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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
If there’s one thing traffic cops enjoy, it’s a good pun. And when they caught an ice cream van driver speeding in Salford, they couldn’t resist sharing the details on social media.
The red Mr Whippy van was caught travelling at 62mph along the A6 Broad Street by Greater Manchester Police's traffic unit, as Chris Slater reports. It elicited quite the reaction online…
On to the rest of the day’s news.
We’re talking Oi Polloi, Manchester’s Eurovision plans and the end of an iconic music venue in today’s newsletter. Let’s begin.
Hitting the streets with the council candidates
Our team of local democracy reporters have been out and about across Greater Manchester this month, chatting to voters about the upcoming local elections. They’ve garnered a range of reactions, from apathy in Fallowfield to real passion in Wigan.
In Middleton, Nick Statham found one voter predominantly concerned with pigeon poo. While in Leigh, George Lythgoe found voters who wanted to hear more from their local representatives.
Meanwhile, the candidates themselves have walked miles, handed out thousands of leaflets and even dealt with broken shoes during the campaign trail, as George found out. He met up with candidates in Wigan who told him they spend three to four hours each morning pushing red leaflets through letterboxes in the Aspull ward before heading back out in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Independent Network’s James Fish told George he ‘needs a new pair of shoes’ as he’s walked so much around the Tyldesley and Mosley Common ward he hopes to become a councillor in.
“It’s tough because you have a short period of time, but if you plan everything in advance it’s doable,” James said, after describing days where he has done 30,000 steps going door to door. “My plan was to get leaflets out before postal votes go out.
“Half of the electorate votes on the day in Mosley Common so it’s pointless if half my voters come from there but I start on the other side of Tyldesley. You’ve got to look at this like a business and aim your approach based on your customers.”
You can read the full piece here.
'Unsustainable'
Workers at The Christie are due to strike on Tuesday after rejecting a government pay offer. Unite members working for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Christie Pathology Partnership will stage a walkout.
Members in all departments say there are staffing shortages, leading to impacts on services and unsustainable workloads. Those set to strike include intensive care unit nurses, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clinical scientists, pharmacists, biomedical scientists and estates staff.
Venue where The Beatles played could be demolished
It was the venue of The Beatles only Oldham show - but the historic former snooker hall is soon to be demolished.
As Charlotte Green reports, the unlisted red brick building on King Street was previously used as Riley’s Snooker Hall and as a home for the Rainy City Roller Derby team under the name of the Thunderdome. But it’s been standing empty for several years.
Plans to sell it to the council fell through and the building was sold in May last year for £825,000, according to the Land Registry. Now an application has been lodged with Oldham Council for its demolition.
Originally built in 1908 as the Grand Theatre, it was radically altered in 1937 by Gaumont Super Cinemas. Archive footage shows the Gaumont cinema being opened by George Formby, who was received by the Mayor and watched by a large crowd.
After closing as a cinema in 1961 it was later used as a concert hall called The Astoria Ballroom and the Beatles performed there during their only Oldham gig in 1963. It was also used as a bowling alley, a nightclub and a snooker hall before being taken over by the roller derby group.
A little museum within a shop
Here’s an innovative advertising idea for you - Wigan band the Lottery Winners are opening up a special pop-up shop for an all-day Bank Holiday party. The band opened up the exclusive shop on the site of the old Argos, on Spinning Gate, in Leigh, today as they released their latest album, Anxiety Replacement Therapy.
It’s open until next Thursday and will sell merchandise and copies of the latest album in a bid to help the band reach the coveted number one position on the UK’s official album charts.
‘It’s quite strange and emotional to see your entire body of work in one place,” bass player Katie Lloyd told Adam Maidment. “So many memories and happy times. We’re very proud of everything we’ve achieved.”
Lead guitarist Rob Lally adds: “We’ve even created a little museum within the shop using all of the props from our music videos. It’s so cool to see everything we’ve done all laid out in one place.”
Eurovision to be shown in Piccadilly Gardens
Fancy watching Eurovision with hundreds of people? Well you can do just that when the show is aired on huge screens in Piccadilly Gardens.
The semi-finals and the grand final will be shown at three events live on May 9, 11 and 13, with a number of food and drink stalls operating throughout each night. Access to each event will be free with no tickets required but they will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
Around 1,000 people will be able to enjoy each of the semi-finals on May 9 and 11, whilst capacity will be expanded for the Grand Final on Saturday, May 13 to allow up to 5,000 people to celebrate the event in Piccadilly Gardens.
