Living on top of the city: How Manctopia’s Sarah Lomas sees Manchester differently from above
The BBC's 'Manctopia' documentary covered every kind of character and story in modern Manchester - but it was Sarah’s rise from below the poverty line up to a penthouse that struck the biggest chord.
Dazzled interior designer Sarah Whatmore is stood on top of Manchester, gawping at the city below her feet.
She’s been tasked with kitting out a luxury penthouse in West Tower – one of Britain’s tallest skyscrapers outside the big smoke – but the view is distracting her.
During a conversation with the building’s general manager, she gazes through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the concrete labyrinth wriggling away into the sunset.
The two women look out at Manchester and share a moment of silent awe.
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“… great place to live,” Sarah eventually mutters, still in half a trance.
Even after days spent dedicated to this building, they’re still taken aback.
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This scene plays out during BBC’s Manctopia – a property boom documentary that dedicates much of its final episode to teasing the arrival of a new penthouse owner in the Deansgate Square development.
For almost an hour, the episode keeps its cards close to its chest. All we’re told is that the new buyer is an international businesswoman who’d spent so much on fittings that the designers won’t even reveal the numbers on screen.
“Very expensive,” is all they’d give away.
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Then, around the 50 minute-mark, the owner appears.
It turns out to be Sarah Lomas, a born-and-bred northerner who’d spent her early twenties just a few miles away in Denton – completely broke and living on inflatable furniture.
Now the CEO of global health brand REVIV, Sarah recites a truncated version of her rags-to-riches story in Manctopia, calling it an “incredible feeling” to be standing in the best apartment in Manchester after her upbringing on a council estate.
It’s only a forty-second cameo. But after the credits rolled, Sarah’s social media inbox was almost set ablaze.
More 3,000 messages poured in from viewers who wanted to know how she’d done it.
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Manctopia covered every kind of character and story in modern Manchester – but it was Sarah’s rise from below the poverty line up to a penthouse that struck the biggest chord.
Nonetheless, Sarah isn’t convinced her tale is worth talking about too much.
“There’s not a really interesting story there,” Sarah tells The Manc.
“Other than the fact it was bloody hard work.”
In Sarah’s eyes, there’s a much bigger narrative in play here: The one that’s shaping Manchester’s future.
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According to the REVIV owner, Manc still isn’t being taken seriously as it should – despite all these brand new glistening buildings bumping their heads against clouds.
Relentless urban development aside, Sarah believes that London still sees Manchester as being behind the pace.
But it’s not so much the wealth divide. Apparently, it’s the way we talk.
According to Sarah, there’s been no bigger hindrance to her corporate career than her northern twang.
“I was working as a single mum in a male-dominated environment, but the largest obstacle wasn’t being a parent or even a female – it was my northern accent,” she explains.
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“To get further up the ladder, I was actually told to go for elocution lessons.”
Imagine that.
You’re a single mother with no qualifications. You sell all your furniture to pay your bills. You work night shifts to put food on the table. You spend years upskilling and studying in your spare time. You earn a long-term deal with one of the world’s biggest banks. You rapidly rise through the ranks and enjoy an enormously successful two decades in finance.
But then… you’re told that none of that really matters.
What’s really important is that you speak proper.
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“In the end, I went to work in countries where my accent didn’t matter,” Sarah admits.
“I was the only British person in an international group; so nobody detected the Manc. They just thought I was from the UK.”
Whilst Sarah accepts the corporate scene has changed a lot since the nineties, she believes accent discrimination remains rife and is holding fellow businesspeople back as we speak.
“It still exists, 100%,” she asserts.
“I can see it’s still out there by the sheer volume of people coming to me.
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“Most of the messages I get are from people feeling held back by their accent. And interestingly, about 65% of them are men.
“Perhaps you could say I took the easy way out – I left the country.
“But others are still having problems with it right now – and I think that’s something we need to address.”
Despite its archaic, prejudicial nature, accent discrimination did lead to Sarah opting to go her own way and build a company on her own terms.
It’s the business that ended up buying her the flat in West Tower: REVIV (a health organisation that offers intravenous (IV) vitamin hydration and wellness therapy).
