It’s the “world famous” market that gives Mancunians so much pride. Over five hundred years old, it’s legendary in the north west and has just been crowned Britain’s Favourite Market once again, taking home the gong for the second time running.
Yes, we’re talking about Bury Market – home to everything from local food producers selling black pudding and Eccles cakes to traders flogging electrical goods, clothes, footwear and more every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Judges at the Great British Market Awards 2022 officially presented Bury Market operators with their trophy last week at an awards ceremony held in Birmingham at the end of last week.
It's been a day of celebration here on Bury Market, off the back of our award win yesterday! 🥳
The stallholders are buzzing with Bury being named Britain's Favourite Market, and who can blame them?!
Councillor Charlotte Morris, cabinet member for culture and the economy, said: “We’re thrilled that Bury Market has won yet another national award, this one decided by the people who visit it, as we did in 2019.
“It’s a fitting reward for the traders, who make the market the wonderful place it is and ensure that our many thousands of visitors have a great day out and pick up bargains galore.
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“Bury Market is truly the town’s ‘jewel in the crown’, and this latest award shows just how popular the market is with people across the length and breadth of the country.”
Bury Market was granted its charter in the 1440s and now attracts millions of visitors every year and thousands of coaches from across the country. It boasts 370 stalls on its three sites – the Market Hall, Outdoor Market, and the Fish and Meat Hall.
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Local traders are over the moon to be crowned Britain’s favourite market once again. / Image: Bury Market via Twitter
And plans are well underway to make the market even better. Bury has won £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund, which will transform the market area and include a new flexi-hall.
This state-of-the-art, carbon-neutral, multifunctional events space will support market stalls, ‘pop-up’ trading, live performance, and community events.
Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, leader of the council, said: “This investment, plus nearly £5 million more from Bury Council, will bring regeneration and prosperity both to the market and the wider town centre area.
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Bury is famous for its black pudding and you’ll find a number of stall selling the blood pudding delicacy here. / Image: Geograph
“We are determined to have the best of both worlds – to keep all that is great about our historic traditional market, while making sure we adapt to the challenges posed by the rise in online shopping and customers’ changing preferences.”
The awards were presented by Simon Baynes MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Markets Group.
Feature image – Bury Market via Twitter
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Georgina Pellant -
8th February 2022 