The Grand Final will also be screened at more than 500 cinema screens across the UK, including Vue Manchester Printworks and Vue Manchester Quayside at The Lowry.
Don’t forget that if you plan to use public transport that day, you may struggle as the rail union RMT have announced another strike day across 14 train operators on May 13.
‘A metamorphosed form’
“Oi Polloi has not bit the dust,” say founders of the iconic Northern Quarter menswear shop.
Owners of the beloved indie have aimed to set the record straight on the future of the Oi Polloi brand following news that the Thomas Street store would close. Although the message they shared on Instagram was rather cryptic and not exactly clear about the future plans, as Jenna Campbell reports.
New owners of the store retail giants JD Sports are planning a rebrand the premises. But Oi Polloi bosses say the clothing brand has ‘not bit the dust’. “We are having to go into hibernation for a bit, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a torched public-use e-bike, we will rise again. Huge changes are on the horizon, some good, some not so much… so let’s start with that,” they wrote. “Unfortunately, our beloved Manchester outpost on Thomas Street has sadly retired to the big pearly white retail park in the sky.”
They continued that Oi Polloi will live on ‘albeit in a metamorphosed form’. “We’re going back to the source of the Oi Polloi wellspring, taking a dip, then marching into hitherto uncharted zones with a invigorated pep in our step.”
So, make of that what you will.
Making the most of your extra day off
It’s going to be a bumper month of bank holiday weekends. And while all attention will be on the coronation and street parties next weekend, the early May bank holiday offers a chance to make the most of an extra day off.
There’s plenty of things to do across Greater Manchester and our What’s On writers Jenna Campbell and Ben Arnold have compiled a big list here.
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Weather etc
Saturday: Cloudy changing to light showers by lunchtime. 17C.
Road closures: A662 Pollard Street, New Islington, in both directions closed due to roadworks from Boond Street to A665 Great Ancoats Street. Until May 10.
Trivia question: Where do The Hallé perform?
Manchester headlines
Care home plans: Middleton’s old town hall could be demolished to make way for new houses and an 80-bed care home. Parkfield House, on Manchester Old Road, was the former municipal borough’s HQ before the local government shake-up of 1974 put the town under Rochdale council’s administration. Later bought by the North West Water Authority, the now vacant building was most recently used as offices for security firm Chubb. It dates to the mid-1960s. Having stood empty for three years, Muller Property Group has submitted plans to demolish the ‘brutalist’ structure and replace it with 20 two and four-bed town houses, as well as an 80-bed care home. More here.
Closure: Hit Thai BBQ restaurant Neon Tiger is to close, owners have confirmed. In a post to social media, headlined ‘Thank you Manchester’, the restaurant said that it will be shutting up shop on Sunday. “We’ll see you for a send-off drink or two this week…. remember when it’s gone, it’s GONE!” they wrote on social media. “Then, we might just see you again, only in a different form. Keep your eyes peeled, but for now, thank you again.” The restaurant opened last June and was run by brothers Dan and Ben Morris, Dan also being the managing director of Escape To Freight Island and a veteran of the Manchester hospitality scene.
Panacea: Iconic 00s celeb spot Panacea could be reopening at its old home in Deansgate, according to a new licence application. The legendary nightclub first opened on John Dalton Street in 2005 and became a hotspot for WAGs, soap stars, footballers and Manchester’s celebs including Ricky Hatton, Michelle Keagan and Calum Best. The venue closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, yet never reopened. The Restaurant Bar and Grill, which was situated above the nightclub, was permanently shut down by owner Individual Restaurants as part of the axing of 28 restaurants across the UK. Panacea boss Joe Akka has gone on to open The Counter House on Blossom Street in Ancoats, which specialises in health-inspired dishes. Now a licence application has been filed with Manchester City Council for the use of a restaurant and bar in the basement of Ridgefield House, 14 John Dalton Street. More here.
Worth a read
Rami Mwamba asked ChatGPT to plan him a weekend city break in Manchester for under £300. Rudy's Pizza, the Curry Mile and Manchester Museum were among the suggestions offered up by the artificial intelligence tool.
But how did it fare otherwise? Well, it did tell Rami to leave his hometown of Leigh via train - something that’s impossible due to the town’s lack of a railway station. And it suggested staying at a hostel that isn’t currently taking bookings. It also gave a rather modest and perhaps unrealistic estimate of how much you could expect to spend on drinks and entrance fees during a night out in the Gay Village (£20-£30).
But aside from that, it seems to have done pretty well. All hail the robot overlords.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: The Bridgewater Hall