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The company’s global hub and flagship clinic is operating right here in Sarah’s hometown – with the service being rolled out to a staggering 41 countries around the world.
Big names like Hap Klopp – the founder of Northface – are on the company board, and the service has proven unsurprisingly popular with the cultural elite – from pro athletes to actors and actresses.
But what’s intriguing about REVIV is that services are also accessible for the everyman.
Product prices start at just £25 – and their IV Therapy has now been commissioned for public use for the very first time.
But most amazingly of all, REVIV can offer customers a personalised diet and supplement plan based on their own genetics that ensures the best possible levels of health; with an app in development that lets users scan an item and reveal how beneficial it is for their body.
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Sarah says she wants to change ideas and understanding of wellbeing in Britain – whilst making these treatments – typically considered exotic – available for all.
“The reality is, everyone is different,” Sarah states.
“Coffee is good for some people, bad for others. A glass of red wine is beneficial for some, but can do real damage in some cases.
“It’s all down to the individual.
“There are millions of variables and you need to be able to understand your own blueprint to stay healthy.”
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REVIV has also weighed in to provide support with COVID testing services since the pandemic took hold – and Sarah believes that the emergence of coronavirus has forced people to reevaluate the way they look at their own health.
“We’ve got work to do; but this situation [COVID] is a brilliant opportunity to make something positive out of negative,” she says.
“The World Health Organisation is starting to make this connection of nutrition being key to our ability to fight off viruses such as this.
“We’ve heard a lot about how people without underlying conditions are being even affected by the virus. But having no underlying conditions is very different to actually being healthy.”
Sarah’s in her West Tower penthouse when we talk – and as she scans the city from thirty flights above, she’s conflicted.
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“Whichever side of this house you go to, you get an incredible view,” Sarah muses.
“I can see everything in the city. I find that quite inspiring.”
But something is eating away at her. An itch no skyline could scratch.
“I’m worried about Manchester,” Sarah admits.
“I’ve got concerns about the economics of the city. I’ve got concerns for small businesses that aren’t able to recover.
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“I’m also aware that many people still aren’t recognising us for the city we truly are.
“I want to play my part in helping wherever I can.
“I want to work on that.”
Sarah has already inspired hundreds of Mancs and now runs a company that’s dedicated to creating a healthier city for tomorrow.
It’s safe to say that ‘work’ has already started.
Feature
The Salford deli with the best name in Manchester has a new home — and it’s even more of a hidden gem than ever
Danny Jones
If you’ve ever ventured down Chapel Street in Salford or sat with a pint in Bexley Square, you’ll probably have noticed the shop, cafe and deli space that once sat on the corner.
More accurately, if you know the spot, you’ll likely have chuckled to yourself when looking up at the sign and reading the name above the front door: Deli Lama. Still makes us smirk to this day.
The best-named Wholefoods Shop and Cafe sat as a literal cornerstone of the Salford community for over a decade and was a real favourite amongst locals but has since moved premises, and whilst it is more out of the way than it used to be, it has only reaffirmed Deli Lama’s hidden gem status even more.
Now located in the old Islington Mill just across the road — which currently serves not only as a residential space but as a key cultural hub for creatives and artisans — it’s arguably situated even deeper in the heart and soul of old Salford than ever. You’ve just got to know where to find them.
And that’s where we come in. After initially heading out on a weekend and wanting to enjoy a brew and a bite to eat, we decided to go on the hunt for their new venue and ventured down James Street to stumble across the mill itself.
An unassuming space, to say the least, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s still out of use at first glance, but once you spot the boards pointing you in the right direction of Deli Lama and the other names who have popped up in here, it does feel like you’ve stumbled across the best-kept secret in town.
Walking down the tunnel past the notice boards and the other indoor studios, you emerge out into the quiet little courtyard to find the deli’s new location, with fairy lights in the window and the old still just propped up against the wall as they’ve had little time for finessing — they’re just cracking on.
Although the space might be a little rough and ready in parts, what it achieves is that genuine rustic feeling that so many other trendy new openings attempt to contrive, whilst also carrying over a sense of familiarity from the former venue.
In the spacious new spot, you’ll find the same cupboard and pantry staples from rice, pasta and pulses to organic fruit and veg, bakery items, preserves, condiments and so on that you would find in the old shop, only now there’s room for more of anything.
