History has been made, as all buses in Greater Manchester are now back running under local control this week.
It’s been a long time coming, but in a move that has been described as “heralding in a new era” of public transport and set to “transform” how people get around the region, all bus services in Greater Manchester are under local control and are accountable to the people and businesses within our communities.
This makes Greater Manchester the first area in the UK to do this in 40 years.
History made! 🐝🚌
Hear from some of the people who helped make it happen, as all Greater Manchester’s buses are back under local control.#BeeNetworkpic.twitter.com/PKPGXSGYRV
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), our region has taken several significant steps to reverse decades-long decline and deliver improved services, better buses, and more affordable fares in recent years.
This includes making changes to around 75 different routes to provide earlier, later, more frequent, and better-connected services, improving punctuality of services to be consistently 80% of above, introducing hundreds of new, greener and more-accessible buses, and reducing the average ticket costs by around 15%.
ADVERTISEMENT
TfGM says Greater Manchester “setting the blueprint for others to follow”.
The completion of bus franchising marks the end of the first phase of the Bee Network, while the next step will be to bring eight priority train lines under public control by 2028, as well as deliver the first new stations in more than 20 years and significant upgrades to make more stations accessible.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite all of the challenges – legal and meteorological – we did it!
After 40 years of damaging deregulation, Greater Manchester has this morning successfully retaken control of the whole of its bus network. 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/nlrGHZWQ6O
“This is a historic moment for Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham.
“We are proud to be the first area in England to complete the re-regulation of buses and to have done it on time and on budget.
ADVERTISEMENT
“From today, every community in Greater Manchester will be served by cheaper, cleaner and greener buses, and run in a way which puts people before profit. We are now ready to help other areas looking to follow suit and improve their bus services after decades of decline.
“Whilst this is a nationally significant moment that we can all celebrate, it’s by no means job done.
“We’ll have an unrelenting focus this year on delivering a truly integrated, London-style transport system across bus, tram and train – the next chapter of the Bee Network’s story.”
Featured Image – TfGM
Boroughs
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 9 – 15 June 2025
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… summer has arrived.
June is well underway now and so is the start of meteorological summer, so as you can expect, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this month – we’re talking festivals, themed events, new foodie openings, and loads more on the horizon in the coming weeks.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries.
We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
___
Dear England
The Lowry
Monday 9 – Sunday 29 June
Dear England / Credit: The Lowry
An award-winning play about the England men’s national football team is playing outside of London for the first time ever, and Greater Manchester has been chosen as the lucky location.
The National Theatre’s smash-hit production of writer James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play, Dear England, has started its four-week run at the legendary The Lowry in Salford, and audiences have a chance to catch it up until 29 June.
Directed by the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director, Rupert Goold, Dear England tells the story of the England men’s football team under former manager, Gareth Southgate.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
Stories – Brought To Life / Credit: The Manc Group
A major new National Portrait Gallery exhibition has arrived in Salford.
The ground-breaking new experience by FRAMELESS Creative has opened at MediaCity, bringing some of the world’s most famous portraits to life like never before.
Stories – Brought to Life will explore the fascinating lives of these figures, who have shaped the UK’s history and culture all the way since the Tudor period, and will combine the highest quality digital projection, Hollywood-style visual effects, and the latest audio technology, along with specially created musical scores and creative narratives to shine a new light on each individual.
Visitors will be able to step inside iconic portraits including Grayson Perry, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Emmeline Pankhurst, Queen Elizabeth I, and William Shakespeare.
NEW OPENING – Stables Tavern / Credit: The Manc Group
The Rover’s won’t be returning, and that’s because a new pub has opened its doors to the public on the site of the legendary Corrie boozer, and it’s a stunner.
There’s nothing we love more in Manchester than a good pub, right? Well there’s a new one riding into St John’s – meet Stables Tavern, a historic tavern reimagined for modern pint drinkers on the site of Coronation Street’s Rovers Return.
Think pints of Boddingtons, homemade pies and sausage rolls, and a sunny little outdoor terrace too (or there’s a parlour with a roaring fire for less sunny days).
Kargo on the Docks / Credit: Supplied | Mark Waugh
Kargo on the Docks is back for the summer.
MediaCity’s al fresco dining pop-up has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
A handful of Greater Manchester’s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.
Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.
Did you see that Manchester Museum has been named European Museum of the Year for 2025?
Talk about a prestigious title.
Yes that’s right, congratulations are in order, because Manchester Museum – which is part of The University of Manchester (UoM) – has received one of the most prestigious museum awards in the world, the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA).
