A brand-new food hall offering a range of cuisines from across the world has just opened inside Bolton Market.
Fresh off-the-back of the town being named Greater Manchester’s new ‘Town of Culture’, Bolton is already proving why 2024 is its year, as the latest development in the wider £5.9 million transformation of its town centre-based Market is now complete, and officially opened its doors to the eagerly-awaiting public last Friday (7 June).
Bolton is already known as one of our region’s foodie capitals, largely thanks to the annual – and very popular – Bolton Food and Drink Festival, which will be making a 2024 return this August bank holiday weekend, but now the opening of the new food hall cements the town as champions of food all year round.
Visitors to Bolton Market’s new food hall will be able to tuck into a wide range of cuisines from all across the globe.
Japanese, Caribbean, Indian, Italian, are just some of the tasty cuisines food traders will be serving up inside the Market food hall, as well as gourmet burgers, healthy chicken, sandwiches, freshly-cooked kebab dishes, sweet drinks and desserts, and so much more.
There’ll be a variety of options available for lunchtimes, after-work treats, and weekend dining too.
Aside from the foodie offering, there’s also a new gin bar from The Bolton Gin Company, named Chill, and the new venue is also home to several sports screens set to show all the action from the upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 football championship.
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Then, as a way of making the venue a nighttime destination too, Bolton Market will be extending its operating hours and the food hall will stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays, with local musicians and acoustic acts invited along to entertain diners.
Both indoor and outdoor seating is available at the new food hall – with room for 200 people to sit indoors, and a further 160 seats on offer outside.
Jon Dyson, who is the Director of Place at Bolton Council, said he’s excited for the new food hall to offer “even more variety” to the town.
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He continued: “After more than 70 food and drink traders toured the premises and expressed interest, the final selection was based on individual business cases and how we could provide a variety of options for customers.
“With Bolton being a popular place to work and study, this new venue will offer more dining choices for lunchtime breaks, as well as being a great addition to the town’s weekend hospitality scene, offering live music, entertainment, and sports on screens.”
Bolton Market Food Hall is now open from Tuesday and Thursday from 11am-5pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am-9:30pm, Sunday from 12pm-6pm, and closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Featured Image – Paul Heyes (via Bolton Council)
Bolton
10 of the best music videos you didn’t know were filmed in Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Manchester is the (self-proclaimed) city of music and as much as us Mancs may be loud and proud about our colourful music scene, it’s also good to know these artists think so too, choosing our city for some of the world’s biggest music videos.
Whether acts have come to lipsync in front of a familiar hometown set, or jetted over here to make the most of our vast landscape and scenery, Greater Manchester is no stranger to music videos.
Some are set in Oldham mansions while others were filmed live in concert, some feature global pop megastars and others star the world’s biggest rappers.
So we’ve rounded up 10 music videos you might not know were filmed right here in Greater Manchester.
10 Manchester music videos
1. ‘Hair’ – Little Mix
Gotta get him out my hair and gotta get down to this Oldham mansion instead as the four girls used this location to film their 2016 smash hit ‘Hair’.
The video sees the X-Factor girl group hosting a sleepover to forget their exes and focus on friendships instead, as they dance and sing around the grand staircase and various rooms inside of Ashcroft House.
Little Mix can be seen tucking into some delicious pizza and they’re clearly big fans of the Italian delicacy, with the homeowner revealing she got to chat with them over a slice or two after filming at midnight.
Not too far from Uppermill, anyone with a spare £2.35 million can snap this property up in a heartbeat and find themselves living in a piece of pop music history.
2. ‘Desire’ – Calvin Harris and Sam Smith
Ever wanted to do donuts at The Brick Community Stadiumin Wigan? Well Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris has beat you to it and he’s brought along company in the form of pop recording artist Sam Smith.
The pair are racing round Wigan as well as a few more urban settings in a host of fast cars. A BMW E46 Coupe was the perfect choice for this shot matching the same kit as home team Wigan Athletic.
This car-meet music video was released in 2023 and in true 80s/90s style, much like the instrumental, Harris and Smith dropped a translucent orange vinyl to coincide with dropping the song.
‘Desire’ was the second collaboration for the duo coming five years after its predecessor ‘Promises’ which took the world by storm in 2018.
3. ‘BeFoUr’ – Zayn
It’s not everyday you see a member of One Direction strolling the streets of Manchester, but in 2016 Zayn paid a visit to Miles Platting to create a visual pairing for his latest single ‘BeFoUr’.
Not too far from Ancoats, Malik decided the surroundings of inner city Manchester would be used as a backdrop for the music video, which assisted his debut solo studio album ‘Mind Of Mine’.
There was even a mural of the album, which acted as the music video’s opening shot, painted at this spot to commemorate the filming of the video.
The musician even tried his hand at spray-painting, writing ‘Mind Of Mine’ in graffiti in the same area.
4. ‘Great Pyramids of Stockport’ – Antony Szmierek
This track sees Szmierek discussing the northern landmark while posing right in front of it in all its shining blue-glass glory.
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From Stockport to the stunning desserts of Egypt, the spoken-word poet even got to visit the inspiration behind its British counterpart, the Pyramids of Giza.
5. ‘Perfect Me’ – Blossoms
Staying in Stockport, Manc favourites Blossoms have also shown lots of love to their hometown especially with their visuals.
The music video for ‘Perfect Me’ sees the band stopping off at multiple destinations around the Greater Manchester town including a school, a farm and even a care home.
