on Mon 19 April 2021 and available to watch for 7 days. The event will be pre-recorded and captioned.

‘Do you believe in the human heart?’ In his magnificent new novel Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro asks whether humans are unique and, if we are, what makes us so? A story of connection, understanding and hope, seen through the eyes of an Artificial Friend, it is Kazuo Ishiguro at his finest. Manchester Literature Festival is thrilled to welcome Kazuo to the Festival to discuss his work, his characters, and his love of music with poet and MLF Patron Jackie Kay. Kazuo is the author of eight previous books including The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both of which have sold over a million copies and were made into acclaimed films. His work has been translated into over fifty foreign languages and he has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize four times, winning in 1989. In 2017, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for novels which ‘uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world’.

Tickets for this event are available on a Pay What You Can basis: £6 (low income / concession), £12 (standard ticket) or £20 (per household). Any ticket revenue received will help Manchester Literature Festival survive this challenging time and deliver its annual festival in October 2021.

Roger Robinson

Hosted by Malika Booker

25 March – 1 April 2021

This event will be first broadcast at 7.30pm on Thursday 25 March 2021 and be available to watch for 7 days. The event will be pre-recorded and captioned.

One of the most prominent voices in the Black-British writing canon, Roger Robinson is a celebrated poet and musician who has performed around the world. His 2019 poetry collection A Portable Paradise, which included heart-wrenching poems about the Grenfell disaster, being Black British in the UK, and fatherhood, won the T.S. Eliot Prize and the RSL Ondaatje Prize. He has previously created commissioned work for The National Trust, London Open House, BBC, The National Portrait Gallery and Theatre Royal Stratford East where he also was associate artist.

In a new commission written especially for Manchester Literature Festival, Roger will explore the idea of Black Lives Matter and how it pertains to the Black British experience. Roger will perform his new poems for the first time, followed by a conversation about his work with poet Malika Booker.

This is one of a series of New Commissions supported by an award from the DCMS Culture Recovery Fund and presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.

Caleb Femi

Hosted by Vanessa Kisuule

8 April – 15 April 2021

This event will be first broadcast at 7.30pm on Thursday 8 April 2021 and be available to watch for 7 days. The event will be pre-recorded and captioned.

A rising star on the British poetry scene, Caleb Femi’s debut collection Poor considers what it is to be a young, working class Black man, living in South London in the 21^st Century. One of two poets shortlisted for the 2021 Rathbones Folio Prize, Max Porter describes him as ‘a poet of truth and rage, heartbreak and joy.’ Caleb is a poet and director and has previously been commissioned by organisations including BBC, Channel 4, Tate Modern and The Guardian. From 2016 – 2018, he was the Young People’s Laureate for London.

In a new commission written especially for Manchester Literature Festival, Caleb will explore the impact of solitude during the pandemic, touching on themes of the inner and physical self, friendship, imagination as a coping tool, and joy. Caleb will perform his new poems for the first time, followed by a conversation about his work with fellow poet and host Vanessa Kisuule.

This is one of a series of New Commissions supported by an award from the DCMS Culture Recovery Fund and presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.

Tickets for these events are priced as pay what you can: £6 (low income/concession), £12 (standard ticket) or £20 (per household) plus some free for those without the means to pay. Any ticket revenue received will help Manchester Literature Festival survive this challenging time and deliver its annual festival in October 2021.

Tickets are available to book via the Manchester Literature Festival website from midday on Friday 26 February or via the MLF Eventbrite page

Join the conversation: #MLF21 @McrLitFest

Contact Theatre’s beloved celebration of queer culture returns for 2021

Originally planned for February 2021, Contact can now reveal the new dates for the festival - 29 April – 1 May.

Queer Contact began over a decade ago and has since become a staple of Manchester’s queer arts scene. The annual Vogue Ball, is a riotous head-to-head display of skills from Vogue houses across the North West, has become a legendary event. In February 2020, Vogue Ball was the last live event to be produced by Contact before the pandemic forced theatres across the UK to close down.

