Highly-revered multimedia artist and activist Yoko Ono is launching a public artwork project on billboards in Manchester city centre.
To mark Earth Day 2021 – which takes place today (22nd April) – the 88-year-old’s iconic message, ‘I love you Earth’, will tower out on billboards over the Mancunian Way, as well as several other prominent locations in Glasgow, Liverpool and London.
‘I love you Earth’ was a song on Ono’s 1985 album titled Starpeace.
Organisers said the art project is to serve as a “reminder to those who see it to ask themselves, ‘Do I love the Earth? How am I expressing that love? Could I do more?’”.
The billboards – which have been installed with London-based art gallery Serpentine Galleries and are part of a Serpentine project with more than 60 artists, architects, poets, filmmakers, scientists, thinkers and designers responding to the environmental crisis – are to celebrate Earth Day.
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Earth Day is annually marked across the globe and seeks to promote and encourage discussions and action surrounding climate change, equality and environmental justice.
Yoko Ono, whose late husband was The Beatles’ John Lennon, said: “There are so many of us in the world who are now awakened, ready to act to save our world, so, let’s work together to save this planet.
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“Together. That’s how we will change the world. We change, and the world changes.
“Have trust in what you can do. Have trust in how fast we can change our world for the better. Why? Because we have to. Believe that we are one and together we will make it. Love is what connects all lives on Earth”.
Serpentine Galleries
Serpentine’s Artistic Director, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Chief Executive, Bettina Korek, said: “As communities across the UK return to public places in our cities, they will be welcomed by Yoko Ono’s powerful positive statement for the planet, I Love You Earth…
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“Planned before this global health crisis hit, Back to Earth could not be more urgent now as we work with artists to understand and address our relationship with the Earth and everything in it”.
The ‘I love you Earth’ project is the first work from Yoko Ono in Manchester since Manchester International Festival’s (MIF) moving curtain-raiser ‘Bells for Peace’, which assembled communities from across the city in 2019.
Featured Image – Jan Koblanski
City Centre
Johnny Marr announces huge hometown show at Castlefield Bowl
Danny Jones
Johnny Marr is the latest act announced for next year’s Sounds of the City (SOTC), with the Manchester music legend set for a massive hometown show at Castlefield Bowl.
Not that we’re getting carried away or anything, but the SOTC 2026 lineup is already shaping up to be arguably one of the best ever.
With The K’s confirmed as the first band playing the annual outdoor festival in the city’s stunning amphitheatre, and other names now starting to fly in, the iconic Manc musician becomes number three on the roster.
Detailing his huge homecoming gig on Monday, 13 October, the legendary guitarist and songwriter is coming to Castlefield Bowl next summer.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be performing a hometown show at Castlefield Bowl on Thursday, 9 July 2026.
Presale begins Wednesday, 15 October at 10am BST, with general on sale from Friday, 17 October at 10am BST.
While he might be best known for his time with The Smiths, Johnny Marr has remained a noteworthy session player and featured artist alongside various artists ever since.
More importantly, he’s been releasing solo material for well over a decade now, with his recent Look Out Live! compilation record – made up of recordings from his London best of show – having only just dropped this past September.
Better still, he’s bringing fellow native indie and alternative band, Everything Everything, along for an all-Mancunian evening under what we hope will be sunny skies.
As big fans of both here at The Manc, we cannot wait for this one.
In case you missed the previous reveal, number two on the multi-date Sounds of the City lineup is another genre-defining name, as The Streets are set to play Castlefield Bowl once again, having last played the bucket list venue back in 2021.
As for ‘Misery Moz’s mate, the 61-year-old will be coming to the 10-day live event on 9 July, in between The K’s and Mike Skinner’s entourage.
Fans can land early access by signing up for presale via the official Johnny Marr mailing list from 10am this Wednesday, 15 October BST, while general admission tickets will be available from the same time on the following Friday (17 Oct).
Manchester given extra £3m funding to help ‘prevent’ homelessness and rough sleeping
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been handed a £3 million funding boost to help ‘prevent’ homelessness and rough sleeping across the city.
The ‘substantial’ extra funding, which was announced by the Government last week on World Homelessness Day (10 October), will be a top-up to Manchester City Council’s existing homelessness funding up until 2027 in recognition of the continuing pressures that Manchester and other UK areas are currently under.
The Council says it’s already begun to set out plans for how the extra money will be spent to make sure it has the ‘maximum impact’.
At this time, it’s expected that around £550,000 of the funding will be awarded by the Council as grants to organisations in the city’s Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector – which are supporting people who are homeless, or are at risk of homelessness.
Manchester has been given an extra £3m funding to help ‘prevent’ homelessness and rough sleeping / Credit: Gary Knight (via Flickr)
Other funding will be used to ‘bolster support’ to help people in temporary accommodation move on to settled homes.
The funding will also be used to adapt temporary accommodation for people with physical disabilities and other needs, which will meet the demand for such housing, while 180 ‘care leavers’ who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness will also be housed in shared rented homes.
Finally, part of the funding will be used to help ensure social housing in the city is available to those who need it most – including a major crackdown on tenancy fraud, back efforts to bring empty homes back into use, and help people whose existing social housing is too large for their needs to ‘right size’, freeing up larger homes for families.
Today is World Homelessness Day.
Support is available from Citizens Advice for those who've experienced or are at risk of homelessness, hear from Councillor Joanna Midgley and Jess about this help.
“Tackling the homelessness crisis is one of Manchester’s biggest priorities and, working with our community partners across the city, we are turning the tide,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“In Manchester, we are working tirelessly to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place through early help, and to ensure anyone who does become homeless gets the support they need to build new lives in settled homes.
“We welcome today’s extra funding boost from Government which, nationally, adds an extra £84 million to the billion that was committed earlier in the year.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd April 2021 
