Altrincham Town Hall has been saved after the building came under threat of being ‘disposed of’ and being sold off to the highest bidder, with a nearby cultural organisation swooping in at the 11th hour to rescue the much-loved local space.
The town hall — which has served as a venue for weddings, parties, funerals and community meetings for decades — was set to fall into private hands and be sold off to a nursery group after Trafford Council said it had become too expensive to run.
However, a glimmer of hope was given when the authorities opened up the tender to businesses and community organisations in the area following a petition signed by more than 2,000 Altrincham residents over the past few months.
As confirmed on Tuesday, 19 March, the council confirmed that the bid was won by local group Oyez Arts, who will now be taking over the 25-year lease on the Jacobean building which dates all the way back to 1901.
According to Altrincham Today, Oyez Arts’ vision for the venue is to transform it into a completely new arts centre, working with local artists and creatives on a wide range of activities, as well as continue to be a space where people can meet, commune and ‘thrive’.
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Speaking to the local outlet, co-founder Jo Cushing said: “We are excited to bring Oyez to Altrincham. Oyez literally means ‘Hear Ye’, it’s an official town hall cry and we love that it represents a call to gather our community as well as a celebratory shout-out.
“Our events will make the Town Hall buzz with life and bring something new for everyone. We believe, together, the possibilities are endless.”
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The other half of the team, Jodie Saint, added: “The vision is to turn it into a lively hub of arts activity, including performances, book clubs, film clubs, nit and natters, that kind of thing. We want to appeal to as wide an audience as possible across the community.”
Better still, not only will the building still remain in public use but the pair are also hoping to launch a community share offer later this year (similar to the plans that helped locals back Stretford Public Hall in 2017) to help fund some necessary renovations.
Celebrating the local retention of the space, Council Leader Tom Ross said there were a number of “excellent bids” but that they are delighted for Oyez to be chosen as the winner — as are we.
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We’re buzzing for the Alty natives who fought so hard to keep it going and we look forward to many more years of Altrincham Town Hall being an important local and creative hub for the community.
A new community arts group is to take over the lease at Altrincham Town Hall, Trafford Council has announced.
Oyez Arts will provide Altrincham with a new arts centre, working with local creatives to provide a wide range of arts activities.
Featured Images — Altrincham Today/Trafford Council/Altrincham Town Hall (via Facebook)
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Police appeal after man seriously injured in Northern Quarter stabbing
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses after a stabbing in the Northern Quarter left a man seriously injured.
The incident occurred around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, on Tib Street near Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens.
Emergency services scrambled to the scene and the victim, a man in his 20s, taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Thankfully his injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
No arrests have yet been made and officers are now appealing for witnesses to assist with enquiries.
DI Geoffrey Machent, of the City of Manchester Division, said: “At around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, we were called to reports of a stabbing on Tib Street.
“A man was subsequently taken to hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening or life-changing. He remains there for treatment.
“At this time, we do not believe the incident presents any threat to the wider public or local businesses operating in the area.
“Neighbourhood officers will be deployed to provide reassurance in the locality over the coming days, including our newly formed Piccadilly Gardens team.
“We would like to appeal to the public for any information, or anyone who witnessed this incident, to please come forward.”
If anyone has information regarding this stabbing in the Northern Quarter, contact police by calling 101, or via the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk.
Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
Met Office explain ‘likely’ reason for ‘strange spiral’ seen in the sky over Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Anyone spot that strange out-of-this-world-looking spiral in the sky last night? Lots of us did here in Greater Manchester and, as it turns out, so did lots of people up and down the country.
In fact, it was sighted all over the world.
If you’re anything like us and guilty of being quick to overreact – most of us are just excitable big kids who still daydream about shooting off to a different planet – you’ll be forgiven for having quickly jumped to the conclusion that it was aliens or some other kind of fantastical phenomenon.
Come on, who wouldn’t see this and start to wonder?
However, we hate to spoil your fun but it wasn’t some kind of UFO or something from another universe – but is that what they want us to think?…
Just kidding; after countless people hopped on social media to question what on Earth (or rather not) was going on with the sky and post their own pictures of the strange spiral, one reason was quickly put forward by numerous users and news outlets.
It didn’t take long for those in the US, or who are at least privy to whatever random interstellar nonsense Elon Musk is up to at the minute, to point out that a SpaceX launch had just occurred.
On Monday, 24 March, the American aerospace company launched their Falcon 9 rocket just before 6pm GMT and the spiral-like shape, which was visible for several minutes before fading, is believed to have been caused by leftover fuel released by the rocket during the second phase of its launch.
With SpaceX having already shown off how their rockets can now return to Earth, the subsequent fuel plume, on the other hand, freezes instantly and the light transmitting through the atmosphere is the “likely” reason behind this strange spiral illusion, according to the Met Office and other experts.
We've received many reports of an illuminated swirl in the sky this evening 💫
This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today. The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to… pic.twitter.com/4a9urgZceR
So whilst it may not be as sci-fi as your imaginations were hoping for, it is still a showcase of how far we’ve come in terms of technological advancements and creating visuals that would previously feel inexplicable and probably lead to the man on the street to tell his mates, ‘I saw something last night’.
Musk’s relationship with returning President Donald Trump is one that causes concern across large sections of the political landscape and as for his continued space-age innovation, many are deeply worried about the pollution and wider environmental impact caused by several of his companies.
But to circle back: no, it wasn’t some alien portal – just rocket fuel.
Incredible time-lapse.
Tonight, a glowing spiral appeared in the sky over the UK and Europe, likely caused by frozen fuel released from a SpaceX rocket’s second stage after launch. The pattern was visible for several minutes before fading.pic.twitter.com/jL7CXKmXCl
Danny Jones -
19th March 2024 
