Earlier this month, thousands of people descended on Manchester to do just one thing – celebrate food and drink.
Members of the hospitality industry buzzed around Manchester Central like giddy bees around a hive and over two days, the city really felt like the centre of the universe.
They were brought here by one man and his small but mighty team of events experts – and that man is Thom Hetherington, our Manc of the Month for March.
Thom is the CEO of Holden Media, the team behind the massive Northern Restaurant & Bar event that draws so many here every year.
NRB itself was a celebration of hospitality in all its forms – of all the new businesses that took the leap in lockdown and all the others who made it through to the other side against the odds.
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Thom Hetherington winning an Outstanding Achievement Award at the MFDF Awards 2019. Credit: Carl Sukonik, The Vain Photography
Some of the world’s best chefs shared their wealth of knowledge to attendees, with further chats from the likes of Simon Rogan and Soho House founder Nick Jones.
It was a celebration of collaboration, innovation and sheer talent, and it all happened right here in Manchester.
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As Thom said: “The North’s operators have demonstrated incredible tenacity, resilience and creativity to come through so strongly. I’m delighted to see the region’s leading restaurants, bars and pubs looking to the future with plans for new sites, new launches and new concepts, and it’s no surprise to see the recent industry data showing that new openings in Northern cities are running at twice the level of London.”
Thom’s company is also responsible for the Manchester Art Fair, which has a similar pull for those in the art world.
Above everything, Thom is a die-hard advocate for the north of England.
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Thom Hetherington at NRB this year.
Us Mancs know how amazing our city is – after all, that’s why we’re all here – but Thom has a knack for thrusting that message onto a global platform.
He has helped to grab the spotlight that’s been shining on London for generations with both hands, and forced its gaze northwards to Manchester.
Whether it’s through the events put on by Holden Media or through his never-ending tweets about local food and drink businesses, Thom is a loud champion for our brilliant corner of the world.
He supports and celebrates hospitality in all its shapes, sizes and price-points.
1/2 My highpoint of @NRBManchester 2022? It's hard to pick one thing, but my #NRBDebate with Soho House founder Nick Jones would be up there. What a week, with *so* much positivity and love. Team NRB smashed it – The biggest and best one ever with records broken across the board. pic.twitter.com/DhbPA4g8vy
Thom will wax lyrical about more high-brow establishments like Mana and Hawksmoor in one breath before raving about the naan breads and £4 curries in Cafe Marhaba (on Back Piccadilly) in the next.
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Many of those national reviews of local gems – like Jay Rayner’s trip to Pho Cue for the Guardian – came from Thom tips.
In fact, Jay himself described him as a ‘terrific cheerleader’ for Manchester at the time.
It’s not just Manchester, of course – as anyone who has ever met him, or followed him on social media, will know, Thom is from Glossop, and he’s pretty proud of his charming Peak District hometown.
He’s drawn the big city’s attentions to everything from Hyssop to the Howard Town Brewery, Shepley’s to Harvey Leonard’s, and on to the rolling hills that surround the town.
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Whatever he happens to be turning his hand to, the underlying message is this – Manchester is a top-tier city, and we think Thom is a pretty top-tier Manc.
About Manc of the Month
We all know that Manchester is home to some special people, some born here and others drawn here, and after a bumpy two years that effectively amounted to one big lockdown, it’s these special people that have inspired and led us through the tough times – so we decided to start a series that shines a light on those who should be celebrated.
Following on from our ‘The Mancs of the Year’ feature towards the end of 2020, Manc of the Month officially kicked off in July 2021, with Marcus Rashford MBE, Manchester’s mural king Akse P-19, the local chef feeding the region’s vulnerable families Mary-Ellen McTague, and Manchester’s groundbreaking new Council leader Bev Craig among previous honourees.
Featured image: Thom Hetherington
Art & Culture
Brits start petition to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closure amid budget cuts
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester, the North West and Brits at large are urging people across the country to pen a petition to save the Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing down for good.
In fact, this is just one petition among numerous protests over its impending closure.
For anyone who somehow hadn’t come across the sad news, the national institution that is Jodrell Bank Observatory (JBO) in Cheshire, which includes the award-winning and world-famous James Lovell Telescope, is scheduled to shut down permanently by March 2028.
Despite having served a crucial part in alleviating Cold War tensions back in the 1960s, operating as an important scientific hub under the University of Manchester umbrella, and remaining a major tourist pull for the region, it’s unfortunately lost its funding and is on course to be decommissioned.
While the massive Northern landmark near Macclesfield is home not only to the largest telescope in the UK, important physics research and even an annual music, arts and science festival in the form of Bluedot, its cultural significance doesn’t appear enough to keep it solvent.
