As FAC51 The Hacienda rounds off a huge year of 40th-anniversary celebrations, the team behind Hacienda Classical has announced it will be making a return to Castlefield Bowl in 2023.
The live party, which sees a full orchestra perform reworked renditions of iconic club classics, will mark a huge return to the open-air amphitheater as it returns to the Castlefield ‘Sounds Of The City’ event for its seventh year.
The annual homecoming is one of the city’s events of the year as The Hacienda’s crowd, DJ Graeme Park, Manchester Camerata, and special guests come together for what is now becoming a legendary Manchester party.
Image: FAC51 The Hacienda
Image: FAC51 The Hacienda
Sold out year after year, Hacienda Classical sees Tim Crooks lead the collective of artists and musicians on stage in performing well-known favourites and new versions of club classics all mixed continuously into one non-stop set.
All of its Castlefield events have previously fully sold out, and next year is likely to be no different with tickets going on sale this Friday 4 November at 9am.
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The announcement coincides with BBC2’s transmission of the much-awaited documentary The Hacienda: The Club That Shook Britain, set to air this Saturday 5 November 2022 at 10.15pm.
This unique documentary tells the incredible story of a revolution that rose up from within the walls and dancefloor of a former shipbuilding warehouse.
It will chart The Hacienda’s cultural legacy and combine rare and unseen archive footage with first-hand insightful testimony from those involved during The Hacienda’s heyday, some of the key players in the club’s history and famous regulars.
Speaking on Hacienda Classical’s return to Castlefield for the seventh year, Peter Hook commented: “I’m so happy to be coming back to ‘Sounds of The City’ in 2023. I can’t believe this will be our seventh year! Amazing! Without a doubt The Hacienda and its crowd know just how to light this city up and party like there’s no tomorrow. Tony and Rob would be so proud.”
Graeme Park added: “Seven appearances at Castlefield Bowl? Really? This show is always very, very special and I really can’t wait to return for another epic evening in July.”
2022 marks four decades since FAC51 The Hacienda first flung open its doors back in 1982, transforming the run-down Central Manchester yacht showroom into what has become one of the most iconic and influential nightclubs in history.
Considered the UK’s cathedral of house music and then epicentre of the “Madchester” scene, The Hacienda continues to inspire generations new and old, producing world class events that remain true to the ethos and integrity that guided the original club.
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Tickets for the 2023 Castlefield Bowl show will go on sale this Friday at 9am and can be purchased here.
Feature image – FAC51 The Hacienda
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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.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
The Manc Audio -
1st November 2022 