The Gallagher brother can be seen peering over Manchester city centre from the roof of the Midland Hotel with an additional band arrangement keeping him company.
One of the speakers in the video receives a special feature too, denoting ‘MCFC Spezial’, a nod to his footwear collaboration with iconic brand Adidas.
Famous landmarks like Manchester Central and St. Peters Square can also be spotted in this 2022 video classic, as Liam professes wise words of wisdom followed by ‘Believe me, yeah’.
In his usual parka coat attire, this video is a fully-fledged homage to Manchester and the incredible thriving city it has become.
7. ‘Money Power Fame’ – Don Broco
South Midlands band Don Broco decided to travel north to shoot their video for 2019’s rock release ‘Money Power Fame’.
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Utilising the gas holders as a backdrop right next to Etihad Stadium and Manchester’s newest live music entertainment venue, Co-op Live, it’s a video filled with money, power… and fame.
The boys silhouettes are displayed in front of the large gas holder which had dominated the skyline of the Bradford area of Manchester before demolition commenced this year.
Although they may not be resident Mancs, the band have played our music-filled city over 20 times since their first visit to Satan’s Hollow back in 2009.
8. ‘Lights Out’ – Rick Astley
The King of ‘Rick-rolling’ filmed the video for his 2010 single ‘Lights Out’ right here in Manchester’s AO Arena, directed by none other than comedy legend and British-legend Peter Kay.
This was a milestone song for Astley, not only thanks to the directorial credits but also due to the fact it was his first musical release in 17 years.
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Obviously, the best place to record your comeback single is an iconic UK venue such as AO Arena’s standing section, main stage and rooftop.
The track welcomed its first play at the same venue, joining Peter Kay on his 2010 UK Tour to perform the new addition as well as his classic hits such as ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (At least we didn’t rick-roll you).
9. ‘Fix You’ – Coldplay
Yes, believe it or not, Chris Martin paces the streets of London before making his way to the home of Bolton Wanderers football club, Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The filming of this video linked to their 2005 tour and two-day residency at the landmark stadium in Bolton, with Martin joining the rest of the band part-way through the video on stage enthralled by a crowd of over 28,000.
This song has reached untouchable levels of success and has become a staple to their touring setlist since its release much like many of their other smash-hit singles, their achievements are never-ending.
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Not too long ago in 2023, they blessed the crowds of Manchester with four back-to-back nights of musical therapy and physical therapy with fans encouraged to use static bikes while watching the show to power the show run.
10. ‘The Way I Are’ – Timbaland and Keri Hilson
The year is 2007, Timbaland has the current music scene hooked and he’s perched up with fellow American singer Keri Hilson to promote their record ‘The Way I Are’ in a basement in… Salford!
It’s safe to say the record producer and performer had the early 2000s pop and R’n’B music scene in the palm of his hands and this track definitely didn’t break that record.
Filmed in a lock-up garage on Chapel Street in Salford, catches Timbaland and Hilson dancing in a spotlight-lit setting in some rather formal office clothing.
The three football players suited and booted doing keepy-uppys were apparently supposed to be stars from that year’s Manchester United lineup, but filming took place at the same time as the FA Cup.
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Honourable Mention
‘Take Me Back To London’ (Sir Spyro Remix) – Ed Sheeran (ft. Stormzy, Jaykae and Aitch)
Ginger-haired pop sensation Ed Sheeran called upon Moston’s own Aitch to add a couple of bars to his Stormzy remix ‘Take Me Back To London’.
The video sees these cheeky chaps chopping it up in a New Moston sandwich shop, indulging in some good scran and cheers-ing their cuppas.
Sheeran started his life in the cosy Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge just an hour away from the site of this music video and is now one of the best-selling UK artists of all time.
Fans spotted the star mid-filming and although he may not have had a guitar on hand to serenade them, he did in fact stop to take selfies with passers-by.
Music is an integral part of Manchester’s history and it’s great to see our city and its surrounding boroughs being represented throughout time and many different genres.
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Here’s to many more famous faces popping up in and around Manchester to promote their albums!
And to a certain Ms Swift, we’ve seen you filming in Liverpool… why not give this wonderful city a try?
Featured Images — Screenshots (via YouTube)
Bolton
Police appeal for information after car mounts pavement in Bolton and kills man in his 40s
Emily Sergeant
A public appeal for information has been made after a car mounted the pavement in Bolton and killed a pedestrian in the process.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian on Chew Moor Lane, in the Lostock area of Bolton, at around 6:45pm yesterday evening (28 October).
When officers arrived, they found a man in his 40s had been hit by the vehicle, but despite the best efforts of emergency services, he sadly died at the scene.
#APPEAL | Investigators appeal for information following a fatal road traffic collision on Chew Moor Lane, #Bolton.
Sadly a man in his 40s died at the scene.
A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
According to GMP, it’s believed that the vehicle involved in the incident – which was a blue Jaguar XE – was overtaking another vehicle, before appearing to lose control and ending up on the pavement and colliding with a pedestrian walking along.
The driver of the Jaguar, which police say was a man in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Chew Moor Lane in Bolton, where the incident took place / Credit: Google Maps
Due to the severity of the incident, GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) is now appealing to the Greater Manchester public, and asking that anyone who may have witnessed the incident come forward and speak to police.
Police are also keen to speak to anyone who may have any video footage from the area in the moments leading up to the collision.
Can you help? Anyone with any information is asked to contact GMP on 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 2778 of 28/10/24, or heading to the LiveChat function online here.