A new art trail is coming to Manchester next month, bringing with it a total of 51 individual sculptures all designed by talented UK artists.
Designed to show thanks to the NHS and all the keyworkers who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, it’s been created in partnership with global public art producers Wild in Art – who were also behind Manchester’s popular 2018 Bee In The City art trail.
Aiming to capture the experiences that have connected us all through what has been one of the most challenging periods in modern peacetime, the free-to-visit exhibition has been curated in partnership with creative ambassador and fashion icon Dame Zandra Rhodes.
LeiMai’s “Lockdown” sculpture will go on display in Manchester next month as part of the Gratitude art trail / Image: Leimai Lemaow
Consisting of 51 sculptures, it features work by professional artists and designers from across the UK – including pieces by prominent Manchester-based artists Leimai Lemaow and Nomad Clan.
The trail will also bring to life real-life stories and poems about key workers, narrated by a host of famous voices, and at the end of its UK tour all of the artworks on display will be sold off at auction to raise funds for NHS Charities Together.
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Enclosed by mirrors on two sides, Gratitude creates infinite reflections of the stunning artwork highlighting the endless dedication of all key workers / Image: Gratitude in Art
Sharing her Gratitude art trail design to her Instagram page over the weekend, Manchester-based artist LeiMai told of how Wild In Art asked her to create a sculpture to raise money for the NHS that summed up the pandemic:
“I created this tale of two halves and named it “lockdown”, she shared with her followers.
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“On the front of my sculpture I added the words “See you soon” from a charity print I’d released with @law_magazine during the first lockdown, it shows clapping and smiley faces, we were fine weren’t we?
“We had everything worked out, clapping helps right?… the back that you see reflected in the mirror has the words “sorry I’m having tech difficulties”, sad faces, and unsure clapping hands… was the pandemic ever going to end? Another f’ing zoom meeting when I hate video calls and my internet keeps dipping?
You can visit Gratitude at St Peter’s Square, Manchester from 03-12 September 2021 before it moves on to visit Edinburgh and London. / Image: Gratitude in Art
“Clapping like idiots but 1% pay rise for NHS… seriously? The spiral symbolises this never-ending whirlwind of feelings and asks the question; will things ever be the same again? it’s now on show in Birmingham and will be coming to Manny soon amongst other cities.”
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And Leimai isn’t the only Manchester artist to be asked to get involved in the project. When the art trail lands in the city next month, there’ll also be a piece on display from internationally-acclaimed, queer street art muralist duo Nomad Clan.
Their design, entitled ‘Digital Conscience’, seeks to explore themes of value systems, digital identity, virtual reality and overstimulation in connection to our shared lived experiences of the past year.
In autumn 2021, the sculptures will be auctioned with substantial proceeds donated to NHS Charities Together / Image: Gratitude in Art
Elsewhere, there’ll be further contributions from artists up and down the country – including Scottish fashion designer Pam Hogg with her sculpture ‘Courage’, British fashion and textile designer Kitty Joseph, Andrew Logan with his design ‘Spiral Stardust – Homage to the Alexander Technique’, and leading ceramic artist Kate Malone with her design ‘Life Force.’
Each artist has drawn their own inspirations from the past year, be that from the selfless, endless dedication of NHS workers or the opportunities we’ve been given to reconnect with nature during this forced period of slowing down.
‘Super Stars’, designed by Birmingham artist Edward Luke Thrush, nods to the keyworkers who braved the pandemic when the rest of us stayed at home, whilst Cardiff-based illustrator Matt Joyce’s design ‘The Joy of Pets’ celebrates the furry (and not so furry) companions that have kept us company throughout the trials and tribulations of Covid-19.
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Gratitude has been created by Wild in Art, who also produced the hugely successful Bee in the City trail in Manchester in 2018. / Image: Gratitude in Art trail
As well as showcasing sculptures from artists up and down the country, the trail will also bring to the fore real-life stories and poems about key workers.
These have been brought to life by working with a host of famous voices, including Adil Ray, Hugh Bonneville, Sarah Parish, Norman Cook, Christopher Eccleston, Julie Hesmondhalgh, John Thomson, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Shobna Gulati and KT Tunstall.
Visitors to the trail will be able to access these stories through the Gratitude App and website, hearing the experience of doctors and nurses, teachers, railways workers, and more.
Speaking on the new art trail,Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder of Wild in Art said: “Gratitude is set to be a beautiful and striking tribute which celebrates the incredible courage and dedication of the UK’s NHS staff and all key workers and supports the vital work of NHS Charities Together.
“We are delighted to be launching our tour at Paradise Birmingham, after months of hard work from artists across the UK, who have dedicated their time and creativity to help us produce an installation which reflects our endless Gratitude for the care and kindness that all key workers have provided.”
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You can visit Gratitude at St Peter’s Square, Manchester from 3 – 12 September 2021 before it moves on to visit Edinburgh and London. To find out more and grab your tickets, click here.
No trams to run on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
People are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as no trams are set to run on three major Greater Manchester Metrolink lines this weekend.
As part of a continuing £150 million investment in the Metrolink network across the region, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line, and work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this Easter bank holiday weekend all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
On top of these line closures, there is also set to be disruption across other parts of the network too, as on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines, trams will run to Firswood only, and services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
To keep people moving over the four-day weekend, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops, TfGM has confirmed.
Anyone using a replacement bus, however, will still need a valid Metrolink ticket or a one-day Bee bus ticket to travel, and customers will be able to use all existing options to buy these, as they will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses themselves.
No trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
Replacement buses are said to be calling at ‘all affected stops’ along the lines, so customers are being told not to worry about that.
Speaking ahead of the improvement works being carried out this weekend, Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.”
TfGM has assured that staff will be out and on-hand across the network this weekend, but is urging anyone travelling to plan for their journeys ahead of time to make sure they go as smoothly as possible.
Looking ahead to the rest of the month, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April while the track is repaired, and a further weekend closure for track repairs on the Ashton line will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
Find out more and plan ahead on the Bee Network’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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Three men arrested after ‘shocking’ Salford pub fight leaves victim in life-threatening condition
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been arrested as police continue to appeal following a ‘shocking’ incident in Salford over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 2:51am yesterday (Sunday 29 March), officers were called to reports of an assault at a pub on Liverpool Road in Irlam, where it’s understood that an incident involving several males took place.
Police quickly attended the scene, and one male was rushed to hospital.
The man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, where he’s said to remain in a life-threatening condition.
While officers are working ‘at speed’ on their investigation to establish the full circumstances of this incident, a scene is currently in place, and road closures are affecting the immediate area.
At this time, it has been confirmed that three men – all in their 20s – have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault, and they remain in custody for further questioning while GMP renews its public appeal for information.
“This is a shocking incident and our thoughts are firmly with the victim and his family during this extremely difficult time,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Helen Bagnall, from GMP’s Salford district. “We are working at pace and remain absolutely committed to identifying everyone involved and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Three arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are continuing to appeal for further information.
“Officers remain committed to understand the full circumstances and are urging anyone with information to come forward to support our investigation.”
Can you help? A dedicated online Major Incident Public Portal has been set up, and information, CCTV, dashcam, doorbell, and phone images and footage can be submitted here, or you can also contact police on 101, quoting log 256 of 29/03/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd August 2021 
