News

Council leader calls for ‘compassion and solidarity’ after protests in Manchester

"There is no place for hate in our city."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 6th August 2024

The leader of Manchester City Council has called for “compassion and solidarity” after protests across the country.

After a weekend that saw widespread far-right protests and counter demonstrations in towns and cities throughout the UK – predominantly here in the north, and in Greater Manchester – following the devastating killing of three young girls and the injuring of several others during a knife attack in the Merseyside seaside town of Southport at the end of last month, the leader of Manchester City Council insists disorder “will not be tolerated in our streets”.

Cllr Bev Craig says there is “no place for hate” in Manchester.

Hundreds of people have been detained and arrested by police nationwide over last few days following the riots – including 19 people in Manchester city centre, according to GMP.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called an emergency COBRA meeting in response to the ongoing unrest, and said his Government “utterly condemns the far-right thuggery” displayed, adding that “those who participated in this violence will face the full force of the law.”

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And now, Manchester’s Council leader has had her say.

Addressing the Manchester public in a statement, and calling for “compassion and solidarity” moving forwards, Cllr Bev Craig wrote: “We know that our communities will be feeling understandably anxious and uneasy, but we would like to reassure our residents that we will not tolerate disorder in our streets.   

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“Manchester’s diversity is our strength, and it is now more important than ever that we support one another with compassion, understanding and solidarity.

Council leader Bev Craig has called for ‘compassion and solidarity’ after protests in Manchester this past weekend / Credit: GMP

“I am deeply conscious that some of our communities, especially minority communities, are anxious about discrimination, abuse, anti-Muslim sentiment and racism, much of which is playing out on social media, alongside misinformation and other forms of hate.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community, and we will continue to work with colleagues at GMP to monitor local concerns and make sure that Manchester remains a welcoming and safe place.

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“As such, there will be an increased police presence in our neighbourhoods, and we want to be clear that officers are there primarily to provide visibility and reassurance.”

Looking ahead to how the region plans to manage the situation going forward, Cllr Craid added: “We fully support GMP in taking robust action against anyone who is intent on bringing violence to our city.

“Swift action is needed to bring people to justice, and we would also like to thank Council staff, officers at GMP, and other partners who helped to keep Manchester safe this weekend under very challenging circumstances.”

Cllr Craig closed out her statement insisting that “there is no justification for criminal behaviour”.

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“The actions of the perpetrators undermine everything that Manchester stands for,” she added. “We are proud to be a vibrant, tolerant, and accepting place – and we know there is more that unites us than divides us.

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“Now is the time we come together to show what this means.”

Featured Image – GMP

News

Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Huge bakery chain Gail's confirms move to Prestwich - but spells village's name wrong in signage

After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.

The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.

Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.

But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.

The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.

One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.

Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.

The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).

In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.

Gail's has confirmed it's opening a bakery in Prestwich
Gail's has confirmed it's opening a bakery in Prestwich
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group

First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.

Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.

It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.

But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”

Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.

And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”

Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

News

Met Office issues snow warnings for large parts of northern England from this evening

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester could be waking up to a winter wonderland as weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued across northern England.

Expected to arrive anywhere from 6pm this evening (18 November) and last until around 10am tomorrow morning (19 November), the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for large parts of northern England – indicating that “snow may bring disruption to a central swathe of the UK during Monday night and Tuesday morning”.

Weather forecasters say that although most snow is likely to accumulate on higher ground, with five-10 cm on ground over 200 metres, and possibly 15-20 cm over 300 metres, there is a chance that snow may settle at lower levels “within the warning area”.

The Met Office also said that this possible five-10 cm at lower levels is likely to be “more disruptive”, particularly if travelling and if the snow coincides with rush hour, but the likelihood for that is still “uncertain” at this stage.

Greater Manchester could see snow from this evening as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning / Credit: Geograph | Pexels

As the rain, sleet, and snow begin to clear on tomorrow morning, ice may form on surfaces that are untreated.

“We have issued yellow warnings for snow and ice as cold weather moves in from the north,” explained Andy Page, who is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.

“This brings snow showers and some ice to parts of Scotland on Sunday night, and then the potential for a spell of snow to lead to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning.”

He further added that “gusty winds” in the east also remain a “potential hazard”.

“Updates to the warnings for wintry hazards are likely, so it is important to stay up to date with the latest forecast,” he concluded.

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In addition to the severe weather warnings, a Cold Health Alert has also been issued by the UKHSA, and it covers the north of England and the Midlands right through until Thursday.

Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

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