Freelancers in Manchester can apply for grants of up to £1,500 next week
All Manchester residents working in music, theatre, dance, combined arts, visual arts, museums, literature, creative industries or heritage culture can apply if they have been adversely affected by COVID-19.
Local freelancers working in the creative and culture sector will be able to apply for grants of up to £1,500 next week, Manchester City Council has confirmed.
The ‘Cultural Sector Hardship Fund for Freelancers’ has been launched by Manchester-based charity The Savannah Wisdom Foundation and B&M Retail PLC – creating a pot of £500,000 for the arts crowd.
All Manchester residents working in music, theatre, dance, combined arts, visual arts, museums, literature, creative industries or heritage culture can apply.
Anyone living in the ten Greater Manchester boroughs who can show most of their work is normally in Manchester is also eligible.
"Without freelancers, Manchester simply does not have a cultural offer" – @RahmanCllr
A new fund is available to freelancers in the arts and culture industries whose work has been impacted by Covid-19.
— Manchester City Council #StayHome #StaySafe (@ManCityCouncil) January 25, 2021
It was revealed in October that 48 Manchester arts companies qualified for financial support from the government’s #HereForCulture campaign – which saw £257million distributed to 1,300 organisations adversely affected by the pandemic.
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But the ‘Cultural Sector Hardship Fund for Freelancers’ has been launched independently of the government’s culture department – instead made possible by the “amazing generosity” of charities.
The Savannah Wisdom Foundation has asked Manchester City Council to administer the scheme on their behalf.
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Councillor Luthfur Rahman OBE, Executive Member for Culture, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “This scene would be nothing however and simply wouldn’t exist without the crucial community of skilled and talented individuals – usually freelancers – who make all the magic on stage and in cultural venues happen.
“It’s therefore fantastic to be able to announce – thanks to the amazing generosity of the Savannah Wisdom Foundation and B&M Stores – this brand new cash help for freelancers in the cultural sector in Manchester who we know have been particularly badly hit by the pandemic financially. “
Additional support for the grant application scheme is also being provided by Manchester city centre arts organisation HOME – whose staff are providing a helpline service for freelancers to ask questions.
Jon Gilchrist, Executive Director at HOME, said: “Cultural organisations across the city have been working together to support all areas of the cultural sector devastated by this pandemic.
“Freelancers are without doubt the most affected with many slipping through gaps in funding schemes. With this further lockdown, we risk losing an entire generation of talented artists and creative practitioners if we don’t act now.
“Thanks to this incredible gift, some of the people at the greatest risk of financial hardship will get some additional support.”
The Cultural Sector Hardship Fund for Freelancers opens to applicants next week on Monday (February 1).
For more information about the scheme and to make an application visit the official webpage.
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‘Please help me’ – Video shows domestic violence perpetrator screaming as police dog brings him down
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police has released a video of a police dog assisting in the arrest of a high-risk domestic violence perpetrator.
In the video, the 26-year-old suspect can be heard screaming and pleading for help as PD Kyp bites down on his thigh.
GMP says that the man had already been arrested for a serious assault on his partner yesterday morning (Thursday 7 November).
He had been handcuffed but managed to resist and escape officers, and the police dog and his handler were deployed to track him down in the nearby woodland.
The suspect had been kicking PD Kyp in the head and body, leading to the police dog biting his leg and taking him to the floor while officers caught up.
In the bodycam footage, the suspect screams ‘please help me’ and ‘he’s bitten my leg’.
District officers also discovered a large quantity of Class A drugs and weapons at the property in Hyde.
Watch a GMP police dog assist in the arrest of a domestic violence suspect (WARNING footage may be distressing)
#ARREST | Police Dog Kyp steps in to arrest dangerous offender wanted for domestic abuse, drugs and weapons offences.
PD Kyp immediately headed into the woodland and chased the man. The man was bitten around the thigh and taken to the floor.