Tickets are already on sale for one of the highlights, a conversation with legendary TV writer Russell T Davies (It’s a Sin, Queer as Folk, Doctor Who) and It’s A Sin actor Nathaniel Hall. Nathaniel has already made waves in recent month around his activism on HIV, and together he and Davies will be discussing portrayals of HIV and AIDS on stage and screen.

As the Vogue Ball can’t return in physical format, Contact will be taking the party online. Cheddar Gorgeous, star of Channel 4’s Drag SOS, will be hosting an interactive cabaret featuring a diverse range of acts and faces, followed by a party with Manchester-based DJ collective RebeccaNeverBecky. Meanwhile author Dean Atta, named as one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday, will be reading from and discussing his Stonewall Book Award-winning debut novel Black Flamingo.

Contact Theatre is well known for its commitment to young and early-career artists, and Queer Contact’s line-up is no exception. Several films by young, queer Manchester-based artists will premier during the festival, each exploring different elements of queer identity. Meanwhile, writer, poet and performer Ella Otomewo will be hosting a spoken word event, and musician Deanz will chat to vogue performer Oskar Marchock about queering dance hall music.

All events are on sale from 12pm, Tuesday 23 February.

We are so grateful to the many people who recently helped to secure People’s History Museum’s immediate future through a Crowdfunder. The future looks a lot brighter thanks to the support, kind words and solidarity people have given.

Unfortunately, due to the national lockdown, the museum must currently remain closed, which has added to the pressures we face.  If you share our vision for a fairer society where people’s voices and actions can make a difference and believe in a museum that inspires with the stories of ideas worth fighting for, please consider a one-off donation, or Join the Radicals to give regularly.

Find out more: https://phm.org.uk/support-us/.

The learning experience is brought to life through the examination of original artefacts and documents, the use of specially commissioned illustrations and animations, and the opportunity to watch compelling historical testimony and speeches – some dramatised for the first time.  The sessions are led by expert archivists, curators and historians.

Taking place on the FutureLearn platform Peterloo to the Pankhursts: Radicalism and Reform in the 19th Century’ takes four weeks, requiring five hours of weekly study.  For further information visit: futurelearn.com/courses/peterloo-to-the-pankhursts-radicalism-and-reform-in-the-nineteenth-century

Discover all the Ideas Worth Exploring at home and online activitiesat home and online activities.

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2021/02/peterloo-to-the-pankhursts-radicalism-and-reform-in-the-19th-century-b1506#comments1506 Thu, 18 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2021/02/create-the-space-national-football-museum-talks-b1505 The National Football Museum is running three online events about representation, identity and mental health in football.

ONLINE EVENTS LOOK AT REPRESENTATION, IDENTITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

The National Football Museum is running three online events about representation, identity and mental health in football.

Create The Space sessions are free to attend. Join footballers, journalists, curators and experts as they explore key issues within the game.

The museum is working with Kick It Out and Football v Homophobia on the talks which are available to watch on Crowdcast.

Friday 19 February, 7pm

LGBT+ IDENTITY IN WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Hall of Fame inductee Lily Parr is one of LGBT+ History Month's Faces of the Year. In the first of our Create the Space talks, the National Football Museum teams up with Football v Homophobia to discuss LGBT+ identity in the women's game, how it has changed through the decades, and our collective responsibility to tell the stories of those players.

Panel: Sky Sports presenter Jess Creighton (host); England and Aston Villa defender Anita Asante; Crystal Palace goalkeeper and Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Goal Diggers FC, Chloe Morgan; National Football Museum Curator of Women's Football, Belinda Scarlett; Director of Pride Sports, Lou Englefield; co-chair of Proud Lilywhites, Chris Paouros.

Register to watch here

Monday 8 March, 12pm

UNDERREPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN FOOTBALL

Football is one of the most popular (and lucrative) sports in the world, creating roles and opportunities on and off the pitch. So why do women often find themselves consigned to the sidelines? We discuss the historical and modern issues in two panel talks with Kick It Out.

Looking Back Panel: Kick It Out Raise Your Game Co-ordinator Crystal Davis; Leicester City Women captain Holly Morgan; National Football Museum Curator of Women's Football, Belinda Scarlett.

