Prestwich is set to get a new ‘Anglo-Saxon’ style pizzeria on Bury New Road this month.
Brought to the north Manchester suburb by the same team behind popular Ancoats restaurant Elnecot, the new pizzeria Dokes will open its doors in Prestwich early next week.
After originally opening in the Society food hall on Barbirolli Square in May 2021, Dokes will now move over to Prestwich -reinventing its city centre micro diner under a new banner altogether.
At Dokes, chefs will continue to put British produce front and center – drawing on extensive research conducted over the last five years at their sister restaurant, Elnecot.
Chef-Patron Michael Clay has built up relationships with a long list of incredible producers across Britain, so the people of Prestwich can expect to eat cheeses from every corner of the country, alongside salamis and nduja from Curing Rebels in Brighton; creamy British burrata from the home counties and exquisite truffles from Wiltshire.
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The restaurant will also be working with the organic Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire, beloved by many of Manchester’s best restaurants, using an ever-changing list of beautiful and locally-grown fruit and vegetables on Dokes’ seasonally-evolving menu.
Pizza dough, meanwhile, is made using extra virgin rapeseed oil from Yorkshire and a blend of flours, using British heritage grains from Gilchesters organic farm in Northumberland, as well as Shipton Mill in Gloucestershire.
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Image: Society MCR
Beyond pizzas, the menu will also feature seasonal salads and pasta (supplied by the wonderful Yorkshire Pasta Company) alongside other regularly-changing small plates. Brunch will also be served on the weekend.
Speaking on the new opening, Michael Clay, Chef-Patron of Dokes Pizzeria, said, “We are really looking forward to opening in Prestwich; it really felt like the perfect location and in the short time I’ve spent there, it seems to have a real community feel and strong spirit.
“We hope that we can provide a welcoming atmosphere for everyone while serving up delicious pizzas on Bury New Road.”
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The new 40-cover Prestwich site offers a mixture of booth and table seating, with an open-plan kitchen allowing diners to look in and watch as Doke’s pizzaiolos fire up the ovens.
It’s not been plain sailing with the build of Dokes pizzeria in Prestwich and the team are opening quite a lot later than they originally intended.
Co-owner, Wesley Downham said, “We took the lease on for the unit just before Covid struck so, finally, two years later it will be very exciting to get the doors open. We have worked with the excellent Phaus interior architects to design the restaurant and we think it is a great looking space for the people of Prestwich to come to.
“Prestwich is a particularly exciting area at the minute, it has some great operators investing in the town and it’s being talked about in the national press as being one of the best places to live in the country. We can’t wait to get started and add to an already vibrant community.”
Dokes Pizzeria in Prestwich will open on 449A Bury New Road for lunch and dinner from 12pm until 10pm from Wednesday to Friday, then 10am until 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Whilst walk-ins are always welcome, for those who want to book the diary for reservations will be open from Friday 15 July, 2022.
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Victim named and murder investigation launched after young woman is killed in Newton Heath stabbing
Emily Sergeant
The victim of a street stabbing in Newton Heath this week has been named for the first time as a murder investigation continues.
It comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) responded to reports of a disturbance at around 2am yesterday (Thursday 15 October) on Dorking Avenue, in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, and when they arrived on the scene, they found a woman in her 20s with serious injuries that were ‘consistent with a stabbing’.
Despite best efforts of all emergency services involved, the young woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
As the murder investigation progresses, the woman has now been publicly named and a photo of her has been released for the first time.
She has been named as 26-year-old Alisha Samuels.
At this time, one man, aged 25, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and a man and woman, aged 61 and 38, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and they all remain in custody – with officers continuing their enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
Alisha’s family have asked for privacy whilst they deal with the devastating loss of their loved one, GMP has stated.
“We are continuing to urge people who may have information in relation to this incident to please come forward to support our investigation and bring justice for Alisha,” the police force said in a public appeal.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has mobile phone, CCTV, or doorbell footage, is urged to call GMP on 0161 856 5464, or contact them via the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Featured Image – GMP (Family Handout)
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Former supply teacher jailed for multiple upskirting and AI sex offences across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A former supply teacher has been jailed for multiple upskirting and AI sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester.
Abusali Rahman – a British national of Bangladeshi ethnicity from Salford – appeared in Bolton Crown Court this week for his sentencing after first being charged with, and then pleading guilty to, several offences.
The offences are including, but not limited to, 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child (images obtained by upskirting), three counts of making indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (making AI-generated images), and one count of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2023 and June 2025, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Twelve girls have been identified in relation to the upskirting offences – aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending – at seven high schools in three Greater Manchester boroughs (Bury, Bolton, and Salford).
GMP says it has remained in close contact with the schools, local authorities, and other partners throughout the investigation to ensure all appropriate support is in place for those who need it.
Additionally, the court also heard how Rahman amassed a collection of images of young girls, using AI and other methods to sexualise them.
The images numbered more than 300 in total, ranging from Category A to Category C classifications, and Rahman would post these on social media, often alongside humiliating and disgusting captions.
Rahman was sentenced to six years in prison, and will also be subject to a 20-year Sexual Harm Protection Order.
A former supply teacher has been jailed for child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
Detective Constable Lisa McGaffin, from GMP’s Bolton Child Protection Team, described Rahman’s crimes as ‘absolutely abhorrent’.
“My thoughts throughout this process have always been with the young girls who have been subject to such indignity,” DC McGaffin said following the sentencing this week. “Their welfare and support will always be a priority for us.
“While working as a teacher – someone who young children should trust and be safe with – Rahman repeatedly took secret photos for his own sick gratification, before posting images online which showed his total disregard for the girls’ respect and dignity.
Georgina Pellant -
15th July 2022 
