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King Charles III’s Coronation to be shown on a big screen in Piccadilly Gardens

The historic ceremony is to officially be held on 6 May 2023.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 17th March 2023

The historic coronation of King Charles III is to be shown on dozens of big screens in public places all over the UK.

And one of those places will be Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre.

It was confirmed by Buckingham Palace back in October 2022 that the coronation of King Charles III is to officially be held on 6 May 2023.

King Charles III acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, and on the day of his coronation will be 74 years old – which makes him the oldest person to be crowned monarch in British history.

The King will be coronated alongside his wife and the Queen Consort, Camilla, in a religious ceremony held at Westminster Abbey in London – which is the same place his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II‘s coronation was held in 1953, as was her State Funeral in September of last year.

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The ceremony will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

King Charles III’s Coronation will be shown on a big screen in Piccadilly Gardens / Credit: The Royal Family

Expected to be a more “simmered down” event in comparison to that of the late Queen’s, Buckingham Palace said the coronation will “reflect the monarch’s role today”, adding in a statement that it will “look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” – with more details about the ceremony expected to be announced “in due course”.

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During ceremony, Charles will be anointed with holy oil, and then blessed and consecrated by the archbishop, before he is then crowned with St Edward’s Crown.

Camilla will also be anointed and crowned during the ceremony.

And now, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has revealed that a budget of £1 million will be dished out to local Councils to enable them to erect large screens in cities and towns nationwide, so the public can collectively come together and watch the historic event surrounded by hundreds of others.

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29 locations for big screens have already been confirmed, according to the DCMS, and seven more areas have also been agreed upon, but these exact locations are yet to be revealed.

“The coronation will be a magical moment that brings people together to celebrate the best of Britain over a special weekend in May,” Culture Secretary Liz Frazer said.

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“These big screens, in major locations in towns and cities in the four nations of the UK, will make it easier for everyone to take part and have a memorable experience to mark this exciting and historic event.”

As well as the Piccadilly Gardens screen, it’s also been confirmed that a big screen will pop-up in Parliament Square in Oldham too.

Featured Image – The Royal Family

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Manchester locals appealing for more information over a month after from finding family member’s body

Danny Jones Danny Jones GMP appeal after body of Chorlton man found dead in bedroom

A Greater Manchester family are still calling for more information now over a month on from the discovery of a man’s body at his Chorlton home.

William Riddell, 49, was found dead in the bedroom of a property on Astbury Avenue at approximately 11:35pm on Sunday, 10 November after being found by his stepdaughter, Sarah Hayden.

Details surrounding his passing are still scarce but a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released on bail “pending further enquiries”, leaving Sarah and the rest of her family still none the wiser as to the exact nature of his death.

Preparing to spend their first Christmas without him, they have issued a desperate appeal for more information, urging anyone who might have information to come forward.

Riddell, more commonly known as Billy by those close to him, was described as a “good, caring man with a big heart” and a popular figure in the local area.

Speaking via Greater Manchester Police, Sarah, said: “I want to be Billy’s voice and get answers for him. Billy was a nice and lovely man and all the community knew who he was. He was well-liked and we gave him a good send-off at his funeral.

“I would just ask anyone who knew him or has any information to come forward and tell police. Even if you think it’s a little or small thing – please come forward. We just want to get to the bottom of what has happened.”

Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, who serves on GMP‘s Major Incident Team, added in an official statement: “The family of Billy deserve answers following his death and we are working hard to ensure they get exactly that.

“We have closely supported Sarah and the wider family over the last month, and we will continue to provide assistance wherever we can as they face their first Christmas without him.

“While a suspect has been bailed, we are still working flat-out to understand more about Billy’s life, the people he was close to, and events leading up to his death just over a month ago.”

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With that in mind, both GMP and Riddell’s family are asking anyone who might know anything or have information regarding people associated with Billy to come forward, reiterating that “even if you consider something to be small – your help could greatly benefit our investigation.”

You can contact police via 101 or by using the live chat function HERE, quoting log 3227 of 10/11/24.

Alternatively, you can contact the UK’s independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Greater Manchester Police

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Government aims to ‘turn the tide’ on homelessness with £1 billion funding boost

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Nearly £1 billion of funding is being pumped into Council budgets to help “break the cycle of spiralling homelessness” in 2025.

As part of the Government‘s wider ‘Plan For Change’, and in a bid to help tackle, reduce, and prevent homelessness next year, it’s been announced that more resources will be be made available for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing.

This significant investment means Councils will now be “better equipped” to step in early and stop households from becoming homeless in the first place.

According to the Government’s plans, these funded measures will include mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, helping homeless people find new homes, and providing deposits to access private renting. 

The funding will also be used to address the growing use of B&Bs and nightly-let accommodation, and the streamlining of funding structures to make it easier for Councils to spend their cash.  

Areas across the UK can also choose to channel resources into services such as Housing First.

Housing First has been massively successful in Greater Manchester, and has helped house hundreds of our region’s rough sleepers since it was first piloted, being described as “life-changing” along the way.

More than £633 million of the funding will be allocated for the Homelessness Prevention Grant – which is a £192 million increase from this year – while £185.6 million will go to the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, more than £37 million to the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, and £5 million will be for the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots.

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This new £1 billion funding boost comes after it was announced back in September that Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished in England next year as part of the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill.

It will also look to support the Government’s ambition to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation – with an extra £500 million ploughed into the Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.  

Featured Image – Gary Knight (via Flickr)

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