Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club has just celebrated its 120th birthday and to mark the momentous occasion, the legendary Manc institution has released a limited edition t-shirt to raise funds for the historic building.
Starting back in 1903, Salford Lads’ Club has remained a cultural cornerstone in the local community for well over a century, providing young people with sport, regular activities and a recreational outlet as well as serving as a storied tourist attraction for several decades.
From serving as a practice space for The Hollies back in the ’60s and featuring as the backdrop to one of the most iconic images of The Smiths, to hosting the likes of John Cooper Clarke and Kristen Stewart ahead of Manchester’s famous Chanel show in 2023, these walls have seen all kinds of history.
With that in mind, the people who help run the Ordsall gem are making such that its legacy continues for another 120 years and beyond by selling off a limited number of these special shirts to pump funds directly back into the club.
The shirt, the club and the first-ever card given to members.Salford City FC stars Ethan Ingram, Curtis Tilt and Alex Cairns show off the limited edition Lads’ Club shirt.Credit: Salford Lads’and Girls’ Club
This isn’t the first time they have teamed up with the local community for a foray into fashion, having put out a similarly sought-after collaboration kit with Salford City last year, as well an official Adidas Classics track jacket which has gone on to become a real collector’s item.
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In all of these instances, one thing has remained the same: the profits go straight back into keeping the club alive and allowing Salfordians and Greater Mancunians to use the facilities, support other local organisations and charities, as well as further raise the profile of the already iconic club.
With more than 200 members still regularly attending, not to mention countless Manc music artists and even companies like Marks and Spencer embracing the rich Northern heritage, Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club continues to stand as one of our region’s most important landmarks.
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From its working-class roots and influence on the Manchester music scene to its significance in the city borough of Salford, specifically, it’s hard to overestimate just how important this location is to us Mancs — as tokens like this limited edition shirt and what comes with it just pays homage to.
The first ever invite/entry card given to new club members.The Daily Dispatch news report on one of the Salford Lads’ Clubs first meetings.Credit: Supplied
Available for the anniversary this year only, the shirts went on sale as of Wednesday, 31 January with each limited edition t-shirt costing just £25 from the club itself or online.
Better yet, not only does each purchase come with a commemorative card mirroring the first-ever print shown above — the first 100 coming numbered just like the originals — but all the money goes straight back into keeping the club not just running but thriving.
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Funds go not only towards helping organise activities for young people each and every week but also towards the annual trip club camping trip which has been running since 1904. Incredible stuff.
This isn’t the only way Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club is commemorating 120 wonderful years either, as they’ve also teamed up with local brewers Seven Brothers to create a special craft lager that you can also check out down below.
Brewdog’s beer hotel in Manchester has closed with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
The ‘beer hotel’ operated by Brewdog in Manchester has closed with immediate effect, as part of the Scottish brewery’s £33m sale.
A whopping 38 Brewdog bars around the UK have closed, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
As well as the beer hotel known as DogHouse in Manchester, which was home to a large bar and rooftop terrace, the Oxford Road brewpub known as the OutPost has also closed.
The DogHouse Hotel on Fountain Street had a range of boutique bedrooms, fitted with features like beer fridges in the shower, beer taps in the room, guitars, record players, and pet beds.
Just 11 pubs have been retained in the rescue deal, including the Brewdog bar on Peter Street in Manchester city centre.
The brewery has been bought by US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray for £33m, a sale which includes its UK brewery operations, brand, and a handful of pubs.
Yesterday, Brewdog announced all of its bars would be closed for the day to enable staff to attend staff meetings.
Administrators confirmed yesterday that 484 jobs had been lost in the sale, with 38 bars closing.
Unite, the union which represents thousands of hospitality workers, said it is ‘appalled’ at how Brewdog staff have been treated during the sale.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a devastating day for Brewdog workers. Nearly 500 lost livelihoods while yet another corporate deal is stitched together behind closed doors.
“Brewdog workers built this brand. They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns. Unite will not rest until our members have legal and financial justice.”
Unite national lead for hospitality Bryan Simpson said: “The way in which senior management have conducted themselves throughout this sales process has been nothing short of a national disgrace – with workers being given no information about the company’s plans or their futures.
“For the CEO to tell workers that they were redundant with immediate effect, on a conference call with only 25 minutes notice, has echoes of P&O and is deplorable. Unite will be ensuring that our members receive everything they are legally entitled to.”
Brewdog was founded in 2007 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie.
Council approves £1 billion budget to ‘improve Manchester’ after 14 years of Government funding cuts
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City Council has officially approved a £1 billion budget for 2026/27.
After 14 years of funding cuts and ‘unfunded pressures’ from 2010 to 2024, which saw Manchester among the hardest hit places in the country, Manchester City Council says that its financial position has improved this year due to ‘fairer funding’ from the current Government which overall reflects the city’s needs.
For the first time this year, the Council’s revenue budget exceeds £1 billion (£1.045 billion, to be exact.)
This leaves the Council able to invest even more in supporting residents’ priorities, and ultimately begin to build back some of things which were previously affected by austerity.
As well as continuing to support those who are considered to be most in-need in the city, this current 2026/27 budget also makes a series of investments in measures – which the Council says will make ‘visible improvements’ across the city.
Some of these measures include £5.13m towards ‘ significantly enhancing’ street cleaning services across the city, more than £1.7m to boost the maintenance of public spaces, especially parks and green spaces, and almost £1m to further crack down on flytipping and littering.
This year, there’ll also be one-off investments of £1.1m improve road, pavement, and path surfaces, and £500,000 to increase pavement and footpath gritting in local centres.
The Council has approved a £1 billion budget to ‘improve Manchester’ / Credit: Chris Curry (via Unsplash) | Manchester City Council
Elsewhere, capital funding will continue to be used to build the Council, social, and ‘genuinely affordable’ homes that the city needs, as well as invest in local high streets and district centres across the city.
“Manchester is an incredible city which we are all proud to call home,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council.
“We’re seeing record levels of investment in our neighbourhoods and communities, more council and social homes built than for decades and stronger economic growth than anywhere in the UK.
“But we believe that Manchester can be even better, and that’s what we’re determined that this budget will help achieve – a city where everyone can have a good home, a good job and a good life in an well cared for, invested-in neighbourhood.
“That’s exactly where the extra funding available to us in this budget is being focused.”
Danny Jones -
1st February 2024 