There are also shelves of organic tea and coffee, fridges full of chilled drinks, soups and freshly prepared ciabattas, as well as literally the best vegan cookie we’ve ever had. They even make their own seitan.
Looking at the menu itself, as well as a regular rotation of specials, they do vegetarian brekkies that will knock your socks off like the Caribbean scramble, as well as plant-based breakfast burrito that we devoured within seconds alongside a big healthy portion of their chilli bean soup.
Topped with jalapenos, herbs and a lovely dollop of guacamole which thickens up the texture the more you swirl it in, just like when you used to dip your buttery bread into the bowl at home, it was divine and we could have had ladles of the stuff if it wasn’t for all the other customers ordering a portion as well.
Banging vegan sausages.The deli counter.Unreal.Not just the best-named deli in Manchester but some of the best food you’ll find in Salford too.
Speaking of the crowd, you can tell this is a real haven for artisans and the other residents. The mill has stood there for 200 years and as it now boasts apartments upstairs, virtually everyone living and working here has become a regular, with people from all ages and walks of life.
As well as being a quaint little creative corner, Islington Mill is also important in the LGBTQ+ community, with the Islington Mill is Queer audio series recorded here, not to mention serving as a key part of the council’s ‘The Other City’ fund and artist-led community project bigging up Salford as its own entity.
As for Deli Lama themselves, they’re a team of just three led by founders, owners and local couple, Linda and Lincoln, who opened up the original shop 12 years ago but have been set up here since November, insisting they are “much happier at home here” and now starting to regain their rhythm.
Together for two decades themselves, you can tell this isn’t just their livelihood, it’s a passion they’ve bonded over and a way of continuing to contribute to the area that clearly still means so much to them.
It already feels so vibrant and welcoming.Walls full of produce.Credit: The Manc Eats
What this small but incredibly dedicated team manages to do, beyond just delivering high-quality produce, is make every person who steps in the door feel like their best mate and part of the family. We’re not exaggerating when we say they knew everyone’s name in the two hours we spent there.
Even from the cosy little snug where you can sit on an armchair in the window next to some plants and a little poster wall promoting upcoming community events, to the little kitchen just behind the counter, you do get that feeling of being in someone’s home even with the big window and skylight above.
There’s plenty of bustle next door and across the courtyard from the pottery place, needlework studio and tufters also based within Islington Mill, but somehow this place manages to help block out all the business of town just down the road and even outside is relatively tranquil.
We were only supposed to come in for a coffee but we ended up feeling so relaxed we didn’t want to leave and ended up eating twice, buying a takeaway butty and some stuff from the fridge just because we fancied it.
Could spend hours chilling here.Salford coffee to boot.Get the lemonade, trust us.
More importantly, the wholefoods, zero-waste and almost entirely vegan approach means that Deli Lama is one of the most sustainable, sourcing directly from local co-operative Organic North and even eyeing plans to set up their own in the future.
They also cater events and private functions, including a substantial corporate do or two when they can, and might also be making their groceries and food menu available on Deliveroo later this year.
It’s also crucially one of the most reasonably priced cafes and stores of its kind you’ll find anywhere so close to the city limits which, in a cost of living crisis, should never be overlooked or left unapplauded.
Please give the wonderful team at Deli Lama Wholefoods Shop and Cafe in Salford a go — you will not regret going for the short wander to find them and we promise, you’ll fall in love with it just like we did.
Rochdale Town Hall, one of Greater Manchester’s most spectacular buildings, reopens
Daisy Jackson
Rochdale Town Hall is one of Greater Manchester’s most impressive and historic buildings – but until now, large parts of the building have been closed to the public.
All that has changed this weekend when, following several years of careful restoration, the magnificent Grade I-listed giant threw open its doors.
From Sunday 3 March, people are able to visit Rochdale Town Hall completely free of charge seven days a week (excluding Bank Holidays), exploring grand halls, historic offices, and impressive sweeping staircases.
The landmark looms over the heart of Rochdale town centre, an easy walk from tram and train stations.
Up until this year, spaces were available to book for events like weddings, and it was used for official business, but has never been properly utilised as a tourist attraction.
