Manchester city centre restaurant and bar Ramona has responded after guests visiting the venue over the weekend were injured in an accident following damage to the tipi.
The busy nightlife venue was evacuated on Saturday night after falling debris crashed through the canvas and injured customers.
Ramona has stated that the high winds brought on by Storm Elin caused materials to fly off a neighbouring construction site and onto the bar’s tipi below.
A large emergency service presence, including two fire engines, attended the ‘scary’ incident at the venue, which is situated just on the edge of Northern Quarter and Ancoats.
Ramona has been in touch with the guests who were injured in the freak accident, two of whom were sent to hospital, and all are reported to be ‘safe and recovering’.
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They have also said that the construction site has ‘taken full responsibility’.
News of the accident first began circulating on a r/Manchester Reddit page, in which an anonymous individual shared details of a “serious incident”, with a witness claiming that a part of Ramona’s outdoor tent collapsed as a result of the damage and high winds drummed up by Storm Elin which has spread across the North West.
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The poster said: “At least one person sat near the wooden supports that gave way was seriously injured. Not talking just a chipped tooth but life-threatening head injuries, profuse bleeding, the lot.”
They went on to add: “The place was immediately evacuated, and a major emergency services presence arrived shortly thereafter.”
We’ve enjoyed many a drink in the Ramona tipi which was damaged and partially collapsed’
Issuing an official statement to The Manc, Ramona said: “On the evening of Saturday, 9th December, an incident occurred where, during the severe storm, high winds blew several pieces of debris from a neighbouring construction site, onto parked vehicles, and piercing the Ramona tipis, injuring customers.
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“Thankfully, all injured parties are now safe and recovering. They have contacted Ramona to thank the team for their wonderful support in what was a scary situation for all involved.
“The construction site next door to Ramona has taken full responsibility for what happened and ensured that all is safe and secure after the extreme conditions.
“The team is committed to continuing to support all involved and is speaking to Hospitality Action to arrange for some potential crisis management support for those who may want to take that up.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) also confirmed: “Around 8:15pm on Saturday (9 December) two fire engines from Salford and Manchester Central fire stations were called to Cable Street, Manchester, in response to reports about falling debris.
“Firefighters established a cordon to make the area safe, working alongside colleagues from North West Ambulance Service and Greater Manchester Police at the scene. Crews were in attendance for around two hours.”
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GMP also verified that “two people received injuries and were taken to hospital” as a result of falling debris”, with a cordon put in place to secure the perimeter around the incident.
We’re just glad everyone is ok and that the site has been deemed safe to re-enter.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Danny Jones -
12th December 2023 
