Business

Grosvenor Casinos have Finally Reopened – Here’s What You Need To Know

With nightclubs still waiting to get the go-ahead, guests will relish the chance to return to casinos to continue their nights out, once last orders have been called in most drinking establishments.

The Manc The Manc - 11th June 2021

Following more than four months of closure due to lockdown, Grosvenor Casino Didsbury, Grosvenor Casino Salford, and Grosvenor Casino Soames are all open for business, just in time for the Euros – but what has changed?

In line with the UK Government plan to ease lockdown, all 52 of Grosvenor Casinos UK venues reopened their doors from Monday, May 17th, much to the joy of staff and casino players across the country. Guests can once again enjoy a night out with friends and family, playing their favourite table games, from roulette and baccarat to blackjack and poker.  Visitors can also savour fine dining and other entertainments, such as watching sporting events.  

With nightclubs still waiting to get the go-ahead, guests will relish the chance to return to casinos to continue their nights out, once last orders have been called in most drinking establishments. 

Gavin Lee, Regional Operations Manager at Grosvenor Casinos, said, “We’ve been counting down the days to reopening and every passing day has brought increased excitement. It has been a challenging time for all our team members, but we can finally look forward to reuniting again and getting back to doing what we love – creating a unique atmosphere for guests to have fun, play their favourite casino games and enjoy quality time together.”

Customers who have spent their time visiting online casinos in lockdown but have missed the atmosphere and social element of a real casino will be pleased to learn that they can return to real brick-and-mortar casinos. Sports fans will be delighted to know that live sporting events, such as the Euros, will be broadcast on the casinos’ big screens.

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However, there are a few safety measures and restrictions in place that you should be aware of. As we’ve come to expect in public venues, you will need to register at reception on entry, hand sanitiser will be provided and you must wear a facemask when moving throughout the venue. 

Drinks and dining will be back on the menu, with socially distanced seating in place. You can pre-order table service using the venue’s app, or you can place an order with the valet service. 

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Contactless payments will be encouraged, although cash will continue to be accepted. Staff and customers will be protected by safety shields at the tills. 

There will also be regular cleaning every day, including but not limited to chips and tables and gaming machines. Numbers at tables will be restricted, and social distancing guidelines are in place. 

Customers will have screens made available to them at gaming tables and electronic machines.

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If you’re still not ready to visit real casinos and prefer to socially distance, then sites like whichcasino.com offer reviews for the best & new casinos online if this is more your thing.

Gain added: “We have been working hard to put in place robust health and safety measures, and when we reopen in line with government guidance, we will deliver a fun yet safe experience for all of our guests and team members to enjoy.”

For more information you can visit the Grosvenor Casinos website.

Business

Heritage railway arches in Manchester city centre to undergo £3.7m transformation by HOME arts centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones HOME railway arches development Whitworth Street

A section of the iconic railway arches along Whitworth Street is set to be refurbished into a brand-new development space for up-and-coming local artists under HOME.

Having existed as a recognisable part of the city’s rich transport and architectural heritage for as long as we can remember, three of the familiar archways situated on Whitworth Street West are now about to be given a new lease of life which will also help support Manchester’s beloved arts community.

Coming under the HOME theatre and arts umbrella with the work being carried out by the North West arm of Robertson Construction, the transformation is set to start fairly soon and is scheduled to be completed by May 2024.

Sitting between Whitworth Street West and HOME’s main arts building at Tony Wilson Place, which has been a popular cinema, gallery and restaurant since 2015, the new development centre will provide a space and vital resources for artists of all ages, disciplines and stages in their careers. Wonderful stuff.

Costing £3.7m, the goal of the ‘HOME Arches’ project is not only to give the Whitworth Street West Arches some much-needed TLC, but to help nurture, attract and retain creative talent in Manchester by providing them with a high-quality, low-cost rehearsal and training space.

Moreover, being connected to the ever-thriving First Street district will further strengthen it as a well-known and go-to city centre destination for artists and visitors alike.

Funding for the renovation was secured back in 2021 following a £2.3m government grant, with a further £0.9m contribution from Manchester City Council and around £0.5m from HOME themselves, who are helping cover some post-construction costs.

The Arches project is part of a wider £20m redevelopment plan under the national Levelling Up fund, with the bulk of the £17.5m scheme seeing the Upper Campfield and Lower Campfield Market buildings (both Grade II-listed structures) lovingly transformed into a new tech, media and creative industries hub.

Read more:

Issuing a statement following the announcement, Director and CEO of HOME, Dave Moutrey said they are delighted to provide “meaningful, additional creative space for artists” and allow them to “grow the work that we do with artists in the North West, across theatre, film, visual art and digital works”.

