Bolton
Lineup revealed for Bolton Food & Drink Festival on bank holiday weekend
The 16th edition of the festival kicks off on August bank holiday weekend.
Beer sampling, cheese tasting, food demos and foraging are all part of this year’s bumper Bolton Food & Drink Festival – with a long lineup of events, live music and expert chefs officially unveiled this week.
The 16th edition of the bank holiday festival will run from Friday to Monday – featuring more than 80 free performances.
Bolton-born The Jade Assembly, The Lancashire Hotpots, Lottery Winner, and Jeramiah Ferrari have all been confirmed as live music headliners, with Jean Christophe, Simon Wood and Anjali Pathak all pencilled in for chef demos.
Music will span folk, rock, pop, jazz, indie and reggae genres, with acts performing on stages at Le Mans Crescent and Victoria Square.
There will also be the Bolton Mela – a fringe event managed by Bolton Community Railway and the Hindu Forum to offer food and music on the platform at Bolton Train Station.
Brewers, cooks, confectionery makers, tea and coffee vendors and wholesalers will all be in attendance across the festival.
Street performers, magic shows, and a seaside family zone have also been arranged for the occasion – along with tasting sessions where guests can pair craft beer with cheese.
Cookery demonstrations will take place in the Chef Zone in Market Place Shopping Centre across all four days.
Organisers stated: “This year’s Festival promises to be a celebration of the Bolton family and will bring together a magical weekend of food, drink, fun, entertainment and live music complete with plenty of space to enjoy a wander around the market or to take a break from the hustle and bustle in one of our dedicated seating areas.”
More information is available on the official website.
Featured image: Bolton Food & Drink Festival
Bolton
More arrests made in connection with ‘significant’ alleged financial irregularities at Greater Manchester uni
Emily Sergeant
Further arrests have been made in connection with ‘significant’ alleged financial irregularities at a university in Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that two people have been arrested as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the University of Greater Manchester – formerly the University of Bolton – between 2014 and 2025.
Two warrants were executed yesterday morning (4 November 2026) – one in Bolton, and another in South Yorkshire.
Subsequently a man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice, and fraud by the abuse of position, while a man in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice, and fraud by false representation.
The arrests come, as mentioned, as part of an ongoing investigation.
GMP’s Major Incident Team opened a fraud and bribery investigation a year ago after it received allegations from The Mill, and a subsequent report from Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) commissioned by the university’s Fraud Response Panel.
Since then, detectives have been working closely with the Crown Prosecution (CPS)’s Serious Economic Crime team, and are said to have been making ‘painstaking’ enquiries to independently compile evidence that is ‘impartial’ and ‘robust’.
“We’re exploring evidence indicating over £1 million’s worth of fraudulent activity. As part of our enquiries, we’re probing around 60 transactions and investigating more than a million emails,” GMP said in a statement.
Detective Inspector Matthew Donnelly, from GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, added: “This remains a complex and extensive investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and financial misconduct at the University of Greater Manchester.
“The offences for which these individuals have been arrested on suspicion of are serious and include allegations of fraud, witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice and money laundering.
Read more:
“Any actions that seek to interfere with, influence or undermine the integrity of a police investigation will not be tolerated.”
He concluded: “I would urge anyone who has information which may assist our investigation to come forward and speak to us.”
Featured Image – UoGM (via Facebook)
Bolton
Teen arrested after hiding in wheelie bin following attempted burglary in Bolton
Emily Sergeant
A teenage boy has been arrested after police found him hiding in a wheelie bin during the early hours of the morning.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 3:50am this past Saturday morning (24 October), officers from the Bolton Neighbourhood Team were called to reports of a ‘disturbance’ on Ullswater Drive, in the Farnworth area of Bolton.
Upon arrival, police discovered that a group of people had attempted to break into a garden shed and steal items.
Following a police chase on foot and searches of surrounding gardens, officers found a 17-year-old boy hiding inside a wheelie bin, and he was subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary.
A 16-year-old girl was also arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, and they have both been bailed while the investigation continues.
Enquiries remain ongoing to identify and locate others who police believe to have been involved in the incident.
Sergeant Emily Fogg, from GMP’s Bolton Neighbourhood Team, said the boy ‘clearly did a rubbish job’ of hiding from police.
“Our policing teams are committed to rooting our criminality in our communities and will continue to seek justice for victims of this invasive crime,” Sergeant Fogg concluded.
Read more:
Anyone with information the can assist the investigation is asked to contact police on 101, quoting the log number 475 of 24/10/26.
Featured Image – Rawpixel
The Manc -
18th August 2021 
