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Here is today's Mancunian Way:
Hello,
For Dawn Legge, travelling to Scotland to pay her respects to Queen Elizabeth II today was essential. “I needed to come. We needed to pay our respects, to mourn our Queen, before we want to celebrate our King,” she told BBC News.
Dawn travelled from Manchester and spent the night, along with thousands of others, queuing to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s coffin as it lay in rest at Edinburgh’s St Giles Cathedral. After passing the coffin she said there was ‘a relief now’. “We've done it, we've paid our respects.”
Nodding dogs
Greater Manchester Police’s former chief constable has denied a 'culture of cronyism' during his tenure. Sir Peter Fahy’s robust defence came at the continuing employment tribunal of retired officer Pete Jackson - who claims he was sidelined and passed over for promotion for making a series of 'protected disclosures'.
As crime reporter John Scheerhout reports, Sir Peter insisted he had improved the promotion process and made the 'quasi-military' organisation far more open to challenging voices. "I didn't want a force of nodding dogs," he said while speaking as a witness last week.
Questioned by Mr Jackson's lawyer, he denied an allegation he had harmed the public by promoting people into senior positions who weren't up to the job, based on their close relationships with senior officers rather than skill, ability and experience.
Sir Peter said he was aware of the perception of unfairness during his seven years as chief constable but he said he relied on his human resources department as well as 'opening up the force to outside scrutiny'. "In any organisation there's always that danger that people believe, to use the vernacular, that there are favoured children. It was part of our work to make sure that didn't happen," he said.
Proceeding
Danny Collins memorial
There will be a memorial tonight to mark the life of Manchester’s first homeless tour guide, Danny Collins. The veteran spent years living on the streets and worked with Invisible Manchester to run walking tours around the city centre.
During his moving and eye-opening tours - which were punctuated with readings of his original poems - Danny led visitors to the spots where he slept rough and spent much of his time when he was homeless.
He passed away in July, after a long illness, aged 66. Those who would like to attend are asked to register here.
Weather, etc.
- Wednesday: Sunny intervals changing to cloudy in the afternoon. 18C.
- Roads closed: One lane closed due to bridge maintenance work on M67 in both directions from J1 to J4 between 5am and 9pm Mondays to Sundays until September 19.
- Today's Manc trivia question: What's a common name for Manchester's biggest prison?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Manchester headlines
The City: Bosses at The City pub, one of Manchester’s oldest, say it will be closed ‘for the foreseeable future’ for a massive refurbishment. Repairs to the Oldham Street pub could take several months and several issues affecting the building need rectifying before it can reopen. More here.
Special measures: A hospital where patients say they were 'bullied and abused by staff' has been placed into special measures. Cygnet Bury Hudson has been ordered to improve safety after its overall performance was judged to be 'inadequate', following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission in June. Details here.
Heroes: The names and regiments of 29 forgotten Salford heroes who died in conflict will be embossed on a new plaque to be erected on a wall behind the existing Cenotaph in Swinton town centre. It comes a decade after the council first promised a review into how to remember every Salford soldier killed in conflict since 1945. More here.
Worth a read
Steak restaurant Hawksmoor has been a mainstay of Manchester's culinary offering since the doors of its Deansgate site opened in 2015.
Business Editor Jon Robinson has been speaking to co-founder Will Beckett about the impact of the energy crisis on hospitality, challenges around recruitment and the chain's sustainability goals. Read it here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me, the next edition of the Mancunian Way will be with you around the same time tomorrow. If you have any stories you would like us to feature or look into, please email: beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk
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The answer to today's trivia question, what's a common name for Manchester's biggest prison, is Strangeways.
