There’s a new neighbourhood hotel and hangout aiming to bring “more style and socialising to Manchester” opening in Spinningfields next month.
Moxy Manchester City is a brand-new boutique hotel in the heart of the city centre.
Transforming a former hat factory, the new nine-storey hotel has given a fresh lease of life to an 18th century building, by cladding it in weathered-effect metal panels to give an urban contrast to the original façade that has still been retained.
A Marriott concept from KE Hotels that wants to be “the life and soul of the party”, and ensure that all guests have a good time from the minute they arrive, Moxy Manchester City has 146 vibrant bedrooms that are cleverly-designed to let guests be both as productive or playful as they want.
The rooms feature walk-in showers, TVs with Netflix, open-wall closets, and motion activated LED guidelights.
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And if that wasn’t good enough as it is, all rooms are pet-friendly too.
Moxy Manchester City has done away with the front desk, and so guests will instead need to head to the hotel bar – which boasts a wide range of hand-crafted drinks and small plates – to collect their room key, along with a complimentary cocktail as well.
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Moxy Manchester City has 146 cleverly-designed and pet-friendly vibrant bedrooms / Credit: Moxy Hotels | Flickr
As for other spaces and facilities that guests can make the most of during their stay, there’s the communal living room lobby – which is a great place to meet with old friends, party with new ones, or keep it strictly business – and there’s also a dedicated barista counter for those early morning wake-ups and afternoon-pick-me-ups.
Snacks and drinks are also available 24/7 to satisfy any cravings that crop up.
“Moxy Manchester City will be a new playground for the neighbourhood and city,” said Anil Khanna, Director at KE Hotels.
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“Located in the city’s vibrant Spinningfields district, Moxy Manchester City won’t take itself too seriously, but it is serious about showing guests a good time.
“We have smartly spaced rooms, stylish communal areas that are ideal for work and meetings, and a new cool bar for the city. We wanted the design of the building to fuse together traditional and contemporary [as] the exterior is stunning and something very unique, whilst the hotel’s interior will feature nods towards the building’s industrial past.
“We can’t wait to show Manchester the Moxy lifestyle.”
Moxy Manchester City opens its doors in November, and you can find more information ahead of the opening here.
Featured Image – Moxy Hotels
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Government to begin giving millions of UK workers ‘significant’ pay rises from this week
Emily Sergeant
The Government is to begin giving more than three million workers across the UK a ‘significant pay boost’ from this week.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to ‘put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year’, the Government confirmed back at the beginning of February that a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour would take effect from April onwards.
Ministers said the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which is now worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a ‘significant step’ towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a ‘genuine’ living wage.
Today, millions of working people will get a pay rise as the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase.
New rates:
🔹 from £11.44 to £12.21 if you’re 21 and over 🔹 from £8.60 to £10.00 if you’re 18-20 🔹 from £6.40 to £7.55 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 1, 2025
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
The minimum wage pay boot has also been called the first step towards removing the ‘unfair’ age-bands that see a 21-year-old getting paid more than a 20-year-old for doing the same job.
According to the Government, this is also the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise from this week / Credit: Pexels
“In the last Parliament, living standards were the worst on record and sky-high inflation was crushing working people’s finances,” commented Chancellor Rachel Reeves, explaining why the pay boosts are being introduced.
“Making work pay is good for workers, will strengthen businesses’ workforces, and will grow our economy for years to come.
“It’s a key milestone on my number one mission to get more money in people’s pockets as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Not only that, but the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted later this year too, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of these particular changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
Featured Image –
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
19th October 2021 
