An L. S. Lowry painting depicting people attending a football match has sold at auction for £7.8m.
The beloved 1953 artwork has been saved by the Salford theatre and gallery that shares the artist’s name.
The Lowry successfully bid to buy and keep Going to the Match, where it will remain on public display with The Lowry Collection.
It’s been part of The Lowry’s display since 2000, when it arrived as a loan by owners the Professional Footballers Association.
Once the PFA decided to sell the painting, there was no guarantee that the new owners would ensure it would be free to access for the public.
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Salford Quays and The Lowry. Credit: Unsplash
The painting shows crowds of people milling towards a football ground and has been praised for capturing a ‘quintessentially Northern experience’.
The purchase was made possible by the support of The Law Family Charitable Foundation.
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Julia Fawcett OBE, CEO of The Lowry, said: “We firmly believe that this iconic artwork must remain on public view, so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences, for free.
“This evening, thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, we are delighted to have purchased the painting for the city’s collection of LS Lowry works.
Wonderful that Lowry’s football masterpiece has been saved for Salford’s Lowry Centre by Andrew and Zoe Law. It sold ten mins ago for close to £7 million. It’s coming home…. pic.twitter.com/EeQrmmNs9v
“We look forward to bringing it home to Salford, where it can continue to delight and attract visitors to the Andrew and Zoë Law galleries at The Lowry.
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“A great deal of work has been needed to make this intervention possible – I’d like to thank Andrew and Zoë Law, our Chair Sir Rod Aldridge, Salford’s City Mayor Paul Dennett and our Trustees for all of their support.”
Andrew Law said: “Zoë and I are delighted to have facilitated The Lowry’s purchase of Going to the Match. This LS Lowry painting belongs in Salford on public view, close to his birthplace, where he was educated and where he lived.
“Place matters. L. S. Lowry’s depiction of people attending a football match is just one of his many incredible genres of work, but it is undoubtedly his most iconic.”
Paul Dennett, Salford’s City Mayor, said: “L. S. Lowry, Salford’s greatest and most iconic artist, made his name depicting working-class life – as such we emphatically believed Going to the Match should remain on public view free to access where everyone can see it.
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“I am delighted our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it tonight, for the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great City.”
Featured image: Supplied
Art & Culture
Horror film festival Grimmfest announces fear-filled return to Manchester next month
Emily Sergeant
Spooky season is just around the corner, and now a popular horror film has announced its return to Manchester next month.
Grimmfest, also known as Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Film, has confirmed its 2026 return dates, and has also announced its the full lineup – with four fear-filled days planned, showcasing the best in brand-new horror genre cinema.
You can expect some ferocious feature films, a savage selection of shorts, hair-raising horror classics back on the big screen, and more premieres than ever before.
Returning to Odeon Great Northern early next month, Grimmfest audiences will have an exclusive opportunity to see many of the films on the lineup long before their formal release – with both world, UK, and international premieres on the cards.
Some of the programme’s highlights this year include the UK premiere of Zachary Wigon’s darkly comedic period piece, Victorian Pyscho, shot in Ireland and starring big-name stars Maika Monroe, Jason Isaacs, Thomasin McKenzie, and Ruth Wilson.
Ángel Gómez Hernández’s Crawlers will also make its UK debut at the festival, and horror fans are also said to be eagerly awaiting Jason Lei Howden’s Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon – which is the highly anticipated follow-up to the beloved cult metal comedy-horror, Deathgasm.
There will also be an array of incredible short films screened throughout the festival, all in a huge range of styles, themes, and twisted sensibilities, proving that when it comes to Grimmfest, good things often come in small packages.
Grimmfest has announced its fear-filled return to Manchester next month / Credit: Grimmfest | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
It’s not just new releases you can expect either, as some absolute horror classics are also set to return to the big screen for their anniversaries.
Respected guests from all around the world are set to descend on Manchester for the festival, and that include the film makers and actors from many of the selected films.
And of course there will be plenty of film introductions, Q&As, and signings for fans.
Grimmfest 2026 returns to Oden Great Northern from from 8 – 11 October, and you can see the full lineup and get tickets here.
Featured Image – Grimmfest (Supplied)
Art & Culture
Chester Zoo’s popular FREE Nature Fest returns this weekend with its biggest event yet
Emily Sergeant
A free festival helping people connect to nature is returning for its 10th anniversary, and organisers say it will be their biggest event yet.
Nature Fest is returning to Chester Zoo this weekend, and is set to explore the relationship between nature and wellbeing, with lots of new activities designed to help festivalgoers experience the benefits of connecting with the natural world
Around 4,000 people, and lots of families, are expected to attend across the weekend.
Visitors can take part in animal yoga sessions, relax in a zen den, and explore an interactive nature adventure based around the five pathways to nature connection, traveling along tunnels and through a tree along the way.
There will also be live music, puppetry, crafts, workshops and talks, alongside opportunities to discover how conservationists work to protect wildlife.
Chester Zoo’s popular Nature Fest returns this weekend with its biggest event yet / Credit: Chester Zoo
On top of that, the festival will feature stands from various nature organisations and community groups across the North West, talks and tips from nature professionals, and wildlife-friendly gardening sessions with the zoo’s schools team.
Chester Zoo has also teamed up with Outside Lives Ltd on the festival, giving visitors the chance to take part in other activities like crazy golf, den building, and willow weaving.
“We’re hoping our 10th Nature Fest will be the biggest yet,” commented Chris Ablett, who is the Community Volunteer Assistant Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Chester Zoo is well known for supporting conservation across the world but protecting nature here in the UK is just as important.
“We want people to know there are simple things they can do to help wildlife at home, and Nature Fest is a great way to link up with people and learn new skills you can put into practice in your community, all while enjoying a great day out.”
Chester Zoo’s Nature Fest returns for 2026 this weekend on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. It’s free to attend, parking is also free, and no booking is required.
Daisy Jackson -
20th October 2022 
