The Royal Mint has this week unveiled a new commemorative 50p as part of the Platinum Jubilee coin collection.
It’s the first collectable UK 50p to celebrate a Royal event.
Marking a special 70 years on the throne, the coin – which has been designed by artist John Bergdahl, and also features the number 70 along with The Queen’s cypher designed by Osborne Ross on the opposite side – depicts Queen Elizabeth II on horseback and will be struck on the ‘heads’ side of a new 50p and also a traditional £5 crown.
The Royal Mint said that the new coin is “reminiscent of the equestrian designs for the 1953 Coronation and 2002 Jubilee crown pieces”, and has been personally approved by the Queen.
The Royal Mint has this week unveiled a new commemorative 50p as part of the Platinum Jubilee coin collection / Credit: The Royal Mint
Speaking on the launch of the coins, Clare Maclennan – Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint – said: “The Platinum Jubilee is an historic occasion and one that is particularly special for The Royal Mint, as the original maker of British Coins for 1,100 years.
“In celebration of this landmark event, the official Platinum Jubilee collection, including the new 50p and traditional £5 crown, features a unique commemorative design on both sides of the coin. Designed by esteemed artists and made with original craftsmanship, Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee coins are enduring pieces of art that will be collected, cherished and passed down for generations.
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“The Platinum Jubilee 50p commemorates a remarkable 70 years on the throne.”
To celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee on 6 February, we have created a range of new and historic coins featuring designs from John Bergdahl and @osborneross. Look out for the special commemorative portrait on the obverse of each coin! https://t.co/8VkFnMN11Fpic.twitter.com/14ukPMYYjy
Chris Barker – Museum Historian at The Royal Mint – added: “The Queen’s legacy on coins stretches the length of her momentous reign, with The Royal Mint striking five definitive portraits of Her Majesty on official UK coin and celebrating previous Jubilees.
“The 1977 Silver Jubilee crown was the first major UK commemorative coin produced at The Royal Mint, with roughly 37 million coins produced at that time, and thousands were gifted to children across the UK as a memento of the occasion.
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“Today’s launch marks another significant milestone, and The Royal Mint plays a proud part in the nationwide celebrations.”
High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
Fontaines D.C. announce massive return to Manchester on new European tour
Daisy Jackson
Fontaines D.C. have just announced their biggest headline tour to date, including a massive arena gig here in Manchester.
The wildly popular Irish rock band are set to play a whopping 20 arena shows across Europe and the UK this autumn.
The tour has been announced in celebration of their upcoming fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, which is set for release this October.
Fontaines D.C. will hit the road just five days after the album drops, kicking off their European tour in Lisbon on 21 October.
Then they’ll make their way over to the UK, with shows in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.
Fans in their home country of Ireland are told to stay tuned for live news very soon.
As we speak, Fontaines D.C. are warming up to play one of the country’s biggest festivals, with headline slots at Reading & Leeds Festival.
They’ve already released Marianne, the first single from their new album, and frontman Grian Chatten says of the album: “The album itself is a dopamine chamber. You step inside and we test these different mind- or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”
The new record has been recorded between London, the English countryside, and Palermo, where Chatten recorded vocals in a makeshift booth built from mattresses and cushions.
He said: “There’s a poignant sense of us being on the brink of some other kind of form of humanity, or non-humanity.”
Tickets will go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 3 September, with pre-sale live from 10am on Tuesday 1 September.
You can access tickets for Fontaines D.C. in Manchester HERE.
Fans who pre-order Dopamine Chamber from the official store by 6pm on Monday 31 August will gain access to the UK pre-sale.
Fontaines D.C. UK tour dates in full
Friday 20 November – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Saturday 21 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sunday 22 November – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tuesday 24 November – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Wednesday 25 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2022 
