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.
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.
Drone display and minute’s silence confirmed for anniversary of Manchester Arena attack
Daisy Jackson
The details of how Manchester will commemorate the Manchester Arena attack this year have been confirmed.
On 22 May 2017, the lives of 22 people were taken in a terror attack in the foyer of the huge concert venue.
Manchester has never forgotten those who died, with the city building a beautiful memorial garden – the Glade of Light – in their honour.
And on the seventh anniversary of the atrocity, there is a new plan to remember the Arena attack victims with a dazzling drone display.
The digital art show of more than 100 glowing drones is being created by Andrew Roussos, whose eight-year-old daughter Saffie-Rose was the youngest person killed in the attack.
As well as the drone display, which will light up the skies in the city centre up until the time that the bomb was detonated, there will be two separate minute’s silences held at Manchester Victoria.
The first will take place on the concourse at the train station at 12pm, as part of a special memorial service led by the railway chaplain, Mike Roberts.
A second minute’s silence will take place at 10.31pm to mark the moment of the attack.
As for the drone display, this will be above Manchester’s Glade of Light memorial between 10.19pm and 10.31pm.
Andrew Roussos has created the beautiful tribute with the help of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and night time economy adviser Sacha Lord.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: “It’s in danger of becoming just another church service and another minute’s silence, which is important, but if you’re not careful, you end up only remembering the attack.
“They were at a music gig, they were all vibrant lively people, a light show is more fitting with their personalities.
“It would be lovely to remember them in a positive light, rather than what happened to them.”
Floral tributes are usually laid at Manchester Victoria to remember the victims of the terror attack as well as this year’s drone display. Credit: Geograph, David Dixon
Andrew added: “I know Manchester will never forget and… the families will be forever grateful for the city’s support and love.
“Our pain is with us every day, it doesn’t leave us.
“But on 22 May, we are taken back to that moment.”
“If you would like to attend, the light show will take place above Manchester’s Glade of Light memorial between 22.19pm and 22.31pm, finishing at the time the bomb was detonated on the night of the attack. Forever in our hearts.”
Parents of baby Genevieve Meehan killed at Stockport nursery pay tribute after woman found guilty
Emily Sergeant
The parents of a baby girl who was killed by a nursery worker in Stockport have paid tribute to their “wonderful daughter”.
Genevieve Meehan was killed at Tiny Toes nursery, in the Cheadle Hulme area of Stockport, on 9 May 2022, and a 37-year-old woman, Kate Roughley, from Heaton Norris – who was the deputy manager at the nursery – has now been found guilty of manslaughter, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Norris was found guilty following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, and her sentencing is due to take place tomorrow (Wednesday 22 May).
Following Norris’ verdict, and ahead of the sentencing this week, Genevieve’s family have now paid an emotional tribute the baby who “embraced every day” and “loved life”.
The tribute, as shared by GMP, yesterday reads in full: “It has been just over two years since our beautiful and wonderful daughter’s life was taken from her. Genevieve’s loss has destroyed our family. We grieve for her every day. We long desperately to see her smile, hear her laugh and feel her warm embrace. Her absence is a physical and emotional wound that will never heal.
Parents of baby Genevieve Meehan killed at Stockport nursery pay tribute after woman found guilty / Credit: GMP
“Genevieve wasn’t just a baby, she was a person. She loved to laugh, to play with her tambourine, to eat Spaghetti Bolognese and to be with her big sister. She was kind, affectionate, independent and mischievous. She was fascinated with the world and everything in it. She embraced every day. She loved life and we loved her instantly.
“We were amazed every day watching her grow and develop. She was such a strong person, bright and talented. To be in her presence was such joy.
“We will never accept the cruelty of her life being taken away. That we will not get to hear her speak her first words or watch her grow up is impossible to comprehend. Genevieve could have done anything she wanted to. She had her whole life to live and was loved so dearly by her family.
#TRIBUTE | Family of baby Genevieve pay tribute to their little girl.
"It has been just over two years since our beautiful and wonderful daughter’s life was taken from her. Genevieve’s loss has destroyed our family. We grieve for her every day."https://t.co/zEFWZunW3Apic.twitter.com/50OrdYGQOF
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 20, 2024
“We grieve for what we do not have. Words cannot adequately convey how much we miss Genevieve. We are so desperate for her to be in our arms as she should be and watching her put on her school uniform in September when she would have started pre-school. Instead, we are here in a place we could never have imagined when we took her to nursery that day on 9 May where she was meant to be safe and cared for. The pain of her loss is beyond any measure.
“We grieve for everything Genevieve has lost. Her life, that was so full of wonder and promise, was taken from her.”
Her parents also took a moment to thank the police for their “dedication to getting justice for Genevieve”, and for their “professionalism” and “compassion”, as well as thanking the CPS and legal team who have “fought” for their daughter and their family.
“Our beautiful daughter deserves to be remembered for the wonderful person she is, not the nature of her death,” the tribute concludes.
“She deserves to have a legacy so that her life can inspire others, and as a family, we will work tirelessly to ensure she has the legacy she deserves.”