Not only that, but it’s made history in doing so too, as it’s the first university museum to ever receive the annual prize.
Manchester Museum has been named the European Museum of the Year for 2025 / Credit: Manchester Museum
It beat out 41 other cultural hubs across the continent to claim the coveted prize.
ADVERTISEMENT
Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises new or redeveloped museums that showcase the best in excellence and innovation in their field.
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this summer.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the year, East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are described as being ‘the ultimate first class foodie experience’, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
Moovin Festival is back in the fields of Whitebottom Farm this weekend.
Widely-considered one of the region’s best music events, Moovin has gone from being ‘Manchester’s best kept secret’, to a staple in the calendar every year.
The boutique festival usually takes over beautiful countryside in Etherow Country Park in Stockport every August bank holiday weekend, but for 2025, we get to experience all the action earlier than normal – and we’re thrilled.
ADVERTISEMENT
This year’s lineup features returning favourites and some hotly-tipped newcomers, with headline performances from Ezra Collective and Folamour.
Having taken place at Heaton Park since 2013, when it outgrew its original home in Platt Fields Park, this year’s event will take place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June, and features an absolutely packed lineup of both local and global names lead by 50 Cent, Charli XCX, and Jorja Smith.
They each play alongside returning Parklife favourites like Peggy Gou, Bicep, Rudimental, and more, as well as other big names like Confidence Man and FLO.
The massive party is attended by some 80,000 people each day, and is one of the biggest events in Manchester’s cultural calendar.
Everything you need to know about Parklife 2025 is here.
___
Universally Manchester
UoM
Saturday 14 June
Universally Manchester / Credit: UoM
Universally Manchester is back for 2025 this weekend, and it’s shaping up to be a proper community day for all.
Organised and hosted by University of Manchester (UoM), this free day is jam-packed with fun activities for all the family, so there’s bound to be something for everyone – with everything from creative sessions with poetry, music, and art, to tours and meets-ups with the university/s inspiring curators.
So Retro x The Vintage Village / Credit: So Retro Events
A huge vintage fair is taking over Stockport town centre this weekend with market stalls, live music, classic cars, and more.
So Retro Events and Stockport’s beloved The Vintage Village are joining forces to bring Greater Manchester residents a vintage ‘extravaganza’, with the hall packed to the rafters with vintage stalls selling everything from clothing and homeware, to ceramics, artwork, antiques, vinyl records, and loads more.
Taking over the historic Stockport Market Hall to celebrate 15 years since The Vintage Village opened in the town, fair-goers will also have access to a free vintage styling zone where they can try on loads of outfits and accessories from different decades.
Featured Image – UoM | Parklife | Science Museum Group
Boroughs
Guide Dogs desperately needs people in Greater Manchester to ‘foster’ its dogs while they’re in training
Emily Sergeant
Guide Dogs desperately needs Greater Manchester residents to take on the volunteering role of Fosterers.
The charity – which has been providing mobility support, and raising awareness of and campaigning for the blind and partially sighted since 1934 – relies on the help of its network of its more than 14,000 volunteers across the UK to help it make a difference and improve the lives of those with visual impairments.
And Fosterers are a vital part of the journey for the hundreds of dogs trained each year.
As a Training Dog Fosterer, you’ll be giving a dog in training a loving home whilst they embark on their journey to become a guide dog.
You’ll get to see the progress your furry companion is making in their training and be a vital part of their journey, all without the commitment of looking after a dog full time.
Guide Dogs North West – which is based at the state-of-the-art training school in Atherton – has taken to social media this week to issue a desperate plea for new Fosterers to join its volunteer network in our region, and is calling on dog lovers who can commit to the important role to get in touch.
“Calling dog lovers around Atherton,” the post on Instagram reads.
“We desperately need volunteer Fosterers to look after our trainee guide dogs during the evenings and weekends. We take care of the training and costs, such as food and vet bills, and you take care of the play time and cuddles.”
One of the most crucial parts of the Fosterer role is being able to drop the dog off between 8-9am and pick them up between 5-6pm at a Guide Dogs site or a site near a trainers’ home each weekday – which means you will likely need to live nearby to the Atherton training centre or be fully-committed to travelling.
Guide Dogs desperately needs people in Greater Manchester to ‘foster’ its dogs while they’re in training / Credit: Guide Dogs
What will you get in return? Well, volunteering is a two-way street, so in return for your time, you’ll get a dedicated volunteer manager / key contact who will help you settle in and support you during your time with the charity.
And of course, you’ll get lots of cuddles from the new four-legged friend you’ve welcomed into your home.
This could be a chance to play your part in changing lives.
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2025 
