Art & Culture

Manchester Museum director an ’emotional wreck’ after people queue down the street for reopening weekend

It's expected to stay busy all week, too.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 20th February 2023

Manchester Museum had queues stretching down the street this weekend when it finally reopened its doors.

The cultural institution has been closed for around 18 months while it underwent a £15m transformation project.

And Mancs have clearly missed the museum, with thousands rushing down to see its new look over the weekend.

Manchester Museum officially reopened on Saturday, showcasing its modern new two-storey extension, revamped cafe and gift shop, and brand new exhibition spaces.

It attracted around 5,500 visitors each day, and is expected to remain busy throughout the week.

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Upon seeing the queues outside, the museum’s director Esme Ward said on Twitter that she was ‘an emotional wreck’.

She wrote on Saturday: “Oh my goodness, people queuing to visit @McrMuseum. Am now an emotional wreck.”

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Then on Sunday, alongside another queue photo, she added: “And again today.. Manchester, you’re amazing.”

Wendy Gallagher, Head of Visitor Teams at Manchester Museum, said: “We’re thrilled to have opened our doors once again and be able to welcome people back into the museum. Our visitors are what make the museum what it is and it was such a joy to see the building full of excited faces during our reopening weekend.

The South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc Group
The new extension at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc Group
The new exhibition hall at Manchester Museum
The new exhibition hall at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc Group

“The museum is likely to be very busy all week so we are advising people to book free tickets for Golden Mummies of Egypt to guarantee entry to this exhibition.

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“When you’re here, please speak to a member of staff if you need some time out and to use a quiet room. We also have ear defenders and mindful activities available at the welcome desk.”

The £15 million transformation of Manchester Museum has been supported by UK Government through DCMS and Arts Council England, and by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The University of Manchester, and numerous philanthropic supporters.

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New spaces inside include a brand new Exhibition Hall, which will open with the blockbuster exhibition Golden Mummies of Egypt, filled with more than 100 objects and eight mummies.

There’s also the South Asia Gallery (a partnership with the British Museum), which will be the UK’s first permanent space to explore the lived experience of South Asian diaspora communities.

All that is alongside the existing collections of fossils and other objects from natural sciences and human cultures.

Featured image: Manchester Museum

Art & Culture

Rio Ferdinand is helping change young lives with community programmes in Oldham and Salford

Danny Jones Danny Jones Rio Ferdinand Foundation community programmes Oldham Salford

Ex-Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand and his foundation’s wonderful work is helping better the lives of young people in Oldham, Salford and across Manchester as a whole.

Over the past year, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and The Guinness Partnership have been putting together a vital social initiative aimed at providing opportunities and resources to young people across Greater Manchester, helping them develop their skills and aspirations for future working life.

Now, after a hugely successful 12-month campaign, their skills and progression community programme, participants are well and truly starting to feel the impact, with 90% of those taking part now stating that they are enjoying a clear idea and focus on what they want to do for a career.

It may have be thriving in Salford and Oldham at the moment, but given the benefit the scheme has already had — not to mention the ambition the Rio Ferdinand Foundation has shown around various areas of the UK since being set up in 2012 — we can only see this spreading further across the region.

Matthew
Credit: Supplied

The skills-based initiative engages young people aged under 25 years old and living in Guinness homes in a six-month skills-based programme which has been up and running in the two Manc boroughs, as well as the London boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth, since March 2022.

Young people from both Oldham and Salford take part in a weekly schedule of activities designed to tackle youth unemployment, including digital media training (photography, product design, filmmaking, podcasting), building and construction, CV workshops, mock interviews and more.

Not only do these shadowing opportunities garner confidence and raise aspirations among other young people in the local community, but they also help directly develop their employability skills via mentoring.

For instance, Matthew, 19 from Royton in Oldham, completed the programme and then was supported to apply to the Guinness Aspire Awards to request funding to purchase camera and lighting equipment to help him start a small local photography business. Quality stuff.

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Matt says that the scheme “has been an amazing opportunity and has given [him] a chance to get back on the right path… I know what I want to do now and can’t wait to start… I would recommend that other people in my position get involved with it in the future.”

As well as markedly increasing participants health and well-being, all 100% of those involved across Salford and Oldham reported feeling more confident, with many now enjoying opportunities with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation’s partners such as Warner Music, Kiss FM, The Jockey Club and the Gym Group.

Speaking on the programme’s success, Rio himself said in a statement: “The Foundation is committed to working with young people at the heart of their communities to offer support, training, and opportunities to those that need it… engaging with the Guinness Partnership has provided a great boost to our reach and our work”.

Well in, Rio. Thankfully, he isn’t the only ex-Manchester-based footballer still trying to make a difference in the local community either:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Supplied/Rio Ferdinand (via Instagram)

Art & Culture

Eurovision 2023 grand final to be screened live in cinemas across the UK

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across the UK for the first time ever.

With fans from across the globe set to descend on Liverpool in a couple of months time as the UK hosts the 2023 edition of the world’s biggest song competition on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine, those who weren’t lucky enough to secure tickets will instead by able to head to their nearest cinema to experience the action on the big screen.

Distributor CinemaLive has announced it will be broadcasting the Eurovision grand final show live in cinemas nationwide for the first time ever.

It means that Eurovision fans up and down the country who missed out on grabbing tickets to the final – which sold out in under 40 minutes after going on sale earlier this month – will be able to come together to celebrate what is set to be the “biggest, brightest, boldest music party of the year”.

Eurovision 2023 grand final to be screened live in cinemas across the UK / Credit: Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)

500 cinemas across the UK, including several here in Greater Manchester, will be screening the grand final on Saturday 13 May.

Vue, Odeon, Cineworld, and Everyman are just some of the cinema chains taking part.

Vue Manchester Printworks, Odeon Great Northern, and Everyman Manchester are the Manchester city centre venues lined-up to screen the event – with cinemas in the The Lowry Outlet Mall, Trafford Centre, Didsbury, Heaton Moor, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, and more also set to welcome Eurovision fans through their doors.

Event organisers say the screenings will encourage singalongs and fancy dress.

“We’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring Eurovision’s grand final live into cinemas across the UK for the first time ever,” said John Travers from CinemaLive. 

“We want audiences to enjoy themselves, so get your fancy dress on, and come together to enjoy this historic occasion on the big screen.”

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You cind out more and grab tickets to watch the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest grand final screened live in a cinema near you here.

Featured Image – Eurovision

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