Andy Burnham has today launched an appeal for Manchester restaurants to help stop homelessness in the city this winter, simply by adding an optional £1 charity donation to their bill.
Whilst it has been an undeniably tough time for Manchester restaurants these past few years, a number are already signed up do their bit to help vulnerable people in need.
The StreetSmart campaign, which launches every year in the city on 1 November, sees Manchester’s restaurants offer a platform to the charitable scheme throughout November and December.
It doesn’t cost participating restaurants anything to take part, and every penny raised in Manchester goes directly to local homeless organisations.
This includes the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and the “A Bed Every Night” scheme, which aims to provide a bed and personal support for anyone who has nowhere else to go.
ADVERTISEMENT
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has released a video appealing to more restaurants to get involved.
500 restaurants have signed up so far to support @StreetSmartUK's winter campaign. It's those who are already the worst-off who will be hit the hardest this winter, facing eviction and life on the streets – so StreetSmart feels more crucial than ever pic.twitter.com/cxLSvDFwiX
He comments: “We all know that the winter ahead is going to be one of the most challenging we’ve faced. Unfortunately, the people who will be hit hardest will be those who are already in the most precarious positions, and those already living at the edge could be pushed over it.
ADVERTISEMENT
“That’s why the StreetSmart campaign is so important. A voluntary donation can help support life-changing initiatives here in our city region. Even in our toughest times, Greater Manchester has never walked on by. Please, if you can, help support StreetSmart this winter.”
In previous years, StreetSmart has seen an incredible £34,000 raised by Manchester restaurants including Ramona, Street Urchin, Evuna, Batard, Tampopo, 20 Stories, Banyan, Firehouse, Solita and Bottega by San Carlo at Selfridges.
This year, restaurants confirmed as taking part include Mana, Tampopo, Banyan, Manahatta, Bottega by San Carlo, 20 0Stories and Street Urchin – but it’s hoped that more will sign up for the scheme, which costs them nothing to participate in.
Whilst diners at participating eateries are in no way obliged to add £1 to their bill, restaurants have found in the past that many are more than happy to pay something forward to those with less.
Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, along with other local homegrown charities that will benefit from the campaign, is focused on helping individuals break the cycle, regain their dignity and rebuild their lives via positive action, as well as providing crisis and emergency shelter and food during the current cost of living crisis.
StreetSmart has raised over £10 million since its foundation and raised an incredible £696,000 for homeless people across the UK in 2021.
Over 50 homelessness charities now benefit each year, with funds supporting services such as the creation of beds, housing, mental health advice & job support.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ten years ago today, we made @richardpbacon do this with a giant £1. He was a true gent and helped boost our campaign to help homeless people as did @GrouchoClubSoho and the much missed Soho Prince Bernie. Never forgotten pic.twitter.com/FUToMY2UNs
Glenn Pougnet, Director of StreetSmart said: “After another tough year for the hospitality industry, and for people all over the country, we are so grateful to the brilliant Manchester restaurants who have signed up so far.
“We know it’s a difficult time to run a restaurant so their support means more than ever. Unfortunately, tough times hit people who are already struggling the hardest and so the funding for charities like Bed Every Night are more vital than ever.
Beloved plant-based independent street food business Herbivorous is set to close imminently
Danny Jones
We hate writing this, but we have news of yet another local hospitality closure as beloved Manchester-born and pioneering plant-based brand Herbivorous has confirmed they’ll soon be calling it a day.
If you can hear us sighing through the screen, apologies – we’re just getting really fed up of saying farewell to our favourites, so god knows how rubbish those involved feel.
As you can see, the team behind the multi-location vegan street food specialists began by writing: “It’s a long one so stay with me… It seems you can’t open social media at the moment without reading about another hospitality business closing down.
“Throughout 8 years of Herbivorous years we’ve come up against many challenges from Covid 5 years ago to watching all the big vegan brands from London and beyond come to Manchester and largely disappear again to the closure of Hatch our busiest site, but with continually increasing costs its becoming really difficult to maintain a thriving business.”
Herbivorous started out life back in 2016 as a cult hit at the old outdoor food, drink and entertainment hub centring around a ‘container village’, the first of its kind in the city and soon to reopen under new owners and a new name.
Since then, co-founders Robyn and Damian have gone on to expand not just to one permanent site over in Withington but with outposts in Sheffield and York, having gained a strong reputation with stalls and pop-ups all over.
Their hospitality story might not have the ending we personally would hope for, but it’s been a brilliant one for so many foodie fans – us lot included.
Nevertheless, they go on to add in the emotional statement that external pressures such as a recent bereavement and their own ever-growing family have also contributed to the decision which, despite being an understandably hard one, “feel like the right time.”
“We are so incredibly proud of how far we’ve come from spending long days slinging duck wraps from our green vintage horse box at festivals to three Herbi locations across the North of England”, they continue, “and with that we’ve also met so many fantastic people!”
“Whether you worked for us at a few festivals over [the] summer or for years at our restaurant, we just wanted to say and massive thank you! The memories will stay with us forever and, of course, how can we not mention our fabulous customers!
“Thank you all so much for choosing Herbivorous over the years. Those of you who had our food at Festivals and then found us at one of our permanent locations, those of you who came back week after week to Hatch, Spark, Withington and beyond.”
They signed off by detailing their final business days, with their Sheffield Kommune spot having already shut for refurbishment; meanwhile, their spot in SPARK York will be wrapping up on Saturday, 19 April.
As for their flagship brick-and-mortar venue here in Greater Manchester, Herbivorous Withington will be shutting on Friday, 25 April.
Once again, there’s nothing we can say other than thank you for years of delicious food, that we’re guttted to see you go, and that everyone at The Manc Group wishes you the best whatever comes next.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Georgina Pellant -
21st October 2022 
