A new giant bee sculpture is set to be constructed in Manchester – only this one is a little different to the statues that flew in for the Bee in the City art trail in 2018.
The newest addition to the hive is an insect made entirely out of weapons collected on the streets of Greater Manchester.
These include knives, guns, blades, and other sharp instruments surrendered to local police in 2020.
This bee sculpture – created by The British Ironwork Centre in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police – will stand both as a monument for anti-violence and as an “educational tool.”
A giant Manchester bee is to be made out of thousands of knives, guns and other weapons collected from the streets of…
In the space of five months, as many as 1,000 weapons were handed in to GMP as part of a ‘Forever Knife Amnesty’ campaign.
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Secure knife bins were made available at police stations within the region – and remain in place to this day.
Speaking in July, Sergeant Paul Nolan of Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit said: “The bins remained available throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as a safe option to dispose of a weapon for those who may have felt vulnerable.
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“We are delighted with the number of knives that have been deposited. Any knife or weapon which is handed in is one less on our streets, and more importantly, one less that cannot be used as part of a crime.”
GMP
The assembly of the bins had also been made in conjunction with the British Ironworks Centre, who claimed that Manchester was the first city of its kind to commit to such a project.
In a statement on the upcoming bee sculpture, the centre commented: “Taking inspiration from Manchester’s bee symbolism, the monument will take on the form of a giant bee, watching over the city and providing a reminder of a stance against violent and aggressive behaviour.
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“It will be used by GMP and the wider region as an educational tool.
“A suitable location for the monument is still yet to be decided upon but, of course, it will be placed in a very prominent position where the maximum number of residents and visitors will be able to view it and learn of its meaning.”
There are also conversations about Manchester hosting the Knife Angel in August 2021 – an astonishing sculpture made from over 100,000 seized blades.
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Heartbreaking new figures show 35% of all children in the North West are living in poverty
Emily Sergeant
35% of all children in the North West are currently living in poverty, some heartbreaking new figures have revealed.
Some new research carried out to understand regional levels of child poverty, conducted by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, has sadly revealed over a third (35%) of all children in the North West are living in what is called ‘relative poverty’, after the cost of housing is considered – which is higher than the national average standing at 31%.
Over in the Lancashire authority of Pendle, this figure reaches 45%, making it the second highest rate of all local authorities in the country.
In Greater Manchester, both Oldham and Manchester join Pendle in the list of the 10 council areas with the highest child poverty rates in the UK, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn, and to make matters worse, the North West features on the list more times than any other region nationwide.
Rusholme was identified as the Manchester area with the highest percentage rating – with more than half (51.3%) of all children there living in poverty.
88% of constituencies across the North West have a quarter of children in poverty.
This could lead to things like families being forced to use food banks, children going without warm clothes in winter, or living in cold or unsafe housing.
As a result of these shocking statistics being revealed, the End Child Poverty Coalition – which represents more than 135 organisations across the UK – is calling on the Government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty, not just in the North West but also across the rest of country.
“These figures should demonstrate to Government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families,” commented Rachel Walters, who is the End Child Poverty Coalition Manager.
“The Government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty, like the North West.”
Graham Whitham, who is a End Child Poverty Coalition spokesperson and the Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty, added: “No child should go without the things they need to be healthy and happy.
“The Government’s forthcoming national Child Poverty Strategy must demonstrate a clear ambition to ending child poverty in this country, backed by specific targets and immediate investment in social security.”
Featured Image – RawPixel
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Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
The Manc -
28th September 2020 
