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Have you ever fancied spending a night at a museum? Well it looks like visitors to Manchester will soon get the chance to stay at one of the city’s most historic buildings.
The Landmark Trust is working with the Museum of Science and Industry to convert the Georgian Station Agent’s House into a holiday let.
As Ethan Davies reports, the property - most recently used as offices - is so old that it actually predates the museum’s Grade I listed 1830 Station. Built in 1808 for John Rothwell, partner in a nearby dyeworks, the house provided accommodation for the Station Agent at Liverpool Road Station before being converted for shop use in the mid-20th century.
Bosses are aiming to bring every aspect of the MOSI site, in Castlefield, into use and are currently restoring the Power Hall, 1830 Station and have plans for new galleries and outdoor experiences.
Sheona Southern, managing director of Marketing Manchester, says Station Agent’s House will complement local gems such as the Castlefield Viaduct and Factory International. “Manchester’s rich history is woven into the fabric of Station Agent’s House and we are thrilled to see the Landmark Trust’s redevelopment plans that will preserve its incredible heritage while opening up a new chapter for the building,” she says.
Families paying a ‘devastating’ price
The number of emergency food parcels handed out to hungry families across Greater Manchester has almost doubled in the last five years.
The Trussell Trust distributed 138,347 aid packages in our region in the year to March. That compares to the 70,831 between April 2017 and March 2018 - a 95 per cent increase. The figures include all boroughs but Bury, as the charity has no foodbank there.
As the cost of living crisis bites, bosses at the charity say an increasing number of people are being left with no option but to turn to charity to get by. And the most recent figures also show the level of need was greater than during the first year of the pandemic.
Charity bosses say the level of need across the network is ‘far outstripping the donations that we’ve been receiving’, meaning food banks are having to purchase more food themselves and source more warehouse space to store it.
The charity said food banks are also having to extend their opening hours to accommodate employed people who need to access their emergency support around their working patterns.
Help from the Government in the form of the Cost of Living Payments did result in a temporary dip in need for food banks, the charity said, but the organisation criticised the short-term nature of support.
The charity’s senior research manager Emma Newbury says respite provided by cost of living payments has been ‘short-lived’ and shows that ‘one-off payments are unable to make lasting difference when people’s regular income from social security and work is just too low for them to be able to afford the essentials’.
'It leaves you speechless. But we’re doing what we can'
Nigel Tedford, general manager of Stockport food bank, says he has seen the numbers double locally year-on-year. “It’s horrible for the folks we have to help,” he says.
“Energy prices and the cost of living crisis are definitely part of it. But there’s also been a fallout in terms of people’s employment since the pandemic. A lot of people had a change in employment circumstances which has an effect on their families. I think the pandemic has had a residual effect so people have had a triple whammy.
“To ask families on low incomes, in low paid jobs or on benefits to have to deal with all these extra elements has led to queues outside the foodbank every time we open. We had a session this morning in Heald Green and there were 12 people queuing outside the door straight away. They are now in a situation where they need to get the food so they can cook it and eat it as soon as possible.”
Stockport foodbank has ‘no shortage of food’ thanks to shops and organisations which have been supporting the charity for years. But volunteers need to evolve all the time as a far wider range of people now visit for emergency packages. Vegetarian and Halal food is available and kettle boxes are more popular as people struggle to afford fuel to cook the food they have been given.
“We are seeing an increasing number of people who are either homeless, sofa surfing or can’t afford to cook and are after something they can just open and eat straight away. We are giving away bread every day and tins of beans and tuna because they can’t afford to heat it,” Nigel says. He says there is ‘no doubt’ people eat beans and tinned food cold, straight from the can - and there is an increasing demand for tin openers.
“It’s horrendous. How are folk living without the support they need? It leaves you speechless. But we’re doing what we can to help,” he adds.
Nigel was instrumental in setting up the first foodbank in Stockport in 2012. In those early days he says single men and mums were the most common customers. Today he says almost anyone from any background can be vulnerable and in need of help.
“The stereotypical mum, dad and two children who you think would be self-sufficient are finding it just as tough as everyone else. And it spans the ages.
“You do get a sense that there is an element of people in jobs who are working 37, 40 hours a week but are still struggling. We would have thought five years ago people in full time work wouldn’t need a foodbank - today that’s not the case. People from all walks of life need our help. And increasingly the elderly are needing help.”
