As the clock chimed 8pm on Thursday evening, pockets of sound began to erupt in the distance.
Scattered at first. Then it came closer.
Silhouettes of neighbours moved into view. Lights came on. Windows flung open. Whistles zipped through the air. An airhorn squawked from somewhere within the darkness.
Three years ago, clapping for our carers felt like a simple gesture – but will go down in history as one of the most emotionally overwhelming moments our country has ever seen.
We are indebted to our health service. And this spectacle of noise proved that most of us realise that. Without the NHS, Britain would not be so Great.
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At a time when nurses, doctors and carers are fighting for fairer working conditions, and on a day that marks 75 years since the inception of our NHS, we’ve opted to venture back to the beginning and investigate the origins of our unique healthcare system.
As it so happens, the NHS has roots right here in Manchester…
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Image: It’s No Game/Flickr
On 5 July 1948, Health Minister Aneurin “Nye” Bevan successfully brought all healthcare workers under a single umbrella – creating a service that was funded through public tax and free-to-use when needed.
The idea was that everyone – rich or poor – could access any type of treatment they required at any time.
It was a revolutionary, innovative and daring concept – and the principles on which the NHS was founded remain the same to this day.
Bevan visited Trafford General Hospital – then known as Park Hospital in Davyhulme – to kickstart the new regime, earning this healthcare facility the prestigious title: “The birthplace of the NHS”.
Sadly, Bevan would only see the NHS in its infancy. He passed away in 1960 from stomach cancer, sparking a mass outpouring of national grief.
A local facility has been named in his honour (Nye Bevan House in Rochdale) and his title also appears on a leadership qualification supported by Alliance Manchester Business School (The Nye Bevan programme).
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But Bevan’s greatest legacy is the healthcare system he left behind – the same one that’s carrying Britain through its toughest fight since WWII.
Manchester played an instrumental role in the formation of the NHS, and that is something we, as a city, can be mightily proud of.
Featured image – Wikipedia
Feature
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
The Manc -
4th July 2023 
