The Grade II-listed Stockport Viaduct is undergoing a £1m restoration, which will see part of the M60 close for almost a fortnight.
The huge structure, which towers over the town, carries almost 400 trains every day between the West Coast Main Line and Manchester Piccadilly.
Dating all the way back to 1840 and standing at 34 metres tall, Stockport Viaduct has been slowly undergoing improvement works, including removing overgrowing vegetation, cleaning grafitti, and repairing some of the viaduct’s 11 million bricks.
Since last year that work’s already taken place on 23 of the 26 spans, but now the M60 will need to close that engineers can complete the revamp.
The busy motorway will be shut in both directions between J27 and J1 from Monday 17 February until Sunday 2 March, closing at 10pm and reopening at 6am.
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Rob Stephens, principal route engineer for the North West route, said: “Stockport Viaduct is an important piece of cultural heritage for the railway and the Stockport community. We are proud to be responsible for its upkeep.
“The final stage of the project will take place this February, as we want to make sure the nighttime road closure causes as little inconvenience as possible for the people of Stockport.
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“The recent work means the overall appearance of the viaduct is much improved, but it also reduces the risk of damage caused by overgrown vegetation and graffiti.
“Managing plant growth on viaducts such as this is important in maintaining train performance as trees and shrubs can obscure signals and interfere with the overhead lines that power trains.”
The M60 is set to close for almost two weeks as Stockport Viaduct undergoes £1m revamp. Credit: Network Rail
Cllr Grace Baynham, cabinet member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services, said: “Stockport Viaduct is an iconic feature of our town and it is great that Network Rail has been carrying out the restoration of this much loved structure.
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“With the £1billion regeneration of our town centre continuing apace, it’s even more important that our historical, listed, landmarks look their absolute best.
“I’m sure our residents and visitors have seen the improvement in the areas that have already been completed.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience while this vital final section of the work is completed.”
Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport, said: “I am delighted that Stockport Viaduct is being cleaned and repaired to its former glory. I have raised concerns in Parliament about the condition of the Viaduct and called for funding to cover cleaning, maintenance and repair costs to this impressive and essential infrastructure.
“I congratulate Network Rail for recognising and embarking on this huge revamp project, which will benefit people who live, work and travel through Stockport.”
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Network Rail is also informing the people of Stockport about work to replace the Greek Street bridge which takes cars over the West Coast main line between Edgeley and Stockport town centre.
A big preloved school uniform shop is opening in Greater Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
A popular pre-worn school uniform shop where you can grab items at ‘affordable’ prices is reopening in Greater Manchester for the summer.
As the cost of living crisis sadly still continues to make its impact felt nationwide, Stockport‘s popular pre-worn uniform shop will throw open its doors for the fifth year running, and families are encouraged to clear out wardrobes, pass on school uniform items, and help local children head back to school for a fraction of the usual cost.
The initiative has seen thousands of items donated and sold to the local community throughout the past few years, helping families save money while also keeping perfectly wearable school uniforms out of landfill.
Not only that, but the scheme has also raised thousands of pounds for local charities thanks to incredible public generosity – with all proceeds from this year’s shop going towards Emmie’s Kitchen.
A big preloved school uniform shop is opening in Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: Matthew Nichol (Supplied)
As always, the shop will be popping up inside the town’s Merseyway Shopping Centre for the summer holidays to provide locals with massive savings.
Before then though up until Monday 10 August, a dedicated donation bin will be available for shoppers to drop off clean, reusable, good-quality school uniform items ready to be resold at affordable prices.
The pop-up shop will then return for one week only from Friday 14 – Friday 21 August, offering every item for 50p each, making it easier than ever for families to stock up on school essentials.
The scheme accepts items that are suitable for Stockport-based schools, however families with children outside of Stockport will find a variety of suitable items too.
“It’s incredible to see how this initiative has grown over the last five years,” commented Victoria Nichol, who is the Centre Manager at Merseyway.
“What started as a simple idea has become something the whole community gets behind, with families returning year after year to donate uniforms, shop sustainably and support local charities.
“School uniforms are only worn for a short time before children outgrow them, so if your child’s is still in great condition, why not pass them on? Every donated blazer, jumper, PE kit or pair of shoes could make a real difference to another local family, while also helping reduce clothing waste.
“It’s a small gesture that has a huge impact.”
Featured Image – Matthew Nichol (Supplied)
Stockport
Blossoms to play special ‘intimate’ 10th anniversary gig at The Deaf Institute, Manchester
Danny Jones
Local indie and alternative lads Blossoms have announced a special one-off anniversary show at none other than The Deaf Institute right here in Manchester.
Coming to the iconic small-cap venue this summer, the Stockport band will be marking the 10th birthday of their self-titled debut album by playing one of the smallest gig spaces in the centre, but one that was a massive milestone for them back in the day.
Now a full decade on from the breakout LP, released on 5 August 2026, Blossoms will be rolling back the years by playing the biggest hits from the record, along with a selection from the many other bangers that they’ve gone on to release since.
This is going to be one very special night for the SK natives.
We’re playing an intimate gig at The Deaf Institute on Weds 5th August to celebrate 10 years of our debut album! We’re going to record the show & release it as a special edition double CD of our new album. Pre-order it now for exclusive pre-sale access. https://t.co/ztAkh95RWspic.twitter.com/kuZNnJJBok
Blossoms have never shied away from championing their Stopfordian roots, but neither have they forgotten the city that helped establish them as one of the biggest bands in Britain.
For instance, this upcoming Deaf Institute show – which promises to be a much more intimate show than they’re used to doing these days – comes not even two years on from the mini Manc residency, when they played five nights here in Manchester over the course of a single week.
As we come up to the sixth studio project, Songs From The Wedding Cake, and already have two singles from the next release, we have no shame in admitting we still listen to those first tracks as much as ever.
With that in mind, it’ll be a surreal full circle for everyone, we’re sure, when Tom, Chaz, Myles, Josh and Joe take the stage in that hallowed hometown room with a capacity of just 250 next month; they’re even playing it EXACTLY 10 years on the precise date that maiden outing dropped: 5 August 2026.
Combine this with them pulling stunts like playing people’s weddings and popping up with a surprise set from inside a van outside 42s nightclub on Deansgate, and it’s hard to think of an artist nailing it as well as Blossoms are right now.
Fans can enjoy exclusive early access by pre-ordering the new Blossoms album on their website, and those who have already done so qualify for presale automatically – just keep an eye out for the code in your email inbox.
This limited window will open from 9:30am this Thursday, 30 July, with general admission tickets for their return to Deaf Institute going live at the same time the following Friday (31 July).
Oh, and in case you somehow missed it, they’re also set to play their biggest ever arena shows across the UK later this year, including a huge gig at Co-op Live. Find out all the info down below.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd January 2025 
