Manchester restaurant The Botanist has confirmed today that it will be closing early on Sunday night to give its staff the night offto watch the Euros.
Bosses at the group have confirmed today that as football is coming home, their staff should be going home to see it.
In response, numerous Botanist venues across Manchester will be shutting early on Sunday ahead of the 8pm Euro 2020 Final kick-off to allow hundreds of staff to watch England play Italy with friends and family.
Inside one of The Botanist restaurants / Image: The Botanist
Some venues in Manchester and Alderley are already fully booked for the football, so they will be staying open – namely The Oast House and The Botanist in Altrincham.
However, for the most part, all of The Botanist venues will close early on Sunday ready for staff to head home at 7.30pm.
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In Greater Manchester, Deansgate, MediaCity and Didsbury will all shut.
Throughout the day, guests can enjoy The Botanist’s botanical cocktails and kebabs whilst they count down to kick-off with the last booking on Sunday at 5:30pm – which will give them just under two hours at the table.
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The Botanist is known for its legendary hanging kebabs / Image: The Botanist
“Gareth Southgate has shown us all the value of teamwork in the past few weeks – and how every squad member is vital to being successful. That is why we are announcing we’ll be closing early on Sunday to allow as many of our staff as possible to watch the game,” said Matt Bamber, Operations Director for New World Trading Company who owns The Botanist.
“We still have a handful of sell-out sites showing the game in Alderley Edge, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Cardiff – we don’t want to be a jinx for any superstitious fans who’ve visited us for every game.
“We’re incredibly grateful to those staff that remain committed to working in this final game.”
The Botanist isn’t the only restaurant in Manchester to be doing this – in fact, quite a lot of venues in the city – including Sugo and Wood Fire Smoke – have been posting about implementing their own “self-imposed curfews” this Sunday ahead of the Euros 2020 final.
The Botanist will be open again as normal from Monday, 12th July – and you can check out their menus and opening times on their website here.
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Police provide update after stabbing of 14-year-old boy at Manchester Arndale carpark
Emily Sergeant
Police have provided an update following the stabbing of a young boy in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
At around 3:15pm this past Saturday afternoon (17 October 2026), officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of a stabbing on the ninth floor of the Arndale carpark in Manchester city centre.
Emergency services attended the scene, and a 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital with injuries consistent with a stab wound.
Thankfully, the victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life changing, but an investigation and enquiries are ongoing.
Detective Inspector Sam Jones, of GMP’s City of Manchester District CID, said this will ‘understandably’ cause concern, but has assured the public that police believe this to be an ‘isolated incident.
“Detectives at the scene are working extremely hard to process the scene with Crime Scene Investigators,” explained DI Jones in an update statement issued.
“The car park is expected to be closed for several hours, so we ask for your understanding and patience whilst we gather evidence to bring these offenders to justice.
“Detectives and Officers will be in the area today to speak with local businesses and members of the public to provide reassurance. This is believed to be an isolated incident with no risk to the wider public.
“Greater Manchester Police are committed to diligently investigating all knife crime and bringing offenders to justice, and we are asking for anyone with information about this incident to come forward to assist with our enquiries.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log 2050 of 17/10/2026, or via the LiveChat function. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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TfGM issues statement as ‘essential’ work begins on three major Metrolink lines across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Passengers are being urged to plan ahead as no trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines for the next two weeks.
If you need bringing up to speed a little, as part of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network, essential improvement work is being carried out on three major Metrolink lines across the region in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable for passengers’ for years to come.
This means that from today (Monday 19 October) through to Sunday 1 November, tram improvement works will take place at Deansgate-Castlefield, and Trafford Bar.
Additional works will also take place in the city centre during this time, allowing TfGM to keep closures of the tram network to a minimum.
During the dates above, no trams will run on the Altrincham, Trafford Centre, and Eccles lines.
A number of shuttle bus services will the running over the course of the two-week closure, however – with services arriving every 10 or 15 minutes, depending on the line, and you can find a full list of these here.
But despite the alternative services, widespread disruption is still expected for hundreds of people.
TfGM has issued a statement on the works being carried out, and offered support to anyone who may need it: “This is essential work that will help keep our tram network safe, reliable and fit for the future. We’re sorry for the disruption and we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure people can still get around while it’s taking place.
“We’ve listened carefully to feedback from customers during previous closures and have introduced more direct shuttle buses between key locations and extra buses on local Bee Network routes.
“If you use any of the affected lines, now is the time to check your travel plans.
“We’d encourage everyone to visit the Bee Network website or app before travelling so they can see the options available to them and allow extra time where necessary.”
Services will resume on these lines from start of service on Monday 2 November.
However there will be some minor route changes through the city centre in place from Monday 2 to Wednesday 4 November, so it’s important to check your journey before you travel.
Georgina Pellant -
9th July 2021 