The man was arrested on suspicion of serious assault, possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of offensive weapons (zombie knifes and machetes).
Following the chase with PD Kyp, the man was then further arrested on suspicion of escaping from lawful custody. He has been remanded into custody.
Superintendent Paul Walker, of GMP’s Specialist Operations Branch, said: “As he was wanted for serious offences and made off into the woodland area, PD Kyp was deployed to chase and detain the man.
“PD Kyp captured him within seconds and on doing so, the man kicked Kyp in the head and body several times.
“This resulted in PD Kyp biting the man around the thigh and taking him to the floor, waiting for his handler to arrive.
“This is a great example of the type of work our officers are doing every day – arresting a dangerous domestic abuse suspect quickly. One third of all GMP arrests are made in relation to domestic abuse related offences.
“We have also managed to take a number of dangerous weapons off the streets and away from .
“Sometimes we will have to use specialist resources to detain dangerous offenders, as was done in this instance. Using a Police Dog is just one of the many resources we have at our disposal.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic abuse or sexual assault, don’t suffer in silence and report it to the police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
You can also report information and crimes on the GMP website (www.gmp.police.uk).
Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
There are also lots of organisations and support agencies available across Greater Manchester and nationally that can help and provide support for you.
For more information and to find the support services available to you, visit the GMP support pages.
Featured image: GMP
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Girls Aloud to release ‘Sarah’s Version’ of ‘I’ll Stand By You’ for BBC Children In Need 2024
Danny Jones
Pop royalty Girls Aloud are set to release a special edition of their 2004 song ‘I’ll Stand By You’, simply dubbed ‘Sarah’s Version’, for this year’s Children In Need broadcast.
The iconic British girl group returned earlier this year with a huge comeback nationwide tour which obviously sold out and they also won over crowds with their touching on-stage tributes to late singer Sarah Harding during their live performances.
Harding, 39, sadly passed away back in 2021 following a battle with breast cancer and was mourned across the country, especially here in the North, with a commemorative plaque and large mural of the Stockport-born songstress thrown up in her hometown back in May.
And now, as a way to help raise money for the annual BBC telethon and honour her once again, Girls Aloud will be re-releasing the well-known ballad.
‘I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version)’ features Sarah on lead vocal throughout using vocals we discovered in the vault from the original recording sessions. The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all 🎙
Originally a cover of the 1997 track by The Pretenders and given that they were still so early into their career, the Noughties hitmakers naturally did multiple takes before landing on their final edit.
That being said, a version that has been rediscovered in digging through the archived recording sessions features Sarah Harding on lead vocals and now the band are set to let her voice shine through.
Airing for the first time on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 6 November, ‘Sarah’s Version’ has already gone down an instant hit 20 years from its release, with the emotional punch of hearing Harding’s clearly hitting listeners hard.
‘I’ll Stand By You’ went straight to the top of the UK Singles Chart when it was first released and was their second-ever number one. We have a very strong feeling that the importance of this re-release will see it do exactly the same – just in time for Christmas, no less.
Fans were left spellbound during what was casually referred to as ‘Sarah’s moment’ on the Girls Aloud reunion tour, where they truly did allow her singing to become the star of the show:
As if the charity single wasn’t a tear-jerking enough prospect already, ‘I’ll Stand By You – Sarah’s Version’ is also set to be released on 15 November, just two days before what would have been Harding’s 43rd birthday. We’re not crying, you are.
In aid of The Christie and the Sarah Harding Legacy Project, more than £1 million has been raised in the Stopfordian’s memory and for breast cancer awareness through initiatives like the creation of the mural and members of the hospital doing charity runs, bike rides, swims and more.
Speaking on social media, the band added: “The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all.”
BBC Children in Need 2024 takes place next Friday (15 November) and highlights from their reunion tour, where ‘Sarah’s Version’ was first heard by the masses, will be shown on ITV at 8pm the following Sunday.
The Manc -
26th January 2021 
