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Hello,
Ask anyone to name one of the many cultural institutions in Manchester and chances are that, alongside the likes of Band On The Wall and Afflecks Palace, at least one person will mention the Curry Mile. Like it or love it, the stretch of Wilmslow Road is known across the country for its abundance of Indian restaurants - or, at least, it used to be.
Restaurant owners say times have been hard on the Curry Mile - which actually only stretches about half-a-mile long - with dwindling visitors, closed down venues and rising crime all contributing to the area’s changed perception.
Abdullah Albaydar, whose family has run restaurant Al Jazeera for more than 30 years, told the M.E.N’s Lyell Tweed that he believed the Rusholme area had ‘gone downhill’ following a spike in robberies, rubbish, drugs and aggressive begging.
"There’s a lot of gangs and crime here now, it’s not for families anymore," he explains. "We need more police.”
Abdullah’s friend Muhammad Khader, who has run the Jafra restaurant as well as a local cash and carry for a number of years, said he has instances where large groups will come into the shops and restaurants and intimidate staff. “I’ve had to defend myself before,” he explains.
Both spoke of robberies happening regularly, people carrying knives, and homeless people harassing customers for money. In addition, they say the pavements are regularly littered with rubbish whilst rats also invade the area.
They say they have also experienced power cuts in recent months, with electricity going out at peak time and leaving them with no choice but to ask customers to leave - costing them a loss of income at a time when it is most needed.
Both business owners said not enough is being done by Manchester Council or Greater Manchester Police to tackle their concerns head on. The council say they are committed to working with police to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area and to 'find effective solutions to current issues businesses are reporting.'
Greater Manchester Police said it is working with residents and local businesses on outreach work to 'better understand' the needs of the area, and also intends to relaunch a business watch scheme. Neighbourhood officers continue to take a ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to crime in the area, and regularly carry out stop searches and the use of anti-gang and violence reduction units.
Lyell's piece was among the most keenly debated by MEN readers this weekend with scores of comments posted on our website - here are some of the opinions posted:
Muhammad and Abdullah say their concerns are just a handful of the many currently causing issues with business owners - many of which are now choosing to shut up shop - and it’s carrying over an impact on customers too.
"I don't think any businesses here can be making money anymore," Abdullah said.
"People come expecting to see a really good atmosphere. Families come from all over the north and the rest of the world, Dubai, Singapore, at the weekend because they’ve heard it’s a good place for them without the usual pubs and alcohol. But they don’t come back because of these kinds of problems.
"We get people here who come from abroad after hearing about the famous Curry Mile in Manchester but they are so disappointed once they get here."
Muhammad added: "It used to be a really beautiful place, really amazing with a great atmosphere, but it’s gone so downhill over the last few years."
You can read more from Abdullah and Muhammad here.
'Local shops are loving it'
The UK’s biggest supermarkets are being forced to limit sales of tomatoes and other salad items as a result of shortages ‘predominantly caused’ by poor weather in countries where they are produced.
But traders at Manchester’s New Smithfield Market are, in actuality, relishing the situation and doing what many of the UK’s leading giants can’t do.
As of 8am on Thursday, Simon Conley, who runs Fountain Fresh, has sold eight pallets - each containing 50 boxes - of tomatoes. He estimates it’s about £18,000 worth of goods sold.
“There is a shortage, don’t get me wrong,” Simon tells the M.E.N’s Ben Arnold.
“[Exporters] are now just sending more into Europe since Brexit but supermarkets just don’t want to pay [higher prices]. So the local shops, they’re loving it. They’re saying it’s like lockdown all over again.”
Simon believes that the supermarkets, who have been hammering down prices paid to suppliers for decades, are refusing to pay higher prices demanded in respect of the poor harvests in Spain and Morocco.
He believes that their attempts to sell food cheaply in an attempt to undercut each other has now caught up with them. Mike Noone, who ran R Noone & Son for 30 years until around six years ago, agrees.
“The independent people, and the wholesale market, like we were, there’s no shortage if you’re prepared to pay for it,” Mike says. “The rules of supply and demand are never more apparent than they are now.”
Whilst costs are higher, and supplies are lower than normal, traders are more prepared to pay up on stock if they know customers will buy it.
“Tomatoes are in short supply, they are out there, but the prices have gone up,” Bob Amato, who runs wholesaler Amato Food Products, said.
“The supermarkets in this country, for their own reasons, have said ‘we’re not going to pay that price’. So the supermarkets aren’t buying, but other people are, so that’s why when you go to your local greengrocers, they’ve got them.”
Ultimately, supermarkets will recover and stock is eventually going to find its way back onto the aisles, but Simon hopes the situation might just reinforce the importance of local traders.
“People should be using local shops anyway,” he explains. “Supermarkets have not wanted to pay fair prices for a long, long time, but they have such power.”
The choice of heating or eating
In the last year, the number of people ringing up the Citizen's Advice 'triage' call room with energy issues has risen by 144 per cent. With the energy price cap due to rise yet again in April, bosses fear we’re only at the tip of the iceberg.
Sophie Halle-Richards recently visited the Manchester City Centre call room to witness the type of calls that agents are faced with, including one mum who cannot afford to top up the electricity on her prepayment meter despite needing to store her daughter’s medication in the fridge.
Another caller says they feel like a terrible parent, because they can't afford to keep their children warm.
"We tend to be the organisation that people turn to when they don't know where else to turn," Hayley Hughes, Assistant Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Manchester, tells Sophie.
Previously, those who called in tended to be made up of those out of work or on benefits, but Pete, who works as an adviser in the energy support team, says that the government’s attempts to help with energy costs are not enough.
"Before the increase in costs in October, many people were already on a knife's edge," he says.
