Art & Culture

Beloved Greater Manchester tourist attraction left devastated after deliberate act of ‘mindless’ vandalism

"This was not opportunistic behaviour - it was a calculated act of destruction."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 6th May 2026

A beloved heritage tourist attraction in Greater Manchester has been left devastated after being attacked in a deliberate act of ‘mindless’ vandalism.

East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has revealed that it has, once again, been the victim of what it is referring to as a ‘deliberate and disgraceful’ act of vandalism overnight over May bank holiday weekend, where a locomotive and several coaches from the InterCity 125 heritage set were ‘targeted’.

In what can only be described as a ‘mindless attack’, extensive graffiti was plastered across rolling stock.

“One coach had only just been repainted in February, making this damage particularly galling,” ELR said in a gutting statement.

East Lancashire Railway has been left devastated after deliberate act of ‘mindless’ vandalism / Credit: ELR (Supplied)

Staff and volunteers working on the heritage railway claim this incident was ‘not opportunistic behaviour’ and was, in fact, a ‘calculated act of destruction’ against irreplaceable heritage assets cared for by volunteers.

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Once the vandalism was discovered, volunteers immediately stepped in and worked tirelessly for several hours using specialist cleaning materials to remove the graffiti before it could permanently set.

Although further polishing and restoration work is still required, ELR says the volunteers’ swift action prevented what could have been ‘significant and lasting’ damage.

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The beloved heritage tourist attraction called it ‘a calculated act of destruction’ / Credit: ELR (Supplied)

“This is a disgraceful and deeply frustrating attack on a railway run largely by volunteers, with many steam and diesel traction owned either by the ELR or groups and in some cases, private individuals who give their time freely to preserve our railway,” commented Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway.

“It is nothing short of a kick in the teeth for those who work so hard to maintain and preserve historic traction and rolling stock.

“We are working closely with the police and are determined to see those responsible identified and held accountable.”

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Greater Manchester Police attended the scene, gathered evidence, but anyone with any information about those responsible is urged to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.

Featured Image – ELR (Supplied)

Art & Culture

Antony Szmeirek announces second album along with biggest UK tour dates yet

Danny Jones Danny Jones Antony Szmierek Manchester gig tickets UK tour dates 2026

Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.

The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.

Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.

Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.

The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.

His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.

On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.

The 34-year-old carries that same idiosyncrasy throughout his lyricism and creative concepts, as well.

‘Chalk’ is a perfect example of this, as the song is inspired by The Edge of Everything documentary: a film about the career of legendary British snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Here’s the music video…

As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.

In addition to a pair of hometown shows here in Manchester, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.

Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026

We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:

  • 8 – O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds, UK
  • 9 – The Level, Nottingham, UK
  • 11 – Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
  • 12 – O2 Academy Oxford, Oxford, UK
  • 14 – CHALK, Brighton, UK
  • 15 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
  • 16 – O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, UK
  • 17 – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, UK
  • 20 – Queen Margaret Union (QMU), Glasgow, UK
  • 21 – Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
  • 23 – Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
  • 28 – The Button Factory, Dublin, IE

It’s also worth noting that ‘Smerick’ will also be joining the legendary ‘Bard of Salford’ himself, John Cooper Clarke, in November for a night of pure poetry.

For those of you looking to grab tickets to his headline gig, they go on sale at 10am on Friday, 8 May via the likes of SeeTickets.

You can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shots via Zak Watson (supplied via SJM Concerts)

Art & Culture

People with this name can visit Knowsley Safari for FREE to celebrate David Attenborough’s 100th birthday

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The legendary Sir David Attenborough is turning 100 years old this Friday, and to celebrate, Knowsley Safari is offering free visits.

But it’s only for people with one specific first name.

To mark the 100th birthday of the world’s most influential natural history broadcaster – who was born on 8 May 1926 – popular Merseyside attraction, Knowsley Safari, is offering free access to all visitors who share the name David for one day only this week.

The free tickets honour Sir David’s centenary, while also marking Knowsley Safari’s own ongoing commitment to conservation, education, and protecting wildlife for future generations.

From supporting international breeding programmes for endangered species, to engaging young audiences with conservation-led learning, Knowsley Safari says it continues to campaign for ‘the same values’ Sir David has championed throughout his life.

The attraction says many of its staff were inspired by Sir David Attenborough‘s work to pursue careers in conservation and animal care, which is why this offer of free entry to those with his name is so fitting.

To claim your free visit, all Davids need to do is bring a valid photo ID confirming their name, pre-book the rest of your group online (all the non-Davids), and then show at the pay lanes when you scan the rest of your group’s ticket.

People with the name David can visit Knowsley Safari for free this week to celebrate David Attenborough’s 100th birthday / Credit: Peter Denton (Flickr) | Supplied

“Sir David Attenborough has inspired generations to care more deeply about the natural world,” commented Helena Berry, who is the Head of Marketing and Sales at Knowsley Safari.

“His work has led to the successful conservation careers of many, some of whom are our staff. As Sir David marks his 100th birthday, we want to celebrate his extraordinary legacy with our visitors, and welcoming Davids to the Safari for free is a joyful way to applaud an incredible man who has given so much to Merseyside, wildlife and the planet.”

Read more:

Davids can visit Knowsley Safari this Friday 8 May, and you can find out more and book your free tickets online here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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