A huge Hong Kong street food festival is coming to Bury’s award-winning market this March, bringing with it over thirty different traders serving up cuisine from the region.
Taking place on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 March, foodies heading down to the infamous market can expect to find a variety of different Hong Kong favourites on offer at this free-to-attend festival.
Making use of already empty stalls at the market, the event will offer Bury natives an introduction to the region’s food – characterised by richly lacquered roasted meats, fine soups and morsels of both sweet and savoury dim sum, as well as rice dishes, bubble teas and the increasingly popular Hong Kong French toast.
With stalls spanning homegrown Cantonese cooking as well as a selection of Japanese, Korean and South Asian dishes, businesses confirmed to take part include Sale cakery A Little Sweet, Ardwick restaurant Fat Tat and Pand.ora Meal Box.
Image: Fat Tat in Ardwick
Image: Fat Tat in Ardwick
A Little Sweet owner Jeffrey Koo Ka Chun, is known for his Red Bean buns – a wonderfully light steamed sweet bread, filled with azuki bean paste – but is also something of a local celebrity after appearing on Bake Off: The Professionals in 2022.
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He has already teased out its menu for the event, revealing plans to serve up a range of Hong Kong favourites including custard-filled pineapple buns and freshly baked egg custard tarts.
Ardwick restaurant Fat Tat, meanwhile, will be providing steaming hot Hong Kong hot pots, whilst Pand.ora Meal Box is set to dish up the likes of Hainanese chicken rice, Cantonese thin pancakes, peanuts mochi, rice balls and more.
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Elsewhere, there’ll also be bubble tea from Shining Rainbow Dream Tea & Snacks, Asian teas from Bang Bang Brands, and traditional Yunnan province rice noodles courtesy of Derek Leung.
Image: A Little Sweet
Image: Pand.ora Meal Box
Image: This is So Hong Kong Market
The event is being organised by a stallholder local to the market, who hopes that it will help introduce people in Bury to more of Hong Kong’s brilliant street food. .
It is being held as part of a month-long, UK-wide programme of festivals designed to promote Hong Kong culture within sixteen different UK cities.
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Arranged in collaboration with the Hong Kong March cultural festival and Moliuliu’s Store, a Hong Kong grocery store based in the market, the event will promote and celebrate Hong Kong culture to different communities through the medium of food and craft.
Cammie Liu, owner of Moliuliu’s Store in Bury Market and one of the organisers behind the event, told Manchester’s Finest: “The main purpose of the market is to introduce Hong Kong street food to the local people, as I believe food can connect people from different cultures,”
.“It will make use of the empty stalls, attract more young people to explore the lovely Bury Market, and also allow Hong Kong people to have the chance to set up their businesses.”
GMP officer sentenced after hitting pedestrian during police chase in Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A police officer has been sentenced this week after he struck and ‘seriously injured’ a pedestrian following a pursuit of a suspected drink driver in Rochdale.
35-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer PC Sam Lockley pleaded guilty back in January 2026 following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.
The IOPC investigation established that, in the early hours of the morning on 19 November 2023, PC Lockley was driving a marked police vehicle with the lights and sirens activated, and attempted to stop a suspected drunk driver on Drake Street in Rochdale.
A short pursuit that commenced but stopped merely a minute later after the police vehicle collided with a pedestrian on the footpath of Rochdale Road at approximately 3:30am.
The evidence gathered indicated that PC Lockley failed to slow down as he approached and drove through the red traffic lights at the Kingsway junction, and was travelling at a speed of 96mph in a 30mph zone.
The pedestrian suffered ‘serious injuries’ as a result of the collision, and received extensive medical treatment following.
At a hearing back in February of this year, PC Lockley received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 15 days community service, while also receiving two-year driving disqualification.
Also following the investigation, the IOPC decided that Lockley should face a gross misconduct hearing to face allegations that his manner of driving breached the police standards of professional behaviour.
“We continue to liaise with the force about disciplinary proceedings,” the IOPC concluded.
IOPC Director Amanda Rowe added: “My sympathies remain with the man, who sustained serious injuries, and all those affected by the incident.
“This was a complex investigation which relied on extensive amounts of data and expert analysis and the evidence showed PC Lockley drove at excessive speeds at night-time and although he was responding to a report of a suspected drink driver, it does not excuse his manner of driving.
“PC Lockley admitted he drove in a dangerous manner when he didn’t address hazards or warnings during the pursuit and ultimately by the time he saw the pedestrian, he was travelling too fast to avoid a collision.
“His actions that day have had long-lasting consequences and he has now been held accountable.”
Featured Image – Rawpixel
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Manchester Town Hall is FINALLY taking wedding and events bookings for the first time since 2018
Emily Sergeant
A new era is on the horizon, as Manchester Town Hall has announced that it’ll be finally taking bookings for weddings and events once again.
That’s right… for the first time since it closed its doors to the public for what is the UK’s biggest restoration project to date back in 2018, one of Manchester’s most iconic landmarks is soon set to welcome its first weddings and events in a decade – with bookings for the city’s most romantic address now open once again.
Manchester Town Hall has stood at the centre of civic life in the city since 1877, and for generations, couples have exchanged their vows within its walls.
Now, as it enters the home stretch of its restoration, the Grade I-listed building is gearing up to kickstart weddings and corporate events from January 2028.
Set reopen to the public next year, first up will be a series of celebratory reopening events – which are yet to be announced – before a phased approach will then allow the building and teams to be fully prepared to host commercial events again from 2028.
Manchester Town Hall has announced that it’s finally taking wedding and events bookings for the first time since 2018 / Credit: Supplied
From its grand architecture and soaring stained glass windows, to sweeping staircases that offer the perfect ‘just married’ photo opportunities, this one-of-a-kind venue gives couples the opportunity to combine the romance and grandeur of a historic setting with the energy of a city centre celebration.
Inside the restored building, you’ll find The Great Hall, which is a magnificent setting with striking architectural character, as well as The Conference Hall, The Banqueting Hall, and The Reception Room, all of which offer equally characterful spaces that are perfect for private dinners, ceremonies, or corporate events.
The Lord Mayor’s Parlour is one of many settings overlooking the newly reopened Albert Square, while various elegant reception areas provide the perfect location for drinks and arrival moments.
“Our Town Hall is a real Victorian masterpiece and we’re looking forward to sharing it with the public once again,” explained Cllr Garry Bridges, who is Leader of Manchester City Council, as bookings finally open up this week.
“It’s a special building which belongs to the people and it’s great that they will be able to celebrate important landmarks in their lives, such as marriage, in its spectacular setting.
“The Town Hall is full of history. Here’s to many more stories being written within its walls.”
Want to be one of the first people who gets married or hosts an event at Manchester Town Hall once it reopens in 2028? You can enquire about booking here.
Georgina Pellant -
7th March 2023 