It’s taken a 500-strong team of volunteers and teams of conservation specialists thousands of hours to bring it fully back to its former glory – they’ve carefully stripped away years of grime using cotton buds and other equipment to expertly bring life back to the ornate stained glass windows and historic features in almost every room.
So what exactly is it like inside after its multi-million-pound refurb, you ask? Well it’s pretty damn impressive.
The most breathtaking space of all is the Great Hall, where 350 hand-painted panels cover the vaulted ceiling, carved wooden angels hold lanterns, stained glass windows tower overhead, an enormous organ stands on the stage, and a huge Magna Carta mural covers one wall.
The incredible hand-painted ceiling panels in the Great HallInside Rochdale Town Hall
It’s a room filled with red and gold patterns, including images of the English lions and Scottish thistle, and you might recognise these colourful walls from a little show called Peaky Blinders…
But before you even reach this point, there are wonders to behold.
The Grand Staircase sweeps its way up from the ground floor – look up and you’ll see enormous stained glass windows documenting Rochdale’s place on the global stage.
The Exchange will be used as the town hall’s main entrance, where different shades of granite and marble were used to make candy-striped ceilings, and craftsmen carved various flora and fauna into the stone pillars.
The Great Staircase at Rochdale Town HallThe Exchange will be used as the main entrance for Rochdale Town Hall
Off here there’s a brand-new exhibition space, known as the Welcome Gallery, which tracks the timeline of the landmark, including the fire that destroyed its original clock tower (it was later re-designed by the legendary Alfred Waterhouse).
There are also historic spaces, where the walls are covered not with wallpaper but with hand-painted patterns. These intricate designs have also been restored.
In one room, you can see the history of the cotton industry in the paintings, from the Ancient Egyptians all the way up to the industrial era that Rochdale played such a huge part in.
And as well as celebrating the historical features of Rochdale Town Hall, there are also new artworks that have been created with local community groups and schools, celebrating present day Rochdale.
Rooms which were formerly used by council staff and councillors have been turned into usable spaces for the public, like the new Bright Hall, which has double-height ceilings, angels along the walls, and a window overlooking the Great Hall from up high. The Bright Hall will now be available for community use and events.
Hundreds of volunteers and specialists have worked on Rochdale Town Hall’s refurbishmentAnother grand space in Rochdale Town Hall
When it officially reopens on Sunday 3 March, there’ll be bookable tours, longer opening hours, and new exhibition spaces for locals and visitors to explore.
And in a few months’ time, a brand new restaurant – The Martlet – will open, under the steer of executive chef Darren Parkinson who has honed his craft at some of the country’s best gastropubs.
The whole building has been made fully accessible for the first time, and there are new heating systems and a sturdier roof in place to future-proof Rochdale Town Hall for decades to come.
Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It’s been a long wait for our residents and I’m delighted that they will finally get to see their beautiful town hall, fully restored in all its glory.
“Not only will they see the town hall they know and love, looking as good as it would have when it first opened in 1871, but they will see brand new features, like the Welcome Gallery, which makes it an even better space than it was before. We can’t wait to welcome people back in.”
One of many beautiful stained glass windows inside Rochdale Town HallThe huge organ in Great Hall
Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member with responsibility for Rochdale Town Hall, said: “Sunday 3 March will be a wonderful celebration, but it’s really just the beginning for our brand new town hall. Our new offer means that residents will be able to see it and enjoy it seven days a week.
“We will soon be offering guided tours, alongside a full activity, events and education programme, which will be revealed soon.
“We anticipate the opening day being very busy, so people who would prefer a quieter experience may wish to come along another day. This beautiful building certainly isn’t going anywhere and our new extended opening hours offer many opportunities to enjoy this special place.”
The huge project was made possible with funding support to the tune of an £8.9m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For its launch weekend, there’ll be activities at Rochdale Town Hall like rug tufting workshops, the roving Bombay Raja brass band, and a special puppet show by Fool’s Paradise.
Pre-booking is now full but walk-ups are available, so, if you don’t mind a wait, you can head to Rochdale Town Hall between 10am and 4pm this Sunday to see the incredible spaces for yourself.
For more information about the town hall, including opening times and upcoming events and activities, go to rochdaletownhall.co.uk.