The heavens had opened directly above the city centre – sending raindrops bouncing off the Deansgate tarmac and turning roads into jet-black rivers of sloshing water.
A typical Mancunian afternoon, for most people.
But for Adam Pester, this was the date that changed everything.
He was ploughing his way through the torrential downpour when he reached the corner of Great Northern and spotted sunshine sweeping in from the west – casting the shower in an entrancing light as it descended onto the pavement.
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Quickly, Adam juggled his umbrella, pulled out his phone, snapped a photo, and uploaded it onto Twitter.
“I began to realise just how much the city means to people,” Adam says.
“[The photo] captured people’s imagination so much, [and] ended up going viral as it spread far and wide across Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
“It got picked up by all of the Manchester media, got featured on large social media accounts and it even inspired someone to paint it on canvas after seeing it online.
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“I obviously had to buy it off him!”
The image – referred to simply as ‘Rainy Manchester’ – proved so popular, in fact, that it kept getting recycled through Reddit forums; with other internet users even attempting to claim it as their own.
“In one case I had to actually prove to a guy that I actually took the photo by showing me in a photo holding a print of it!” Adam reveals.
With demand high, Adam began printing the image for friends, family, and people who managed to find him online.
He thought it was just his five minutes of fame, but after posting more images of the city online, Adam realise he had a whole bank of imagery that resonated with people in the city.
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During lockdown, he decided to set up his very own print store – where he could create all kinds of Manc Merch for a city that’s famous for its chest-puffing civic pride.
“On the 29th June, after spending months in lockdown, I decided to launch my Etsy Shop which featured some of my best Manchester captures,” Adam explains.
“Since launching the shop, I’ve sold countless prints to people both locally and overseas for people wanting to have Manchester closer to home.
“In the run-up to Christmas, people also started buying them as gifts for the Manchester lover in their lives.”
Moving ahead, Adam is planning to expand the shop with more Manchester-centric gifts and accessories that ‘encourage people to keep sharing their love for the city’ – including bespoke 2021 calendars.
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“As an adopted Manc, I couldn’t be happier to have people support my work on this scale,” Adam says.
“It’s my way of giving back by showing my passion for Manchester through beautiful landscapes and street photography.”
Visit the store and see Adam’s Manc images in all their glory here.
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 -
6th January 2021 