Trussell Trust foodbanks now have Citizens Advice professional stationed there and volunteers also help with school uniforms and seasonal treats like Easter eggs and advent calendars as well as essential supplies.
“It can be very harrowing,” Nigel says. “You can come into the foodbank in the morning with a smile on your face and by the end of the session you think ‘goodness, all these people in these difficult situations’. You often think ‘there but for the grace of god go I’.
“We’ve got about 160 volunteers in Stockport all with a desire to help - that’s the driver. They want to make a difference.”
People are being pushed deeper into hardship
The Trussell Trust wants the Government to make a long-term commitment that benefit rates will always be enough to afford the essentials, urging that the principle of a minimum Universal Credit to protect people from going without essentials be enshrined in law. The organisation also said the Government should set out a long-term strategy for local crisis support and commit to a multi-year settlement of funding.
It referred to YouGov online polling of more than 12,000 UK adults on behalf of the Trussell Trust in August and September last year which suggested 77 per cent of respondents think food banks should not be needed in the UK, 93 per cent feel everyone should be able to buy enough food for themselves and their family and 85 per cent think ensuring everyone has enough money for basic needs should be a high priority for the UK Government.
Emma Revie, the trust’s chief executive, says the latest figures are ‘extremely concerning and show that an increasing number of people are being left with no option but to turn to charitable, volunteer-run organisations to get by and this is not right’.
“For too long people have been going without because social security payments do not reflect life’s essential costs and people are being pushed deeper into hardship as a result. If we are to stop this continued growth and end the need for food banks then the UK Government must ensure that the standard allowance of Universal Credit is always enough to cover essential costs,” she said.
Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth says the ‘devastating’ increase in emergency food parcels is the ‘price families are paying for 13 years of Tory economic failure’.
Nationally, a record 2,986,203 emergency food parcels were handed out at food banks in the year to March, with the number provided for children topping a million for the first time. That’s a 37 per cent increase on the previous year and the most food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network have ever distributed in a single year. Some 1,139,553 parcels were distributed for children, up from 835,879 the previous year and a rise from less than 500,000 in the 2017–2018 year.
In a sign of what the charity says is increasing need amid the cost-of-living crisis, more than 760,000 people - more than the population of Sheffield - used a food bank in the network for the first time. This was a 38 per cent rise on first-time users compared to the same period last year.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to eradicating poverty and we recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living which is why we have uprated benefits by 10.1 per cent as well as making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month.
“This is on top of changes already made to Universal Credit which mean claimants can keep more of their hard-earned money – a boost worth £1,000 a year on average.
“We are also providing record levels of direct financial support for the most vulnerable – £1,200 last year and a further £1,350 in 2023/24, with over eight million families starting to receive their first £301 Cost of Living instalment from yesterday – while the Household Support Fund is helping people with essential costs.”
'Culture of lawlessness'
An MP and Salford's mayor have written to the government demanding an 'urgent' review into Forest Bank prison following an M.E.N. investigation.
John Scheerhout’s feature revealed allegations of widespread drug use and inmates who 'run the wings' at the privately-run prison, in Agecroft.
Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey has called for the Ministry of Justice to cancel a billion pound contract it has with Sodexo. And both she and Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett have written to new justice secretary Alex Chalk to demand an 'urgent investigation' for the privately-run prison to be 'brought under Government control with immediate effect'.
The investigation, based on allegations from a whistleblower, an ex-prisoner and his father and the family of a grandfather who died in his cell, exposed what Ms Bailey branded a 'culture of lawlessness' at the jail.
It revealed that drugs are rife, smuggled in via 'legal letters'; inmates brew their own hooch; violence is commonplace and inmates 'run the wings' and staff feel 'unsafe'.
Sodexo's contract to run the prison ends on January 19, 2025. Back in 1998, it was awarded a deal worth £1,006,771,964 to design, build and run the prison built on the site of the former Agecroft power station under a private finance initiative to house a maximum 1,064 inmates. The deal was to last 25 years, before being extended.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Privately-run prisons are among the best performing across the estate and have been consistently praised by independent inspectors."
Stockport chef at Chelsea
Sam Buckley - the chef and owner of Stockport restaurant Where The Light Gets In - will become the first ever ‘chef in residence’ at the Chelsea Flower Show. Sam will be in charge of the show’s first ‘working kitchen’ at the world famous horticultural show, as Ben Arnold reports.
