And sadly it wasn’t long before the consequences of that decision began to surface.
October and November brought with it the news that over 127 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) were confirmed in connection with both the Birley campus and Cambridge halls of residence at Manchester Metropolitan University – which saw around 1,700 students instructed to self-isolate in their accommodations for 14 days – along with several student protests at the University of Manchester, campaigning for a number of issues to be addressed, and the subsequent responses from both institutions as a result.
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This all made for widespread headlines and national coverage.
But it was the hidden side of the student experience that friends and filmmakers Gabriel Paul, 22, and Joseph Hunt, 23, were keen to focus on.
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Unsatisfied with the portrayal of students in the media, and both sharing a strong passion for “making documentaries and films with social impact”, the two South London lads – who have been friends since their early school years and had recently graduated from university themselves – decided to travel up to Manchester to get a grasp on the bigger picture.
The documentary was shot in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.
Filmed over two days at the start of October 2020, the documentary features first and second year students, both in halls and privately rented houses, at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University.
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But despite its short 13 minute run-time, the documentary still manages to cover a lot of ground.
It touches upon everything from the students’ concerns over personal finances, living situations and rental prices, the level of education they are receiving, and difficulties making friends, to how safe they feel studying on campus, their mental health struggles, the empathy they have for students in even trickier situations to them, their apprehensions about returning home for Christmas, and even their opinions on the government’s handling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as a whole.
Fundamentally, it shines a light on just how much the student experience has be affected.
“As the summer of 2020 was ending, we couldn’t help but notice that talk of students returning to university was a subject the media was covering extensively” Gabriel told us.
“We felt that the media’s portrayal of students was unfair and one sided, with the finger being pointed at them for the growth in cases and a blasé attitude towards national health, [and] having recently graduated ourselves, we wanted to contribute to the narrative that students are not just the nations scapegoat,
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“We felt it was important to document the lifestyle of a student in 2020 in the most real and authentic way possible, and to enable student’s voices to be heard.
“We decided to focus on students in Manchester, because it felt like the epicentre of media coverage on that issue”.
He continued: “We were keen to document the experience of students at both Man Met and the University of Manchester to gain a more full understanding of the situation [and] fortunately, we had individual links at both, through friends and family.
“[So] we asked these individuals to rally together groups of people who were willing to give their insight and were happy to feature in our documentary.”
Standing up for students and providing them a voice was a core goal for Gabriel and Joseph.
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“During this pandemic, we noticed that society seemed to be searching for someone to blame for the situation”. Gabriel continued.
“More and more, the finger seemed to be pointed at students.
“We therefore felt it extremely important to shine a light on the experiences of these individuals who were receiving an unfair amount of blame.
“[And] as we were interviewing the students, the importance of shining this light on their experience became more and more obvious [and] vital issues such as mental health, students being owed compensation, and the lack of support from the establishment, illustrate the gravity of the situation.
“We believe it’s vital that we nurture a conscious awareness of what each member of society is going through and promote stories that unite, rather than divide us.
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“The story we’re telling is really important, and we’d love as much support as possible to spread the word.”
You can get a mobile massage treatment in your office – just like us
Thomas Melia
We’d like to introduce you to the pioneering personalised service offering massage treatments on the move at practically any location including direct from your office– including to those of us here in Manchester.
In a world where you can get practically anything delivered straight to your door, it wasn’t going to be long until some genius invented a way to get a massage from the comfort of your own office.
Named ‘London’s first digital beauty concierge’, Ruuby have been pampering the nation’s capital for almost a decade before branching out to further locations.
The gorgeous set up provided by RuubyLook at that lovely branding on the towels.They did wonders with our otherwise plain downstairs office space. (Credit: The Manc Group)
In October 2024, the company expanded beyond its domestic reach in the likes of the capital, the Cotswolds and Surrey into Europe, making its first mark Switzerland: the perfect country for both luxury and essential beauty treatments with a tailored experience.
The month following saw the group moving up North and all the way to Manchester, where people can now book professional treatments best suited to them, right on their doorstep.
If you’re feeling scepticalstill, you can take it from us here at The Manc; we couldn’t tell you how relaxing and comforting these massages are.
There are a range of treatments available and we opted for two bespoke massages, a sports massage and a deep tissue massage.
Each experience is suited to your personal needs meaning each massage therapist will be able to fine-tune their relaxation abilities to what benefits you best.
After choosing the bespoke massage that I felt would work best for me, I went into this with no prior massage experience and I came out feeling taller, broader and more refreshed. Highly recommend.
Mid-day office massage? Yes, please.How relaxing. What a shame you have to go back to work after!Credit: The Manc Group
My masseuse guided me throughout the whole process and we soon discovered that I was able to tolerate much harder pressure than I thought which helped release tension I didn’t even know I had!
The same applies to how firm you’d like your session to be, as the masseuse can help with a brief overview of your time together, but the amount of pressure you like is down to personal preference.
It’s not just massages either: there’s everything from waxing, nails and hair to physio and IV drips; how about getting Marbella ready in less than an hour with a spray tan service set up wherever you are?
As Ruuby is a mobile and remote work environment, there are a number of at any time up and down the country, meaning your next beauty slot could be as little as an hour away, find out more HERE.
Farm shops are cool now – and Albion Farm Shop is the best of the best
Daisy Jackson
At some point in life, your idea of a great day out switches from drinking and clubbing to visiting a farm shop, or a garden centre, or something similarly wholesome.
And up in the hills above Manchester is surely one of the best in the UK – Albion Farm Shop.
This Saddleworth favourite is half-cafe, half-shop, with produce all either grown right outside, or sourced as locally as possible.
And while places like Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire pull in seriously big, glamorous crowds (maybe it’s the Molly-Mae effect), there’s something much more charming and authentic about Albion Farm Shop.
Maybe it’s the tractors parked outside, the fact the produce section is in a drafty barn, the mismatched shelves and cabinets. It’s not curated like this – it just is.
The food in the cafe itself is up there with the best British grub in the North West, and I say that with my hand on my heart.
Whether it’s a full breakfast spilling over the edge of a plate, sandwiches served in a doorstop of bread, or a full menu of burgers made with British beef cap and smoked bone marrow patties, you can’t steer far wrong.
Rag pudding at Albion Farm ShopChips with a side of bone broth gravy Those huge burgers
There are chunky chips served with a full bowl of bone stock gravy on the side (hello, this is Oldham), onion rings so big you can wear them as a bangle, and big bowls of homemade soup.
And it would be remiss of me not to mention the rag pudding, a traditional dish from this neck of the woods. Famously, she’s not a pretty menu item, but this steamed suet pastry stuffed with braised beef shin is comforting and delicious.
If you want to stick northern fare but don’t fancy rag pudding, you can also grab a wedge of cheese and onion pie, lambs liver with mash, or any number of seasonal specials (for us, it was roast pork).
There are cracking views of the surrounding countryside, a resident cat who’s usually sleeping in the entranceway, and charm packed into every square foot.
Albion Farm Shop is at Oldham Road, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5RQ.
The resident cat at Albion Farm ShopRoast pork in the cafeThe Albion Farm Shop cafeAlbion Farm ShopInside the shop itselfThe produce barn Local cheesesBakery itemsThe produce barn
Emily Sergeant -
27th January 2021 
