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.
News
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Emily Sergeant -
7th August 2020 
