Thousands of locals have rushed to sign a petition and prevent a popular Manchester landlord from being deported by the government.
Russell Young, who is originally from Melbourne in Australia, moved to Failsworth four years ago to be with his partner and took up residence in local pub The Sun Inn.
The pair ploughed their savings into the local pub to prevent it being purchased by developers, but after months of enforced closure during the pandemic, Mr Young has been stopped from hitting the necessary earnings threshold for a living visa in the UK.
Now the Home Office is telling Mr Young he must leave the country after rejecting the pub landlord’s appeal, leaving him with just 14 days to try to overturn the result.
The Sun Inn in Failsworth / Image: Facebook
The move means Russell now faces having to leave Tracie and his family behind in the UK while being left homeless in Australia.
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His partner, Tracie Young, who first worked in the pub as a barmaid in 1986, before returning as bar manager in 2015, said it has left the duo “in an impossible situation”.
She stated: “Despite the difficulty of running a pub in the pandemic, we finished our first year in business with a profit.
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“Throughout this year so many people have been separated from their loved ones – and now, through no fault of our own, our life together is at risk.”
Ms Young added: “How can we just walk away from what russ invested and close the door on The Sun Inn? Where would we live and work?
“I’ve [got] no answers all I know is we need help.”
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A petition urging the Home Office to reconsider their decision has received almost 5,000 signatures, whilst a GoFundMe page has raised the best part of £1,000.
Ms Young has described the support so far as “mindblowing”.
“Thank you so so much for your support words cannot express just how grateful we are,” she added.
Yet another major Deansgate Locks nightlife spot has closed in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Deansgate Locks is set to lose yet another of its nightlife spots, with Ark confirming it will be shutting its doors ‘within weeks’.
The multi-room, multi-storey, multi-genre nightclub has been part of the canalside development for more than a decade, having first opened back in 2014.
At that time, Deansgate Locks was arguably Manchester’s leading nightlife destination, drawing hundreds of students and party-goers to its mix of venues.
The railway arches have been home to iconic clubs and bars including Baa Bar, Lola Lo, Revolution, and Sugar Buddha, as well as The Comedy Store.
But with news that Ark Manchester is closing too, it leaves only Popworld left at what was previously one of the city’s hottest destinations.
In a statement shared with the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for Stonegate said: “The hospitality sector continues to face significant challenges.
Ark Manchester will be closing for goodIt leaves Deansgate Locks with just one venue
“After careful consideration, and despite our best efforts, Ark Manchester is no longer commercially viable and we have taken the difficult decision to close the venue.
“Our priority is to support our hard‑working team during this time, and we would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication. We would also like to thank our guests and the local community for their support over the years.”
It’s believed that Ark Manchester will close on Deansgate Locks in the next few weeks.
The Streets announce big change for Castlefield Bowl gig in Manchester amid World Cup clash
Daisy Jackson
One of the biggest gigs taking place in Manchester this summer has announced a pretty major change to its plans.
The Streets are set to perform two nights at Castlefield Bowl this weekend, taking to the magnificent outdoor stage in the heart of the city.
But one of those shows happens to clash with a pretty major event – England’s quarter final World Cup match against Norway.
But The Streets have got the nation’s interests at heart, and have announced a plan to make sure fans can watch both their gig and the football.
Mike Skinner et al will be shifting their entire Saturday gig forward by a full hour, which means gig-goers should be able to escape Castlefield Bowl and peg it to the nearest pub in time for the footy.
“Fear not,” they wrote in an update on Instagram today. “Saturday’s show will begin early to accommodate England vs Norway at 10.”
It also means their support acts – Mancunian artist Antony Szmierek, and rap and grime MC CASISDEAD – will be playing an hour earlier than planned.
The Streets’ gig on Friday will remain at the time originally planned.
Doors to Castlefield Bowl will open earlier ahead of Antony Szmierek’s performance at the revised time of 5.50pm.
Then CASISDEAD will perform at 6.15pm, with The Streets on stage at 7.45pm.
Fans have been delighted with The Streets’ decision to move their Manchester Saturday show forward, with one writing: “THANK YOU CASTLEFIELD BOWL AND MIKEYYYY. We had a very difficult decision on our hands today, this is what dreams are made of. See you Saturday!!!!”
Many more are calling for the England games to be screened at Castlefield Bowl, but no plans have been confirmed for that just yet. Watch this space…
The Manc -
3rd June 2021 