Described as a “huge blow to astronomy” not just here in Britain but for the global industry as a whole, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) have even described it as a form of “scientific vandalism.”
Having been open since around the end of WWII, before going on to possess the largest steerable radio telescope of its kind in the entire world by 1957, it’s been used to identify distant planets, stars, galaxies and more up in the far reaches of space.
Dr Megan Argo, reader in astrophysics at the University of Lancashire – which also shares a fruitful partnership with the centre alongside UoM, Cambridge, York and many more – said in a statement: “Jodrell Bank is still a very active facility and remains at the forefront of research.
“Recent upgrades have facilitated new discoveries about planet, star and galaxy formation which tell us about our own history, helping to answer one of humanity’s biggest questions: are we alone in the universe?” Put simply, the steps currently being taken have been called “short-sighted” to say the least.
With that in mind, people across the sector and online are now rallying behind the initiative to try and rescue the important and historic UNESCO site before it’s too late.
Cheshire and Warrington mayoral candidate Ben Fletcher is one of several notable names that have publicly backed the push to save the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre as a whole, along with its highly valuable facilities.
Meanwhile, one user on X added: “I’ve got an opinion on the Jodrell Bank stupidity – and I’m sorry, but that’s a polite understatement. But it is frankly unrepeatable in impolite company, let alone polite.
“I hope the nitwits who have made the decision feel proud about themselves though. Because pride comes before the fall.”
You can see the numerous posts from supporter voices on the Change.org page, including everyone from impassioned scientists and researchers who first discovered their love for these subjects by visiting the attraction, as well as Northerners who simply enjoyed some of their most precious memories there.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) needs to cut an estimated £700 million by 2029/30, and JBO needs to find enough funds to cover its £2.8m budget to avoid closing in the next couple of years. So, if you’ve been stirred by the passionate appeals, you can sign the petition HERE.
Much wider than greater Manchester. Remember going as a child from Merseyside, and have taken my children, too.
Beloved local actor David Threlfall is returning to Manchester theatre after nearly three decades as King Lear
Danny Jones
Much-loved local actor and director David Threlfall is set to return to the Manchester theatre circuit after nearly three whole decades as he prepares to play King Lear at the Royal Exchange.
That’s right: Frank Gallagher himself is about to be one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters in one of his most legendary plays.
Returning to the very same stage on which his career first began budding after 27 years since last treading the boards, the Shameless, Nowhere Boy and Hot Fuzz star will be donning the titular role in arguably the greatest tragedy of all time at the Manchester city centre theatre this coming autumn.
First announced last month, we’ve finally learned more about this significant comeback and can barely contain our excitement.
The seasoned thespian who is best known for playing UK TV’s well-known and perpetually drunk Northern dad, not to mention embodying fellow British performer Tommy Cooper, has plenty of roots in playhouses, but it’s fair to say he’s been gone from Greater Manchester for a hot minute.
Set to lead the cast in the new adaptation, directed by Matthew Dunster – himself a local Lancashire lad schooled in Chadderton – this feels like a proper homegrown production.
For anyone who’s never really experienced the historic tale by ‘Old Bill, the Bard of Avon’, to put it in the Royal Exchange’s words, it “charts a kingdom where power corrupts, families become enemies and prosperity devolves into war.
“At its centre is the mind of a man who can no longer understand what it means to be human. Lear is a searing portrait of a king unable to distinguish truth from lies. As the storm rises and night falls, language, identity and meaning break down completely.”
To be fair, you could argue there are some similarities between him and the Gallagher patriarch; he’ll also be in the middle of this run when he turns 73 – meaning it’ll be even longer since he last played the Royal Exchange Theatre (RET) in his mid-40s.
As for this version by Dunster – who himself is returning to the RET once again also (for his sixth different stint, no less) his talented cast includes the likes of Isobel Akuwudike, Ed Coleman, Lisa Diveney, Rupert Hill, Johnathan Slinger and more.
It’s also worth noting that Threlfall has featured in a Lear retelling in the past.
Way back in 1983, he played Edgar in the small-screen movie made right here in 0161 by Granada Television, where he acted alongside HUGE names such as John Hurt, Diana Rigg, Robert Lindsay, as well as the late, great TV, movie and all-around acting star, Laurence Olivier.
Born in Crumpsall, raised in Burnage, and made at the REC and various other theatres across the country, this feels like a momentous homecoming for the ever-familiar Manc face.
With shows booked from Friday, 2 October until Sunday, 15 November, and tickets priced at just £12 for standard seats, you can secure yours right HERE. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the only Shakespearean adaptation coming to the region later this year, either…
Daisy Jackson -
25th March 2022 
