Art & Culture

‘Top Secret’ cybersecurity exhibition launched for Science and Industry Museum’s grand reopening

A remarkable world of codebreaking, ciphers and secret communications.

Anna Willis Anna Willis - 30th April 2021

A major new cybersecurity exhibition with displays starring Alan Turing, Russian spies and code-breaking will mark the grand reopening of Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum in May.

Top Secret: From ciphers to cybersecurity will pore over a century’s worth of secret communications and intelligence in an exhibition containing over 100 objects from GCHQ and the Science Museum Group.

The Manchester exhibition will include, for the first time, objects related to Alan Turing and his team’s work intercepting German comms at Bletchley Park.

Visitors can also explore how Britain protected its skies during WWI, how codes were cracked in WWII, and the ways in which intelligence agencies foiled one of the most successful spy rings operating during the Cold War.

The exhibition will also explore modern digital security – considering recent examples of major cyber hacks such as the WannaCry attack on the NHS.

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M209-B Cipher Machine/Image: Science and Industry Museum

Jeremy Flemming, GCHQ Director, said: “At GCHQ we believe with the right mix of minds anything is possible.

“We hope Top Secret intrigues, excites and maybe even inspires the next generation of recruits from the area to consider a career with us.”

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Top Secret will be the first exhibition in the Science and Industry Museum’s new £5m Special Exhibition Gallery – which is set to host some of the biggest displays in the north over the coming months.

The showcase will also highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills in regards to cybersecurity – taking a closer look at the skills required for a career in this field.

Top Secret: From ciphers to cybersecurity/Image: Science and Industry Museum

Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum, said: “Our museum tells the stories of Manchester’s pioneering past and ideas that started here and went on to change the world. 

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“STEM skills have been at the heart of this innovation, and I’m delighted that we’re hosting Top Secret, which showcases the incredible heights that can be achieved through the application of these skills, at a time when the importance of STEM across the region is more important than ever.”

The Science and Industry Museum has been closed since November 5, but will spring back into life with Top Secret on May 19 .

The exhibition will run until August 31. 

Attendance is free but booking is required. You can grab a ticket online or by calling 033 0058 0058.

More information is available on the website .

Featured images: Science and Industry Museum

Art & Culture

A massive festival full of rare trainers is coming back to Manchester next month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A massive festival full of some of the rarest trainers in Europe is once again heading back to Manchester next month.

If you’d consider yourself to be a ‘sneakerhead’, or just a big fan of everything street wear, then you’ll probably be buzzing to hear that Europe’s leading sneaker event is on its way back to Greater Manchester in just a few weeks time, and will once again be taking over the Bowler’s Exhibition Centre in Stretford for a day of rare shoes, DJs, and street food.

Crepe City Sneaker Festival will see more than 150 of the UK’s top sneaker vendors showcase some of the rarest and most-desirable pairs of trainers.

After proving to be a smash-hit success in our city in previous years, the festival is back this Spring, and you can also expect to see the hottest in streetwear, as well as some of the most exclusive sneakers.

A massive festival full of rare trainers is coming back to Manchester next month / Credit: Crepe City

If all of that wasn’t enough to get you excited as it is, you’ll also be able to find some of the best and most varied street food on site, as well as live music performances and Manchester-based DJs playing throughout the day too.

Crepe City was originally launched in London over a decade ago, with co-founder Ronal Raichura quitting his job as a lawyer to set up an event for sneaker fans to swap, sell and buy.

The 2023 Manchester edition of the festival will run from 12pm on Sunday 19 March, and as always, is expected to attract a huge audience.

Crepe City Sneaker Festival will bring together more than 150 of the UK’s top sneaker vendors / Credit: Crepe City

Tickets to the 2023 festival are now available to get your hands on.

A ‘Standard Admission’ ticket including entry to the experience from 12pm setting you back just £13.75, or if you’re eager to get in there before it starts, the ‘Early Admission’ tickets for £18 lets you have access to the festival from 11am and even throws in a beer or soft drink.

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Grab your tickets here.

Featured Image – Crepe City

Art & Culture

12-year-old busker wins Salford Foundation Trust’s Johnny Marr Award

Danny Jones Danny Jones 12-year-old Salford busker John Denton wins Johnny Marr Award

A 12-year-old from Manchester has won the inaugural Johnny Marr Award from the Salford Foundation Trust. Get in there, lad.

Salford schoolkid, John Denton, has played the guitar since the age of eight and has been developing his skills ever since, busking on the rainy streets of the city centre and even playing gigs at Salford Lads Club.

Now the aspiring teen has been presented with a prestigious honour by one of his musical heroes, as the foundation dished out their first-ever Johnny Marr Award to the dedicated young performer.

Having met the legendary Smiths guitarist and songwriter previously at a signing of his last album, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4, where he asked his idol for advice about starting a band, we dare say this latest development is up there with one of the highlights of his career so far.

Issuing a message of support on the Salford Foundation’s website, Marr said: “It’s a pleasure and privilege to give some assistance to a young musician especially when they’re as dedicated as John. Well done brother.”

John has been delighting the streets of Salford and Manchester city centre for some time now and regularly pulls in sizeable crowds with his covers of songs by popular local bands — The Smiths being one of them.

With videos of his performances often being shared online and regularly gaining thousands of views across various social media platforms, he has already started to build a passionate following.

Come rain or shine, he still belts it out all the same:

The Johnny Marr Award is chosen by a panel made up of members from the trust which supports talented young people in the city. The scheme will run for three years, selecting another young musician from Salford each year for financial assistance, each of whom will be awarded £1,000.

Peter Collins CBE, from the Salford Foundation Trust, said: “There couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of the Johnny Marr Award. Even though John is only 12 he’s already proven he’s committed to making a future in music and we’re delighted the Trust can give him a helping hand on this journey.”

John has said he will be putting the funds towards more singing and guitar lessons and future music projects, as well as hopefully levelling up his performances.

Better still, after his first chat with Marr, John has since formed his own band called, The Height – named after an area in Salford near where he lives – and the group released their first single, ‘Go’ just before Christmas. Well in, boys.

Credit: The Height (via Twitter)

John’s dad Phil said of his son’s award: “John’s ambition is to have a career in music. He will be using the funding to have music lessons to help both his guitar playing and his singing. In these tough times, it’s a massive help and means that he can progress in his passion.

“Music is not a hobby for John but just who he is and a creative outlet he hopes to enjoy for the rest of his life. He is incredibly grateful to Johnny and the Salford Foundation Trust who have provided this opportunity.

“It is a real privilege to get this award and he is determined to make the very most of the opportunity he has been given.”

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Speaking on BBC Radio Manchester following the well-earned recognition, Denton told John Sweeney that after having started out asking cafes to let him play, “it’s going great now” and that he has another gig lined up in March.

“Not being big-headed but we hope to be like Johnny Marr and go on tour and get a big following.”

We wish you and your band every success, John — go out there and keep killing it.

We are absolutely loving how much this city is doing for its wonderful pool artists at the minute.

Andy Burnham launches Artist of the Month slot on BBC Radio Manchester to champion new music

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Featured Image — Johnny Marr (via Instagram/Twitter)

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