Mancs will soon no longer have to pay a fine if they return their library books later than the due date.
Manchester City Council has announced a change to the way the city’s libraries operate in a bid to get more people using them and reading.
Fines already don’t apply to children and over 60s, but will soon also be abolished for everyone else who borrows books.
The only instance where library users will still be charged is if books are never returned.
The council says it wants to ‘reduce inequalities that exist around libraries’ by eliminating the financial worry involved in taking out book loans.
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Inside the Central Library in Manchester. Credit: WIkimedia Commons
The initiative is part of the council’s larger investment into libraries, which is also seeing the historic Didsbury Library given a makeover.
Chorlton Library, Longsight Library and Newton Heath Library are all set for renovations too.
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Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member of libraries, said: “We want our libraries to be as inclusive and accessible as possible and I am delighted that we will be abolishing fines very soon.
“I believe that books and the joys of reading should not be tied by financial constraints.
Blossoms announce massive Manchester residency with five shows at five different venues
Danny Jones
Stockport’s finest Blossoms puzzled everyone when they decided to skip out on any shows in Greater Manchester on their recent tour announcement – turns out they were just waiting to announce not one but FIVE massive gigs right here in the city centre.
With the fifth studio album Gary out this week, their utterly incredible gig in front of 30,000 at Wythenshawe Park still very fresh in our minds, not to mention talk of them supporting Oasis on their reunion trail also in the air, the high-flying indie five-piece are… well, doing just that.
That being said, we did double-take when Blossoms announced their brand-new UK tour last month and we couldn’t spot a single SK or even 0161-based date; safe to say we were very relieved when we realised they were just teasing us ahead of a historic Manchester residency.
August’s outdoor all-dayer might have been the biggest single show of their career so far, but revisiting some of the most iconic Manc stages they’ve played before in less than a week is something special.
Yes, while their popularity might mean they’re not able to squeeze their hordes of adoring fans into the likes of Night and Day Cafe any more, Blossoms’ will not only be playing multiple Manchester gigs, they’ll be retracing their steps and going back to the much-loved venues that put them on the map.
We’ve seen them at The Plaza and Edgeley Park on their home turf, Castlefield Bowl here in town and even at festivals such as Kendal Calling, Leeds, Glasto and more – seeing a bunch of blokes from around our way in the big leagues warms our heart – but the band and the fans never forget those early gigs.
That being said, the local lads will be playing Manchester Academy, the O2 Ritz, Albert Hall, Victoria Warehouse and O2 Apollo over the course of just five nights. Some feat – only the ones bound for greatness get to line up those kinds of billings.
With some of the support acts already announced, including Leigh’s very own The Lottery Winners, you can find the full list of additional shows down below:
Tuesday, 19 Nov 2024 — Manchester Academy 1 – Special guests TBA
Wednesday, 20 Nov 2024 — Manchester O2 Ritz – Plus special guests Neon Waltz
Thursday, 21 Nov 2024 — Manchester Albert Hall – Special guests TBA
Friday, 22 Nov 2024 — Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse – Plus special guests The Ks
Saturday, 23 Nov 2024 — Manchester O2 Apollo – Plus special guests Lottery Winners
Speaking on the five residency gigs, Blossoms said: “We wanted to do something special with the Manchester shows for this run of gigs. We played each one of these venues on our way up, so it’s great after our Wythenshawe Park show to go and do these venues and remember where everything started for us. It’s a love letter of shows to the city! We can’t wait x.”
Tickets for Blossoms’ Manchester shows will be released just hours after Gary is finally dropped, with general sale going live at 9:30am this Friday, 20 September.
It won’t surprise any of you to learn that tickets for the other dates on the rest of their UK tour this October and November are almost sold out, so if you’re looking to see them anywhere else other in the country you best be quick about it.
You can grab yours HERE and we’ll see you at one of the five venues we hopefully get tickets for – at least we all get five chances!
Teddy Swims announces massive Manchester gig at Co-op live next year
Thomas Melia
The grand vocals of Teddy Swims will be making waves in Manchester next spring as the star drops a UK tour announcement.
After a rapid rise to stardom this year the American singer-songwriter is showing some love to Co-op Live, Manchester’s newest and largest live music venue.
Swims is known for his powerhouse voice which is unmistakable in his breakthrough hit ‘Lose Control’, released in 2023.
The song holds the record for the longest ascent to number one, taking a mighty 32 weeks to gradually climb to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the US.
Now Teddy Swims is visiting four lucky cities including Birmingham, London, and Glasgow before trekking to Manchester for the final stop of his UK tour before he lands in Ireland.
This 2025 arena tour is a continuation of the current 2024 “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy’ tour which already included an appearance at O2 Apollo Manchester in May this year.
Supporting the artist will be Freaky Freely, who are his on-stage band and long-time collaborators, involved in his ‘I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) [Live]’ which was released at the start of 2024.
Last week’s MTV VMA’s saw the soul-inspired singer performing his smash single alongside the upcoming hit ‘The Door’. The star was nominated for four awards at the 2024 MTV VMA’s including Best New Artist and Song of the Year.
Now Swims is hoping for new heights with the release of his latest single ‘Bad Dreams’ and keeps the same momentum of his 2023 single.
It’s no surprise that this rising star is collaborating with major household names like Meghan Trainor, Maren Morris and Tiësto, as ‘Lose Control’ has amassed over 2.2 billion global streams.
Teddy Swims will be at Co-op Live in Manchester on Monday 10 March 2024.
Tickets to Teddy Swim’s ‘I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy’ 2025 arena tour go on fan presale tomorrow 17 September at 9am, with general sale on 20 September at 9am available here.
Daisy Jackson -
10th February 2022 
