Manchester

Police car windscreens smashed and tyres slashed at Boggart Hole Clough party

"They should wake up this morning feeling shameful of their actions and not proud."

The Manc The Manc - 3rd August 2021

Greater Manchester Police have condemned the “shameful” actions of vandals after seven emergency vehicles were damaged at an unlicensed music event in Blackley on Monday (2 August).

Police were called to Boggart Hole Clough around 9.50pm to break up a party of more than 300 people – but multiple vehicles were targeted as soon as the gathering was shut down.

GMP officers returned to their vehicles at the entrance of the park on Charlestown Road to find the windscreens of cars had been smashed and tyres slashed.

Six of the vehicles have since been repaired but one still remains off road.

Around 300 people gathered at Boggart Hole Clough for an unlicensed music event – witj seven police cars damaged in the aftermath / Image: David Dixon via Geograph

Police have said that no arrests have yet been made and enquiries are ongoing.

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Chief Inspector Simon Nasim of GMP’s City of Manchester’s north division expressed his frustration at the situation.

“Those responsible have shown a blatant disregard towards our communities and our ability to service emergency calls,” he said on Tuesday.

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“They should wake up this morning feeling shameful of their actions and not proud.”

Manchester Councillor Pat Karney described the scenes as “completely disgraceful”, adding that rubbish had also been left behind.

“We don’t need this in North Manchester,” he stated.

Police are asking anyone with information to get in touch.

Manchester

Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.

The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.

Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.

Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.

Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied

According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.

Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.

There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.

“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.

“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”

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The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.

Featured Image – Supplied

Manchester

Manchester’s historic Portico Library secures £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester’s Portico Library has secured a whopping £6.4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In case you missed it, ambitious plans to transform the historic Grade II-listed building on Mosely Street were already unveiled last October… but now, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced it is committing £6.4 million of funding towards the project, hoping that the building thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.

The grant is being described as a ‘major milestone’ in the approximately £12 million Portico Reunited project.

The Portico Reunited project will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.

Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.

The Portico Library has secured a £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation / Credit: Purcell Architecture (Supplied)

Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.

There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage. There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.

A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.

Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, called the funding grant a ‘landmark moment’ in the Portico’s ‘rich and complex history’, and a ‘huge achievement’ for its staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together,” he added.

“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans.

“Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city – a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.”

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Manchester City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for the project, and the building is expected to close for construction in late spring 2028 and reopen once again in early March 2030.

Following reopening, the transformed library is expected to welcome around 95,000 visitors each year.

Featured Image – Purcell Architecture (Supplied)

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