New drone footage of the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has been released, and it shows the impressive “scale and ambition” of its current multi-million-pound restoration project.
The new drone footage – which gives an aerial view of the site to outline the huge footprint of the museum, and most-notably show the work being delivered on the Power Hall roof – was captured by by David Bewick at Boca films, and has been assembled into a short film which is now available to watch on YouTube and the museum’s social media platforms.
The film also shows some of the repairs being made to other parts of the museum, and future plans for the significant heritage site.
In case you didn’t already know, the Science and Industry Museum in the heart of Manchester city centre is currently undergoing a “critical” programme of restoration works, which will eventually reveal some exciting new spaces and perspectives for visitors to enjoy, play, and learn in once it reopens to the public.
The restoration work currently ongoing is aiming to transform the Grade I and Grade II-listed Victorian buildings that make up the seven-acre city centre museum site.
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See the immense scale of our seven-acre restoration programme in this short film.
Explore our historic site from new heights with inspiring drone footage and take a closer look at revolution in progress.
— Science and Industry Museum (@sim_manchester) June 21, 2022
The works will create improved gallery experiences, which include the iconic Power Hall – where the term Northern Powerhouse was actually coined – and the 1830 Station and Warehouse, which are some of the world’s earliest railway buildings.
The museum is also creating new connections through to The Factory – a landmark new cultural space in the city opening next year – and the River Irwell and beyond, all with the aim of “enhancing the sense of place” in its vibrant quarter of Manchester.
A number of outdoor areas are also being planted, according to the museum, with colourful new schemes to encourage biodiversity and indoor and outdoor areas for families.
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The Science and Industry Museum is currently undergoing a “critical” programme of restoration works / Credit: Science Museum Group
“This is a very exciting time,” explained Sally MacDonald, director of the Science and Industry Museum.
“We have the honour of occupying some truly exceptional buildings, which are in urgent need of restoration and we are working with specialists and taking great care to transform them, addressing historic issues to conserve important details, but also looking to the future to ensure our buildings are sustainable and provide the best experiences for visitors.”
She continued: “We’re sorry if the work causes disruption, but we are sure that the final results will be well worth it, as more visitors from our local communities and beyond can enjoy the museum and continue to be inspired by the wonder of science and industry.”
The museum remains open to the public while the restoration works are taking place / Credit: Science Museum Group
“What can be achieved here will bring lifelong benefit to everyone who lives in and visits the city and it can transform the site into a place that not just explores ideas that change the world but a museum that can itself change people’s worlds through wonder and play, and inspire curiosity, confidence, and skills,” she added.
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The Science and Industry Museum remains open to the public while restoration works are taking place, with several exhibitions and experiences to make the most of.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
“Safety will always be our number one priority and I’d like to say thank you in advance for the patience of road users during this period of works.”
Find out more information on this weekend’s Mancunian Way closures here.
Featured Image – Geograph
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95% of Mancs apparently want the city to be ‘cashless’, new study reveals
Emily Sergeant
An eye-opening new study has found that only 5% of Mancs still use cash as their preferred method of payment nowadays.
It comes as no surprise that cash is less of a ‘king’ nowadays than it used to be, but now a new report by global financial technology company SumUp has suggests that only 5% of people in Manchester prefer to pay with cash, while 59% choose debit and credit cards, so that leaves one question… is Manchester on its way to becoming a cashless city?
To discover how payment preferences are evolving, SumUp conducted a nationwide survey to gather insights from UK consumers about their payment habits.
The company was particularly intrigued to not only discover payment methods people prefer, but what their concerns around certain payment methods, alongside how they feel about businesses that don’t accept digital payments.
95% of Mancs apparently want the city to be ‘cashless’ / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash) | Pexels
Firstly, before we go any further, it’s important to note that almost two thirds (63%) of Manchester residents said they have changed the way they make payments over the past year.
Unsurprisingly, debit and credit cards remain the top choice for the majority of Mancs, with over half (59%) saying it was their preferred method of payment, followed by mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay at 24% – which is likely thanks to their ease of use and the ability to have multiple cards on one device.
While a third (31%) of Mancs said that they ‘don’t mind’ cash and still opt to carry it for situations where digital payments aren’t an option, a growing number of people in the city are feel that digital payments are more favourable, with 25% thinking that businesses should adapt to modern payment methods and whilst 28% finding it ‘inconvenient’ when a business doesn’t accept digital payments.
A further 11% of people even say that cash-only businesses wouldn’t be an option they’d consider, and would actually avoid them wherever possible.
Only 5% use cash as their preferred method of payment / Credit: Rawpixel
When it comes to concerns around digital payment methods, where do Mancs stand then? Well, the survey found that a third (33%) of people are worried about their reliance on technology, especially being unable to pay if their phone dies, for example, while an additional 32% of people are concerned about security risks such as hacking, fraud, or stolen card details.
Among other things, 26% of survey respondents also said they worry about the privacy aspect of digital banking and the tracking your data.
“While debit and credit cards continue to dominate as the preferred payment method, it’s clear that cash is slowly declining in use, particularly among younger generations,” Corin Camenisch, who is the Marketing & Growth Lead at SumUp, commented on the report.
“Looking ahead, we can anticipate a rise in innovative payment methods like digital wallets, especially as younger consumers increasingly embrace the convenience and flexibility they offer.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd June 2022 
