Building work is now underway for a brand new state-of-the-art £2.5 million LGBT+ community centre in the heart of Manchester.
The ground was broken at the Sidney Street site yesterday by award-winning screenwriter Russell T Davies, who is most known for his work on Queer as Folk and Doctor Who, and BBC Weather presenter and LGBTQ advocate Owain Wyn Evans.
The new facility is to replace the previous centre, which opened in 1988.
It was the first centre of its kind to be built in Europe, but after three decades of continuous use, was found to no longer be able to meet the needs of the growing community and was thus demolished in June to make way for the new three-story £2.4 million redevelopment that will help an additional 50,000 people each year.
It comes following years of fundraising, which saw a massive £2.5 million raised from donors including Big Lottery and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), as well as from members of the public.
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The new centre will continue to be managed by leading LGBT+ youth charity The Proud Trust.
The new purpose-built community centre – which will feature a vibrant and inclusive community café, alongside a large community room, library, and a city-centre roof garden – will support LGBT+ people from Manchester and beyond with a wide range of free, inclusive support services and events, just as the old centre has done for over three decades.
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Speaking on the new centre, Russell T Davies said: “It is going to be an amazing place,”
“I came to live in Manchester in 1987 just before it opened and, now there is a brand new start [so] it is very exciting. Think how radical it was in 1988 – there were very few places like it in Europe – and it is still quite rare even now.”
— The Proud Place-Manchesters LGBT+ Community Centre (@LGBTCentreMcr) June 15, 2020
Dr Ali Hanbury, LGBT+ Centre Manager, said: “We’re extremely excited that Russell T Davies has lent us his support to mark the beginning of building works at our Sidney Street site. Not only is he an internationally acclaimed writer and somebody I have the utmost respect for, he has also been instrumental in bringing the LBGT+ issues to the mainstream through his work.”
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She added: We’re so grateful to all of our donors for helping us to raise enough money to rebuild our centre so that we can continue to support people for many years to come.”
“This is another proud moment for Manchester.”
The Proud Trust is looking forward to opening the doors of the new LGBT+ centre in 2021, ideally when current social distancing measures amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic “will hopefully be a thing of the past.”
“There will definitely be a significant celebration when we’re done.” said Dr Hanbury.
“Everyone involved has worked tirelessly and showed great patience during the delays, so we really do have something to celebrate next year”.
You can find out more information about the LGBT+ centre via The Proud Trust website here.
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Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Manchester ‘institution’ Topkapi Palace quietly closes Deansgate restaurant after 47 years
Danny Jones
After the best part of half a century, local institution Topkapi Palace looks to have quietly closed the doors to its Manchester restaurant.
Founded way back in 1969, Topkapi has been a mainstay of the Deansgate strip longer than most other venues in the area, but many have noticed that it hasn’t been open for a little while now.
After plenty of speculation online, it now appears to have shut down for the foreseeable future.
It remains to be seen whether or not this is a permanent culinary casualty, but judging by the paper signs now displayed in the windows, things don’t look promising for the Turkish grill.
As posted in the shopfront of the restaurant, an update from Wilson and Doe High Court Enforcement says: “Under the terms of the demised lease, we, as authorised agents on behalf of the landlord, have to this day re-entered the premises known as Topkapi Palace…”
It also warns that any attempts to enter the building will result in criminal or civil proceedings.
The statement goes on to read: “Acting as agents for the Involuntary Bailee, we give notice to any third party who asserts ownership of the Goods to which this notice relates:
The goods identified at Topkapi Palace (Part Ground Floor and Basement), 205, 206 and 209 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3NW are being held at the Property.
The Goods are ready for collection immediately, and this is a notice of your obligation to take delivery of the Goods at a mutually convenient time to be agreed and arranged with the Involuntary Bailee’s agents
Unless the Goods are collected on or before 17:00 on 10 April 2026, the Involuntary Bailee or its agents will remove and dispose of the Goods. The period between now and the Deadline is sufficient to provide you with a reasonable opportunity to take delivery of the Goods.
If the Goods are disposed of, the Involuntary Bailee intends to retain its disposal costs from any sale proceeds.”
As you can see, multiple units are listed in the forfeiture notice, including the address assigned to their takeaway sister site located just around the corner on Bootle Street, although it’s still unclear whether or not this way will stay open.
Somewhat of an institution in its own right, plenty of Mancs will have visited the late-night street food spot even if they have never sat down for a meal in the Topkapi Palace itself.
Posting on the Manchester subreddit last week, one user wrote: “I noticed that Topkapi Palace on Deansgate had shut down, I was gutted!”; another went on to add: “Oh dear – I hadn’t realised this.
“I always enjoyed the food, but it was often quiet during the week more recently, and that end of Deansgate is now prime territory for expensive bars. I doubt the unit will stay empty very long.”
Topkapi’s apparent closure is just one of several in and around the city centre already this year, with several hospitality names having to cease trading due to rising energy bills, business rates, rent and various other reasons. Here’s hoping the sector regains a bit of stability sometime soon.
Emily Sergeant -
7th August 2020 
