Cheshire Fest will return this summer for a four-day knee up over the June Bank Holiday Jubilee weekend, bringing the early noughties indie rock band The Zutons down from Liverpool for a headline set.
Taking place this year from a brand new home at The Lambing Shed, Moseley Hall Farm in Knutsford, the festival line-up will play host to a number of famous Manchester faces with further DJ sets coming from the likes of Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets) and Peter Hook (Joy Division / New Order / The Hacienda).
Elsewhere, there’ll be a massive craft beer festival, a huge Big Top bingo party hosted by none other than Bongo’s Bingo, a street food village, artisan markets, and family entertainment involving a giant bubble display and circus acts.
Image: Cheshire FestImage: Cheshire Fest
There’ll be more bars serving everything from artisan gin and prosecco to lagers and softs, with several hosted by gin brand JJ Whitley Neil, and a Cheshire Fest Pub, on-site.
As for cocktail lovers, the Tipi Disco will offer a vibrant escape with premium mixologists and soulful music from Liverpool Disco Festival DJs.
Thursday
Revellers will descend on a beautiful, new tree-lined location in the heart of the green Cheshire countryside for the event, which will kick off its first night with a Cheshire debut of Bongo’s infamous Bingo in the Big Top tent.
Here, festival-goers can expect crazy prizes, spontaneous dance-offs, rave intervals and magic moments of nostalgic escapism, all hosted by Jonny Bongo himself.
Bank Holiday Friday
Image: Cheshire Fest
On the Bank Holiday Friday, Cheshire Craft Beer Festival will take over the site from 4-11pm, bringing over 40 UK breweries along to serve up their finest pours including Tiny Rebel and Beavertown.
There’ll be street food too, as well as cocktails for non-beer drinkers, all hosted in what will be the Big Top Beer Hall for the day.
Tables, seating and solid flooring will enable festival-goers to dance the night away to a music programme led by Judge Jules, who is bringing his own 10-piece live band down to keep the party going with covers of all the biggest dance hits from the past three decades, plus further sets from Take That’s Howard Donald and Radio 1’s James Cusak.
‘Festival Day’ Saturday
Image: Cheshire Fest
Saturday will see Liverpudlian indie rock favourites The Zutons headline ‘Festival Day’, marking the fifteenth anniversary of their debut album Who Killed The Zutons with a mix of greatest hits and new tunes. produced by Chic co-founder Nile Rogers
Peter Hook and Clint Boon will team up as a DJ duo, taking over the Big Top, with further live performances from 90s house music queens Angie Brown and Rozella and a closing set from trio K-Klass. More artists are still to be announced.
Jubilee ‘Family Day’ Sunday
Image: Cheshire Fest
A family day will close the four-day festival, with the whole site becoming a giant street party for the afternoon.
A programme of family entertainment will see a magical, giant bubble show from eBulio bring all the colours of th rainbow floating through the fields, whilst elsewhere there’ll be a Greatest Showman Show by A Million Dreams, circus performances from Nula Hula and storytelling from Mark The Storyteller.
Elsewhere, music from cover bands like The Cavern Beatles, Manytones and more will send the vibrations of feel-good favourites floating across the site.
Speaking on the returning event,Festival Director, Benjamin Harris said; “We are so glad to be able to bring Cheshire Fest back after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
“The 2022 line up is definitely the best we’ve ever had and by partnering with so many local businesses, the festival will have a real community feel.
“It is the perfect festival for families and groups of friends to get together and enjoy some amazing music, great food and drink and enjoy socialising again.”
How to get tickets
The jam-packed weekend of events run from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5t June – with four days of celebrations planned in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The second release of tickets is on sale now and can be purchased for individual days, or the whole weekend via cheshirefest.co.uk.
Day tickets start at just £8.50 for children and £12.50 for adults.
News
The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Manchester is working to make residents with terminal illnesses exempt from paying council tax
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is aiming to become one of the UK’s major cities to exempt its residents with terminal illnesses from paying council tax.
After Marie Curie’s recent ‘Dying in Poverty’ report found that around 42% of working age and 30% of pension-age residents in Manchester die while living in financial hardship, Manchester City Council has announced that it’ll be working together with the UK’s leading end of life charity to ensure that those with terminal illnesses become exempt from paying council tax.
The Council says addressing this ‘profoundly important issue’ is at the heart of a larger plan to support the most vulnerable residents in Manchester.
New proposals set out a plan for the Council to change its Discretionary Council Tax Policy (DCTP) to explicitly include a commitment to support people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
To become exempt, clinicians will need to fill out a form to confirm that a person has a progressive disease, and consequently is expected to pass away within a 12-month period.
Manchester is working to make residents with terminal illnesses exempt from paying council tax / Credit: gov.uk
Using DCTP, the Council will then make up the difference of any shortfall in council tax, so that in any situation where a member of the household qualifies – whether an adult, child or non-dependant – the household will have nothing to pay.
The support will then apply to the household’s council tax bill until the date of the persons death.
The Council will also be working to ensure that a ‘tell us once’ protocol is in place so that, in the event of a claimant’s passing, no undue burden will fall upon their family, and steps will also be in place to retain the discount for the remainder of the financial year to provide additional support for the passed person’s family.
Once delivered, it’s estimated that this scheme could support around 175 residents in Manchester – the majority of which would be of working age.
A new policy will ensure that people living will a terminal illness will no longer have to pay Council Tax. This is part of the Council’s wider aim to prevent people slipping into poverty, and support our city’s most vulnerable residents.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 25, 2025
“The moment when you or your family member gets the devastating news of terminal illness is heartbreaking,” commented Manchester City Council leader, Cllr Bev Craig, as the plans were announced this week.
“The last thing you need to worry about is money and bills, but we know for too many people it takes up too much time and stress.
“Too many people are living in poverty in our city… and that’s why we are exempting people with a terminal illness from council tax, alongside a wider package of support with the cost of living, doing everything in our power to ensure families have one less thing to worry about during such a difficult time.
Georgina Pellant -
8th April 2022 