As for the Council itself, leader Bev Craig said: “These arches are part of our heritage which have sat unloved and underused for many years. This scheme is bringing them back to life with a very modern purpose – complementing the thriving cultural economy in our city.

“Culture has a huge role to play in the success of our city and its people – creatively, for health and well-being and economically. This project will enhance this part of the city centre, create new jobs and further strengthen Manchester’s cultural ecosystem.”

We can’t wait to see how the new historic railway arches look under the loving stewardship of HOME and see the impact it makes on local creativity and culture.

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

Featured Image — Supplied

Business

New bidder enters the race to buy Man United, but there’s a catch — he wants fans to pay for half of it

Danny Jones Danny Jones Who is United's new bidder from Finland?

Following the last-minute flapping around Wednesday’s supposed 9pm deadline for those looking to buy Manchester United, one of the latest bidders has revealed themselves with a unique new offer.

Despite it being initially stated that frontrunners Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe had submitted their second bids in time for the deadline, miscommunication between United, their brokers and the bidding parties meant that those reports turned out to be premature.

In actuality, both the Qataris and Ratcliffe’s INEOS group had been granted an extension and will now submit their follow-up offers tonight (Thursday, 23 March). However, it was revealed that “approaching eight” other candidates had emerged and one of the newest bidders’ proposals has raised eyebrows.

Thomas Zilliacus is a Finnish entrepreneur who operates as Founder and Chairman of the Mobile FutureWorks investment and novaM social media groups. Now, according to a statement issued by the new United bidder, he wants to make a kind of social media app part of his offer — and that’s not all.

According to CBS Sports‘ Ben Jacobs, although Zilliacus is also yet to submit an official bid — said to have simply written a “letter of intent” to Raine Group, who are handling the deal — he has now publicly expressed his interest in buying the club and detailed how he plans to do it, it seems like a serious offer.

As the 69-year-old goes on to explain in his lengthy press release, he believes that “any sports club ultimately should belong to its fans” and that the current trend of “billionaire sheikhs and oligarchs taking over clubs and controlling them as their personal playgrounds is not a healthy trend”.

While many will no doubt agree with the sentiment, with the UK government themselves having recently announced a new independent regulator will be installed throughout English football, Zilliacus’ solution to not only purchasing the club and putting control back in the hands of the fans is an intriguing one, to say the least.

Stating that his team believes the current value of the club is approximately $3.9 billion (£3.45bn and some way off the Glazers’ £6bn asking price), he poses the suggestion of financing half of the sum by buying the Americans out and, “through a new company being set up for this specific purpose”, fans would then be encouraged to cover the rest by buying the remaining shares for less than $3 each. Yes, really.

Now, while fans owning and essentially helping run their own club has long been considered an ideal scenario for many supporters groups who have wrestled to keep some control from owners who are only financially invested in the club, the issue of stability and funding always remains an issue.

You only have to look at instances like Derby, Bolton, Bury, Macclesfield and more in recent years to see how precarious the situation can be. However, in cases like AFC Wimbledon, St Mirren and even clubs as big as Bayern Munich, significant ‘part ownership’ can be a recipe for both stability and success.

Zilliacus insists that not only is his “bid is built on equality with the fans”, but they will have a direct impact on how it is run through this novel new app where supporters “from anywhere in the world, can participate and cast their vote when deciding on footballing matters relating to the club.

As he goes on to clarify, “no decisions will be taken that are not supported by a majority of the fan base”. His proposition is, essentially, to put decisions that often do or should get put to a fan vote anyway onto an app to make the communication and cooperation with the club more streamlined.

Read more:

It almost sounds too good to be true, especially for a sporting franchise of this size and with such a global fan base. Unsurprisingly, plenty have reacted as such, with one account dubbing it “the funniest thing I’ve heard all week” and another simply saying, “Never ever going to happen”.

Jacobs did go on to state that Zilliacus is likely to submit a formal bid to buy the Glazers out of their shares through his XXI Century Capital investment firm (controlled by the Mobile FutureWorks holding company) before potentially inviting fans to help with funding. Either way, it all sounds very unlikely.

On the other hand, many haven’t been as quick to rubbish the concept off-hand and the fact he also happens to be a former footballer, not to mention part of Finland’s six-time ice hockey champions Jokerit ownership, has also been listed as a positive. Similar has been said of Ratcliffe’s Team Sky and OGC Nice ties.

You can read his full statement and details of his proposal down below:

The Finn is the first new United bidder to reveal themselves.

What do you make of United’s new bidder? Could it work or is this all just too much blue-sky thinking?

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

Featured Image — Thomas Zilliacus (via Twitter)/vegaseddie (via Flickr)

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