The Present Panel: Kick It Out Game Changers Zuleikha Chikh and Maria-Jose Martinez; freelance journalist Renuka Odedra; National Football Museum's Jessica Furness.

Register to watch here

Thursday 11 March, 8PM

TWELVE MONTHS FROM THE TERRACES

It's almost been a full year since the pandemic forced clubs to close their turnstiles. Players are plying their trade in front of little more than cameras and club staff, while supporters remain unable to share the matchday experience in person. Our panel discusses the effect on the mental health of footballers and fans alike, the game's response to events, and what more can be done within the game.

Panel: Heart's Emil Franchi (host); Crystal Palace Women forward Amber Keegan Stobbs; FSA Chief Executive Kev Miles; Get Your Head in the Game author Dominic Stevenson; cognitive behavioural therapist and writer Saiqa Naz.

Register to watch here

Create The Space more details.

Two brand-new digital works by Hot Brown Honey and Esosa Ighodaro will be available this Thursday, 11 February, via HOME’s website, homemcr.org.

The works are part of HOME’s Homemakers series, launched in April last year, which commissions theatre and live art markers to create work at home, for an audience who are also at home.

The Manchester arts centre are also launching five open-call commissions for the series, with £1,000 plus a split of the box office income available to each successful artist.

Don’t Touch My Hair is a five-minute flashback to one of the finest moments from Hot Brown Honey, the extraordinary stageshow created by director Lisa Fa’alafi and musical director Kim ‘Busty Beatz’ Bowers, blending together clips from performances across the world to create a defiant musical blast that’s equal parts social activism and earworm and entirely what the world needs right now.

Hot Brown Honey said: “Don't Touch My Hair is a reality that many Honeys around the globe have had to deal with. Hot Brown Honey have been performing Don't Touch My Hair live since 2014 and decided here in the new normal, we have the opportunity to show our live performance in a new artistic way, adding collective voices from authors Emma Dabiri, Phoebe Robinson, Jessica Williams and Sharee Miller to artists Solange and FUPU. Our Hair is personal. Our Hair is political. Our Hair is powerful. Do Not Touch Our Hair. Repetition is key!”

In Esosa Ighodaro’s Dear People of No Colour, commissioned by the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, a woman prepares for a performance that cannot happen. The work has dried up. There’s nothing for anyone to succeed or fail at; there’s no need to be competitive. But this doesn’t mean that suddenly the playing field is a level one. 

Esosa is an emerging writer who has been working professionally as an actor since 2014, with roles in film, TV as well as theatre. She secured Screen Ireland funding as part of their Actor as Creator scheme 2020, to turn her script, Round Boxes into a short film. Esosa created and wrote Believe, a ten-part sitcom for Grand Explorer Studios, set to go into production in 2021.

A sharp reflection on race and identity, Dear People of No Colour imagines a space where we can breathe together. 

Esosa said: “Dear People of No Colour came about as a result of feeling like my viewpoint never got to be expressed in an Irish context. Instead of complaining about not being represented, I decided it was time to represent myself. In creating the piece I wanted to show a unity between people, and at the same time highlight that it has taken a global pandemic for people of no colour to experience what it feels like as a POC when you are treated like an outsider.”

Over 30 Homemakers works now available

More than 30 new Homemakers works have been commissioned since the series was launched. These include David Ellington’s poignant and political BSL poem, Liberty, captured on film, Matty Gurney’s Dr Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children, a dark, acerbic and witty dystopian vision of a world in which the roles are reversed – where hearing people are a minority, and Hester Chillingworth’s Them’s The Rules, a twenty-minute film that pushes to the edges of the new truth that, often, the only way to see a loved one is on a screen.

Hester says: “Them’s The Rules is a piece which absolutely comes from this new landscape of isolation and distance we’re in due to Covid - it was written during Lockdown 1 and made during Lockdown 2. But it also speaks more widely into life, asking questions about loss, the need for connection and the ways we process some of the core things about being human. I was super keen to work with Peter and Nicki on this, because siblings performing together opens up a really unique space, I think. There is an instant and irreplicable intimacy and shared history that holds everything, beyond the reaches of language and the usual negotiations of relationships between people.”

