The Jodrell Bank Observatory has announced that a highly-anticipated £21.5 million interactive visitor attraction is opening this summer.
The First Light Pavilion – part of the wider First Light Project, which is all about telling the stories of its pioneering scientists and opening up the inspirational history of the important Cheshire site – will showcase archives and artefacts, together with animations and projections, when it officially opens to the public on 4 June 2022.
Visitors to the new attraction will be able to experience a meteor shower, crawl into a black hole, or even see like a snake.
The building itself was an original idea developed by Jodrell Bank professors Teresa Anderson and Tim O’Brien, was designed by the award-winning architect HASSELL Studio, and takes the form of a grass-topped 76m-diameter dome – which is said to “cleverly mirror the shape and scale of the landmark Lovell Telescope”.
Inside the pavilion, the First Light Exhibition will bring to life the Jodrell Bank story, which dates back to 1945, and is known as the birthplace of radio astronomy thanks to its exploration of the universe using radio waves instead of visible light.
We're thrilled to be able to announce today the opening date for our beautiful new First Light Pavilion. We can't wait to be able to welcome visitors through our doors from 4th June 2022. https://t.co/iAOgcbwYyqpic.twitter.com/IrWlJPNiuT
Exhibition audiences will be able to see a range of fascinating archive materials brought together for the first time, including audio, film, diaries, letters, plans, notebooks, and photographs, with the highlight being the chance to see a number of personal items belonging to Jodrell Bank’s founder Sir Bernard Lovell.
There’ll also be the opportunity to experience vivid planetarium-style shows in a custom-built auditorium, complete with a curved projection screen and nine digital projectors.
A new temporary exhibition gallery will show the building’s construction processes, such as how the telescope panels were removed and restored to form the backdrop of the main exhibition, and a guided tour that takes visitors to previously-inaccessible parts of the Jodrell Bank site will also be launched later in the year.
The First Light Pavilion will showcase archives and artefacts, together with animations and projections / Credit: Jodrell Bank
A 130-cover café with a terrace overlooking the Jodrell Bank Arboretum and a menu using seasonal and sustainable produce is another part of the attraction.
Speaking ahead of the opening of the attraction, Professor Anderson – Director at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement – said: “After years of planning, we are thrilled to finally be able to announce the opening of First Light – a moment [that] will mark a whole new chapter for Jodrell Bank.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our first visitors through the doors and in to this beautiful new space.”
Visitors can experience vivid planetarium-style shows in a custom-built auditorium / Credit: Jodrell Bank
The project has been made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £12.5 million to the project “so that the site’s powerful human stories of curiosity, exploration, and discovery could be shared with the public”, according to chief executive Eilish McGuinness.
She added: “Jodrell Bank is truly a unique heritage site, of national and international importance, with an inspirational story of Britain’s role as a leader in the science of the exploration of the universe.”
You can find more information about the First Light Pavilion here.
Featured Image – Jodrell Bank
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Man found guilty of ‘praying on’ and raping drunk people in Manchester city centre
A local man has been found guilty of ‘praying on’ and raping several drunk people in Manchester city centre.
Sid Ali Djelid – also known under the alias of Mourad Malki – appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week and was found guilty following a five-week trail, where the court heard how the series of rapes took place between February and July 2024, and how the 39-year-old would ‘pray on’ and attack intoxicated victims in the city centre.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that the first of the three attacks occurred in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 18 February 2024.
CCTV footage shows Djelid – who is believed to be an Algerian nation, according to GMP – leading his female victim down a secluded back street near China Town, before raping her and stealing her mobile phone and making off.
His second crime was committed on Wednesday 12 June 2024 with a victim who was visiting Manchester with work.
Today (Thursday 24 July 2025) Sid Ali Djelid (09/01/86) of Smedley Road has been convicted on five counts of rape.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 24, 2025
Djelid approached the victim outside a bar on Canal Street, and after chatting, walked him to a remote location close to Richmond Street and raped him.
Djelid’s final attack was on 18 July 2024, where he approached his male victim – again, who was visiting Manchester – and offered to assist him back to his hotel as he was lost, but while Djelid may have appeared as a concerned good Samaritan at first, he then led the victim to a secluded area of the canal at Jutland Street and raped him.
Similar to first incident, on the second two incidents, Djelid took the victims’ phones and wallets, and then pushed them to the ground before making his escape.
Police arrested Djelid three days later on Sunday 21 July 2024.
Mourad Malki, 48, also known as Sid Ali Djelid, has been found guilty of a series of rapes in the area known as Manchester's gay village.
“Sid Ali Djelid is a serial sex offender who posed serious danger to both men and women – carrying out his horrifying crimes in one of the most celebrated and historic nightlife hotspots in the country,” commented Rebekah Tomlinson, who is the District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West.
“The way he targeted lone individuals who he believed would be vulnerable was both calculating and insidious.
“Canal Street holds a special place in the heritage of Manchester and the LGBTQ+ community, and those on a night out have the right to enjoy themselves free from the fear of abuse and attack.
“Djelid’s crimes will doubtless leave a lasting impact on the victims, and my deepest thanks goes to them for supporting this prosecution, as without their evidence, this dangerous man would still be in our community.”
Featured Image – GMP
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NHS urges people to keep ‘coming forward for care’ as resident doctors begin strikes from tomorrow
The NHS has issued a plea urging people to keep ‘coming forward for care’ if they need it for the next week.
In case you hadn’t heard, earlier this month, the British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed that doctors had ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – revealed that 90% of resident doctors voted in favour of a return to industrial action.
The ballot saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast, and 26,766 of those votes endorsing the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay.
The result meant that resident doctors secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose up until January 2026.
Resident doctors will be staging strike action for the next five days / Credit: BMA
As the results of the ballot proved that the vast majority of resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – were in favour of taking industrial action, it was then subsequently confirmed they will stage a full walk out from 7am tomorrow (Friday 25 July) up until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
Ahead of the strikes beginning tomorrow morning, the NHS has now appealed directly to the public urging them to not be deterred from seeking treatment if they need it during this time frame.
According to the NHS, hospitals and local teams across the UK have all been preparing ‘as usual’ ahead of this latest round of strikes, and plans have been put in place to minimise disruption to patient experiences and ensure life-saving care continues.
The NHS is urging patients to still keep coming forward for care if they need it / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
Hospital chief executives have been asked to keep routine operations going ‘to the fullest extent possible’ during this round of strikes, and to only reschedule appointments and other activity in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
This is why the NHS is therefore advising the public to continue to attend any planned appointments that they have scheduled over the strike period unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them.
From tomorrow, some NHS services will be affected due to strike action.
While some appointments won’t go ahead as planned, NHS staff are doing all they can to limit disruption – and patients should continue to use services in the usual way.
The public should use 111 online as the ‘first port of call’ for issues that are considered urgent but not life-threatening during industrial action, so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while calling 999 or heading to A&E as normal should happen in the event of an emergency.
“There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is NHS England’s National Medical Director, ahead of the strikes.
“While it will mean some appointments won’t be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way.”
Emily Sergeant -
15th March 2022 
