Manchester City Council has pledged to put the safety of women in our city “at the heart” of Manchester’s night time economy.
After publishing a groundbreaking 10-year plan to protect women in March 2021, with Mayor Andy Burnham declaring that he wanted the “streets, workplaces, schools, universities and homes of this city-region to be safe for every woman and girl”, the Council has now said that steps are being put in place to improve the safety of women in Manchester’s night time economy.
From September 2022, businesses who operate at night time in Manchester will be encouraged to sign and pledge support to the Women’s Night Time Safety Charter – which is officially being launched this week.
The charter will set out how organisations can prioritise the safety of women – both employees and customers – in our city.
The implementation of this new charter by Manchester City Council comes after improving safety for women in Manchester was named as one of the key priorities of Cllr Bev Craig when she was elected as leader back in 2021.
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According to the Council, all businesses who sign up to the charter will be asked to pledge their support to these seven commitments:
Appoint a Champion – Nominate a champion in your organisation who actively promotes women’s night safety.
Communicate – Demonstrate to staff and customers that your organisation takes women’s safety at night seriously.
Support your staff – Remind customers and staff that Manchester is safe, but tell them what to do if they experience harassment when working, going out or travelling.
Support the public – Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders as part of your communications campaign.
Training and responding – Train staff to ensure that all women who report are believed.
Training and recording – Train staff to ensure that all reports are recorded and responded to.
Design – Designing space for safety.
Manchester City Council has pledged to put the safety of women in our city “at the heart” of Manchester’s night time economy / Credit: Logan Weaver & shawnanggg (via Unsplash)
The Council says these steps are intended to “help businesses identify and prevent the harassment of women”, as well as “bring about a cultural change” by bringing the safety and wellbeing of female staff and customers to the forefront of the night time economy.
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More than 40 businesses have come forward to pledge their support to the charter so far.
“When I became the Leader of the city of Manchester, I pledged to put the women and girls at the heart of what we do to make Manchester a fairer and safer city,” Cllr Bev Craig said on the implementation of the charter.
“Over the last nine months, there has been additional investment in tackling misogyny and violence, and this is a great example of the practical steps we are taking.
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“It is incredibly important that we do everything in our power to ensure that women can feel safe in Manchester.
“We have a well-justified reputation for an outstanding night-time economy, but that accolade must be earned. The Night Time Safety charter is a call to collective action for any organisation who works, resides, designs or delivers services in our city, so join us and make a Manchester-wide push to help make Manchester the safest, most welcoming city in the country.”
Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd September 2022 