The series has received a swathe of four-and-five start reviews, with critics describing the shows as “audacious”, “frightening and funny in equal measure” and “a glorious antidote for our current terrifying and dull moment.”

Open call for new commissions

In addition to the new works, HOME are looking for five North West-based theatre or live-art makes to take on Homemakers commissions.

Jennie McCusker, Head of Talent Development at HOME, said: “We are delighted to be able to launch five more Homemakers commissions at the start of 2021 for North West artists to make some new projects and to connect with new audiences in new ways. The pandemic has been devastating for the freelance artistic community so we continue with our commitment to support artists by making as many opportunities available as we can to make and present work during these turbulent times.”

The selected artists will receive a fee of £1000, support from the team at HOME and a split of the box office income. The work needs to be new to the public, and will be made available online to audience’s via HOME’s website.

The commissioning process will follow HOME’s new application process, developed with the National Freelance Taskforce. The two-step process will require only a brief initial expression of interest for the first stage, with shortlisted applicants given financial and administrative support from HOME’s Talent Development team. The final works will be chosen by an independent panel of artists who are paid for their time, and all shortlisted applicants will receive detailed feedback from the panel.

Applications will open on February 11, with additional information available on HOME’s website, homemcr.org  

In ‘normal times’, our small team at Craft Beer Tour Manchester run tasting tours of the city, walking from one of Manchester’s finest craft breweries to the next. Unfortunately, our tours have not been possible since March 2020 and like many Manchester-based businesses, we have had to find ways to adapt to the new environment.

Since November 2020 we have been delivering live tasting sessions online so you can enjoy a craft beer experience from home. Each event runs in conjunction with a different craft brewery where we will explore four beers together in an interactive, guided tasting session.

Originally set up to explore the best of the Manchester craft beer scene, we’ve now been teaming up with breweries from all over the UK, as well as more from our home city. Each session includes four beers from one of your favourite breweries, who will guide us through each of them in turn. The sessions are intended to be very interactive and give you the chance to ask questions directly to the brewery.

We’ve now got events every Friday and Saturday evening to help get you through the rest of lockdown, and beyond!

Each event includes:

- Session ran in conjunction with a UK craft brewery.

- Four beers from the brewery delivered to each participant in advance of the session.

- UK delivery included in the price.

- A 1 ½ hour live tasting experience with the brewery as they guide us through the beers on offer via Zoom.

- Interactive session with the opportunity to ask questions about the beer direct to the brewery via Zoom chat.

- 50p from every person on the tour is donated to https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/

We have always donated part of our income to charity and for our virtual sessions in 2021, 50p from every ticket sold will be donated to The Campaign to End Loneliness. We believe it has never been more important to stay connected, when we have been forced to be disconnected in so many ways.

Join us for a beer (or four!) at one of our virtual sessions- can’t wait to see you there!

Tickets and full schedule available here:

https://craftbeertourmanchester.co.uk/virtual-tours/

February and March online activities from the national museum of democracy

People’s History Museum (PHM) has a packed programme of online activities to bring people together through conversation, stories, music and creativity taking place in the coming weeks.  From the little radicals in your family to the grown ups, all of the Ideas Worth Exploring reflect the spirit of the national museum of democracy and are inspired by stories of the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters and citizens who have championed for change and rallied for rights and equality for all.

Family Friendly events

Helping the youngest members of the family to find their voices is My First Protest Song, a fun session in which babies, tots and their grown ups are invited to join singer-songwriter Matt Hill for an interactive online performance.  With guitar in hand Matt will perform toe tapping songs that have helped to lead calls for change that you can sing along to or add musical accompaniment, the noisier the better! Running on Thursday 4 February, 11.00am to 11.40am and Saturday 6 March, 11.00am to 11.40am, the event is bookable in advance via Eventbrite.  Places are £6, £2 or free.

Taking its place as a regular online event for families from March is PHM’s bedtime story, with one of a special selection of tales created by the museum the focus of the fun each month.  For March Bedtime story: Mr Ordinary’s Prize will be on Thursday 18 March, 6.00pm to 6.30pm. Join actor, author and storyteller Emily Capstick, find a comfy spot and settle down for this adventure with a twist.  Each session is followed by some creative ideas to explore with your grown up reflecting the themes from the story.  Suitable for under 5s, this is a free event and welcomes donations, with booking details available here.