The garden has been devised by award-winning designer Mark Gregory, in partnership with the real estate firm Savills, and works on the idea of ‘plot to plate’. Sam will be foraging food from the garden and using it to create menus from the kitchen during the show, which starts next month.
Any food that’s not used will be kept and used for menus the next day, ensuring that nothing is wasted.
Sam grows the restaurant’s own food on the roof of the Merseyway shopping centre and provides urban green space for the town. He was given one of the first Michelin ‘green stars’ last year for his work in sustainability.
“This plays very much to the responsive cooking style followed in my restaurant, where menus are inspired by local produce and whatever is ripe on The Landing, our own growing space in Stockport,” he says.
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Weather etc
- Thursday: Cloudy changing to heavy rain in the afternoon. 13C.
- 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: Liverpool Road Station, the Manchester terminus of the world’s first steam-powered, inter-city railway, is in which part of the city centre?
Manchester headlines
Collision: Two teenage boys were rushed to hospital after being hit by a tram in Wythenshawe on Tuesday night. Witnesses described 'chaotic' scenes as emergency services swarmed the area, cordoning off the tram lines beside the Baguley Metrolink stop, beside Southmoor Road. Police raced to the scene of the collision shortly after 8.30pm, where it was established two teenage boys, who were riding on a bike, had been involved in a collision with the tram, which was heading towards Manchester city centre. Both boys were taken to hospital. Police said they did not appear to have sustained serious or life-threatening injuries.
RBH boss: The new chief executive of scandal-hit Rochdale Boroughwide Housing will earn roughly £170,000 per year. The housing provider was slammed following the death of Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old toddler who was exposed to mould and damp while living at an RBH property on the Freehold estate. Following Awwab’s death, the Manchester Evening News and charity Shelter campaigned to change the law in order to shake-up the social housing sector. RBH’s chief executive, Gareth Swarbrick, was sacked and interim, Yvonne Arrowsmith was put in temporary charge of the organisation. Now RBH is looking for a permanent CEO to take the role and a job advert confirmed the new boss will earn ‘circa £168,000 per annum’. More here.
No phones: American comedian and actor Kevin Hart was at Manchester’s AO Arena on Tuesday for a huge stand-up gig as part of his UK arena tour. But there was a caveat for those attending the show - it was phone-free to ensure both he and the audience ‘enjoy the show in the moment without distraction’. Guests were asked to silence their phones and remove smartwatches before all devices were secured in a pouch. Guests could only access their devices in designated Phone User Areas within the venue. Those who refuse to comply will be asked to leave his shows.
Axed: A school bus route in Trafford has been axed 'until further notice' after operator Little Gem suddenly stopped running services. Nine other routes in south Manchester and Trafford have also been withdrawn following the company's surprise announcement. But emergency cover for several routes formerly run by Little Gem in Manchester, Trafford, Tameside and Stockport has been found, Transport for Greater Manchester said. Little Gem informed TfGM of the move on Friday morning - with services ceasing the day after. New operators are being sought for Little Gem services, with a view to new contracts starting on Tuesday May 2, TfGM said. More here.
Worth a read
“I’ve been coming in here for 53 years, since I was 10,” says Rick Whitby of his beloved Queens Hotel, in Monsall.
Landlords of the Sedgeford Road pub have lost their alcohol and entertainment licence after police said they ‘could not guarantee the safety of the staff and customers of the pub’. The April 6 decision followed a temporary suspension - triggered by an incident outside another north Manchester pub involving ‘a machete and a gun' on March 12 - which Greater Manchester Police believe was connected to organised crime groups.
But locals feel like they are paying the price and being 'labelled' for problems in the area which have nothing to do with them. Ricky says he’s ‘flabbergasted’ at the decision and says ‘nothing really bad’ ever happens in the pub.
“Most evenings we come in here. I feel relaxed when I come, it’s nice getting company and seeing your friends,” he told George Lythgoe. “Nothing really bad happens in the actual pub, it happens on the estate itself outside.”
George headed to the Queens to chat to punters, who say the pub has been the backbone of this north Manchester community for decades and they’ll be very sad to see it go.
You can read the full piece here.
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: Castlefield
