Manchester Museum will be celebrating the anniversary of its £15m makeover with a free birthday party – and it sounds pretty nostalgic.
The hugely popular cultural attraction down on Oxford Road officially reopened its doors a year ago next week.
While it’s still home to Mancunian icons like Stan the T-Rex, the museum now also has a new modern two-storey extension, plus a beautiful new entrance and gift shop, and a new dinosaur to keep Stan company, with April the Tenontosaurus back on all fours near the Fossils gallery.
The extensive redevelopment proved so popular last year, the museum had queues down the street for its opening weekend and its director was left an ’emotional wreck’.
In the year since Manchester Museum revealed its new galleries and exhibitions, more than 800,000 people have visited.
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So now it’s time to celebrate. The museum is throwing a ‘party for the people’, complete with nostalgic party games and a red carpet.
Visitors on Sunday 18 February will first be encouraged to strike a post for the photographer as they sashay up the red carpet.
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Then as you head inside you’ll see that all the museum’s spaces have been transformed for one big birthday party, which will run all the way from 10am until 5pm.
Even the creatures at Manchester Museum will be getting in the party spirit with their own custom hats. Credit: Manchester Museum
A gigantic game of pass-the-parcel will be taking place in the Living Worlds gallery, where you’ll be surrounded by cabinets full of taxidermy animals and watched over by the sperm whale skeleton who’s been suspended above it all for 130 years.
Stan the T-Rex will be overseeing a game of musical dinosaur statues in the Fossils Gallery (and he is an expert at this game).
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There’ll be craft workshops where you can make your own party hats, with prizes handed out for the best efforts.
Other creatures inside the museum, including the Japanese spider crab who sits in the window on Oxford Road, will be getting into the spirit of the occasion, donning party hats specially made for them by artist Lucy Burscough.
More games at the party will be ‘pin the tail on April the Tenontosaurus’, plus performances from a magician and circus performers.
You can take part in poetry workshops and performances in the new South Asian Gallery, and learn the movements and exercises of Wuqinxi in the Chinese Culture Gallery.
Manchester Museum’s Party for the People is totally free of charge with no ticket required.
Government sets up taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England
Emily Sergeant
A taskforce aiming to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England has been set up by the Government.
The new Maternity and Neonatal taskforce – which is chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting – will tackle ‘deep-rooted inequalities’ and deliver urgent action on the recommendations of the independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
This means that women, babies, and families will receive safer and higher-quality care from the NHS in the long run.
According to the Government, the expert panel includes families, senior NHS leaders, royal colleges, campaigners, academics, and third sector representatives.
The Government has set up a taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
As part of the selection process, the Government has been working closely with harmed and bereaved families to ensure their personal experiences were reflected, and those who have been chosen collectively have the clinical expertise, lived experience, and sector know-how to deliver the changes so desperately needed for families.
Starting next week, the Secretary of State will chair regular roundtables with the new taskforce – with the first priority to agree its Terms of Reference.
The taskforce will also address recent developments in maternity and neonatal care, including recommendations from the Thirlwall Inquiry, and the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The taskforce will also be supported by a wider range of experts – as part of ‘expert reference groups’ – that the Government says will bring ‘a broader range’ of perspectives.
“Every woman and baby deserve safe, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth, and the very best start in life,” commented Duncan Burton, who is the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
“Although NHS maternity and neonatal teams work incredibly hard to support women and families every day, we know there is more we must urgently do to improve care and experience.
“I look forward to working with members of the taskforce to improve safety and deliver the best possible outcomes and experience for women, babies, families, and colleagues working in these services.”
Featured Image – Credit: Aditya Romansa (via Unsplash)
Kids & Family
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Daisy Jackson -
9th February 2024 