Creative activities

Whether you are a beginner or a skilled sewer you are invited to join artist Helen Mather for a gathering where stitching and chatting make the perfect combination.  February (Saturday 27 February, 2.00pm to 3.30pm) and March’s (Saturday 27 March, 2.00pm to 3.30pm) The Fabric of Protest sessions will be taking their influence from the banners reflecting past and present migration movements in PHM’s 2020-2021 Banner Exhibition.  Taking place on Zoom the sessions are suitable for over 11s, and anyone under 18 must have an adult present. Booking is essential in advance via Eventbrite, with places £6, £2 and free.

Younger creatives are invited to step into the imaginative world of Doodle Den, which begins with building your own special den as a space to relax and lose yourself in the fun and freedom of doodling.  Pick up a pen and pencil anytime you have some free time and scroll through the list of Doodle Den resources to see what inspires you.  Climate change, equal pay, migrant workers and votes for all are just some of the ideas to get you doodling, with all free to download and designed for those aged 5 years to adult.  The full Doodle Den collection is available here.

Radical Lates

February is LGBT+ History Month, which PHM will be marking with an evening of online talks as part of the OUTing the Past Festival on Thursday 11 February, 6.00pm to 8.30pm.  The evening will particularly look at how migration, the museum’s headline theme throughout the year, has influenced LGBT+ history and the fight for LGBT+ rights.

In Migration, Race & Empire: LGBT+ histories tour Maggy Moyo and Jenny White will explore PHM’s galleries and collections virtually, discussing issues such as how British colonialism exported homophobia around the world.  This is followed by a talk by artist Youcef Hadjazi, titled Queer Journeys’ Project and Beyond, in which he will share more about a project to explore and illustrate queer migrant journeys through zine-making.  The evening will finish with a performance, Category Mistake, by performance artist Mandla Rae and a Q&A session with all contributors facilitated by Zofia Kufeldt, PHM Programme Officer.  The event is bookable in advance via Eventbrite; full details of the programme, which is suitable for 18+ are available here, with donations welcome.

March’s Radical Late event (Thursday 11 March, 7.00pm to 8.30pm) will be the first chance to find out more about People’s History Museum’s More in Common project, one of the focal points for its exploration of migration throughout the year.  Inspired by the legacy of murdered MP Jo Cox (16 June 2016), More in Common is made up of a group of over 30 people from different backgrounds who have each made Manchester their home, coming together to share knowledge, experiences, and conversations.  There will be the chance to hear Kim Leadbeater, Jo Cox’s sister, talk about Jo’s vision and if the museum is back open take a virtual tour of the exhibition co-created by the project group, More in Common: in memory of Jo Cox.

Jo’s words “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us” will be leading much of the work taking place at PHM this year.  This free online event, with a donation suggested, will take place online with further details and booking information available here.

Online learning

You can join more than 8,000 people who have taken part in online course Peterloo to the Pankhursts: Radicalism and Reform in the 19th Century developed by People’s History Museum in partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London.  Expert archivists, curators and historians present a series of learning resources that begin at the formation of modern democratic ideas and end with the campaign for votes for women.  Materials from the collection of History of Parliament Trust, Parliamentary Archives and The National Archives are also featured. 

The course, which has received excellent reviews, takes four weeks to complete, is suitable for those aged 16+, requires five hours of study a week, and is free to join on FutureLearn. 

At present the doors of PHM are closed due to the national lockdown, however, online activities continue with all listed as part of the Ideas Worth Exploring programme here, including a 3D tour of the museum and more learning resources.  Many of PHM’s events are free and some have a small charge, but are designed to be fully accessible to all with lower price tickets for those on low incomes and free tickets to those who are unwaged or seeking asylum.  Online orders are available from PHM shop, which features items inspired by PHM’s collection, where all purchases support the museum.  You can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to receive PHM’s e-newsletter, subscribing to the blog, or following the museum on social media on Twitter @PHMMcr, Facebook @PHMMcr, and Instagram @phmmcr.

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