Remember last year when Christmas 2020 was called the worst in living memory?
All over the UK, millions were trapped inside their homes, bemoaning the fact they are unable to see their loved ones at what is widely considered for many to be the most important time of year.
But on this date 81 years ago, Manchester was facing an even tougher Christmas.
During the nights of 22 and 23 December 1940, the city was decimated by German bombs in an attack that would later go down in history as the ‘Manchester Blitz‘.
The German Luftwaffe had already targeted Manchester twice before during World War II – aiming to destroy key war production centres in the likes of Stretford.
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Raids had occurred in August and September 1940, but the most devastating attack arrived just before the festive holidays.
At least 684 people were killed, with more than 2,000 others injured.
Many key landmarks in the city centre were completely destroyed in a little over 24 hours.
Buildings in St Ann’s Square crumbled to dust, a section of the huge Victoria Building collapsed onto Deansgate, and warehouses on Portland Street, Sackville Street and Watson Street were set ablaze.
Manchester’s Free Trade Hall and The Royal Exchange were also hit – along with Smithfield Market and the Gaiety Theatre.
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Manchester Exchange Railway Station was still on fire when the sun rose.
One survivor, Susan Jones, who was 16 at the time, remembers “looking up at the sky and it seemed like everything was on fire.”
“There was an acrid smell of burning and from the guns,” she told the BBC.
“The sky was all orange and yellow it looked like the fireworks I’d seen at Belle Vue when I was younger.”
Firefighters putting out a blaze at a bomb site in Manchester city centre / Credit: Wikipedia
The Manchester Blitz remains to this day one of the worst atrocities to have ever befallen Manchester.
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But, as always, the city got back on its feet.
So, while Christmas 2020 was undoubtedly tough (albeit for very different reasons) and Christmas 2021 may also feel the same for some, perspective and optimism are the best tools at our disposal.
Once again, we’ll recover. It’s just a matter of time.
Featured Image – Imperial War Museum
Feature
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
The Manc -
22nd December 2021 