"Whilst the energy price guarantee was really appreciated I don't think it was properly understood. With the following increase coming in April, people aren't really sure how that's going to affect them."
Advisor Freya, who helps provide white goods such as fridges and washing machines to those in need, says callers are often telling her they are having to make a choice between switching their heating on, or putting food on the table.
"People who are on these prepayment meters have usually been moved over because they were in debt anyway so they then have money taken off their meter every time they top up.
"When I speak to people sometimes they can have 50 per cent of what they top up being taken off. Heat or eat is quite a common phrase at the moment."
You can read the full piece here.
Mistaken identity
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to have the same name as a celebrity. If I was called Harry Styles, for example, would I be given VIP upgrades at hotels and on planes just based on my name alone? Probably not, but it’s a fun dream to have.
Playwright Oli Sykes, who lives in Chorlton, gets to live out the reality of having the same name as a famous musician each and every day. His namesake is the frontman for Bring Me The Horizon, and Chorlton’s Oli says he is often bombarded with messages from die hard fans.
Oli, now 34, created an email address under his name when he was 16. Just a couple of years later, while in his second year of a theatre studies degree at Lancaster University, that same email account was flooded with emails following the release of the band’s second album.
"My inbox started piling up with messages – predominantly from teenage girls – desperately trying to contact Oli Sykes," he said. "I had about 30 or 40 people telling me how much they loved 'me' and 'my album'. I just remember thinking, ‘what am I going to do?"
Many of the young people who mistakenly contacted him wanted to share their struggles with mental health or explain intimate parts of their lives. Because of this, he felt unable to let their emails go unanswered.
"I was a student and completely unequipped to help or do anything about it, but I couldn't just leave them unread – not when they were baring so much of themselves," he said.
"Initially, I started sending responses to each person saying, 'Thank you for your message. I'm not actually the Oli Sykes that you want to contact, but I'm really sorry to hear about what you're going through and I wish you all the best. Here's a link to the charity, Mind'.
"I'm not the sort of person that could just pop them in the junk folder and go about my day. My conscience wouldn't allow me to do that."
Earlier this year, after Oli first discussed his unique position with the Metro, the Bring Me The Horizon frontman reached out to thank him for helping thousands of his fans.
You can read the full story from Damon Wilkinson here.
'Strength to change the streets'
Kelly Brown, the mother of 16-year-old Rhamero West who was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Old Trafford in September 2021, has been recognised with the Pride of Manchester award at this year's Be Proud Awards.
Kelly says the death of her teenage son has given her 'the strength to change our Manchester streets'. In memory of Rhamero, she established Mero's World Foundation to help prevent other families going through what hers has endured.
She has raised money to set up some 20 bleed cabinets around the city, which are kits for public use in the event of a stabbing or any other incident which leads to blood loss. Kelly also created a youth hub, aiming to help keep young people off the streets in the evenings.
"I've spent a lot of time reaching out to families in same situation as me, giving them an opportunity to share their stories," Kelly told the M.E.N's Helena Vesty.
"We need to share the message that by losing our sons in a tragic way, it has a ripple effect on families. It’s us that serve the life sentence."
You can read more about Kelly's inspirational work here.
Raving it up
The idea of going to a sober silent rave alone is certainly not to everyone's tastes, but the M.E.N's What's On editor Jenna Campbell admits to having a pretty good time after letting her inhabitions go at a 'self-love' rave event by Caroline Kelf, aka DJ Flourish.
"It doesn’t feel like a rave, more like a posh wellbeing festival," Jenna says. "But maybe that’s the point."
The women-only event, held in a converted warehouse in Stockport, was created as a way for people to feel relaxed, enjoy good music and feel their true selves without the need for a pint of lager or a shot of a brightly-coloured 'spirit'.
“The reason I wanted to do this as a sober event is because when you're intoxicated, you're not really your true self," curator Caroline explains to Jenna. "I think in our culture there's a belief that unless you have a drink, you can't have a good time.
“I want it to be an event when people leave feeling really relaxed, happy and good about themselves. Unfortunately, alcohol doesn't do that, it only achieves that in the moment.”
All in all, Jenna says the experience has opened her eyes to being able to 'let go and enjoy' herself without the influence of alcohol. And it's perhaps worth it for the lack of hangover the next day too.
You can read about Jenna's experience of bopping along to Moloko’s ‘The Time is Now’ and Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove is in the Heart' while in a silent warehouse right here.
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Weather etc
Tuesday: Cloudy changing to sunny by late morning. 5C.
Road closures: M67 Eastbound entry slip road closed due to long-term roadworks at J2 St Annes Road (Denton). Until 1st December 2025.
Trivia question: This year marks 20 years since Manchester City played their first game at the City of Manchester Stadium, which is now known as the Etihad. But what was the stadium originally built for?
Manchester headlines
- Cold weather alert: The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for heavy snow across Greater Manchester this week.
- New apartment block: Hundreds of students could be soon moving into First Street following the unveiling of plans for a 576-bed apartment block with a food hall.
- Mega water park: Work on a huge water park and tropical spa next to the Trafford Centre has begun. The £250m project, featuring 35 slides and 30 pools, is due to open in 2025. More here
Worth a read
Photos showing a glimpse of 'Manchester's lost way of life' have been unveiled from the archives.
The photographs show people taking part in a tripe eating contest on Canal Street in 1975, long before it became known as Manchester's Gay Village. Colourful characters dressed in flat-caps, bowler hats and fake moustaches were egged on by a large crowd of Mancunians who had gathered to watch the competition hosted by Sutcliffe's Tripe of Wigan.
The tournament was ultimately won by pub landlord Alan Southgate, who won a trophy and a trip to Paris. "I only hope they've got tripe over there," said Alan.
You can take a trip down memory lane 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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