G-A-Y owner gives Manchester nightclub away, citing poor mental health
"Losing G-A-Y in Manchester would have broken my heart, so I came up with the inspiration of being Willy Wonka and G-A-Y Manchester being the Chocolate Factory."
The owner of G-A-Y nightclub in Manchester has given away the venue to its current manager, it has been revealed.
Nightclub boss Jeremy Joseph has given away the Manchester nightclub, which has been an iconic fixture on Canal Street for over ten years, comparing himself to Willy Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
Taking to social media over the weekend to explain his decision, Mr Joseph said he had been struggling with his mental health since the start of the pandemic and attributed this with his decision to give away the club.
He also confirmed that he had gifted the Manchester nightclub to his friend and site manager, Lee Kellow, who will now take over the venue as his own franchise.
Elaborating on why he has given G-A-Y to the manager as opposed to selling up, Mr Joseph said, “losing G-A-Y in Manchester would have broken my heart, so I came up with the inspiration of being Willy Wonka and G-A-Y Manchester being the Chocolate Factory.”
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“I’ve known Lee for too many years, he’s been the manager at G-A-Y Manchester for too many years and to give a friend an opportunity to take on a venue I built, means that the brand continues if Lee makes it work.
“It gives him security and Manchester continues to have a G-A-Y venue.”
He continued to outline his logic behind the move, and in doing so showed just how much he cares not just for the brand he has grown himself but for Manchester’s independent LGBT bar scene too.
He said: “It keeps G-A-Y in Manchester and more importantly it allows Canal Street not to lose an independent LGBT venue.”
“I don’t know what the future holds for me, I now have to think what I want for me and the London venues, but the first move was to protect the future of G-A-Y Manchester and also protect the future of a friend.”
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Mr Joseph continued, saying he hopedthat Manchester continues to support the site following the change of hands.
“I hope Manchester will support Lee as he takes on the risk of owning and running an LGBT venue, I know he’s going to make a huge success of it and I’m so happy even though I’ve struggled with my mental health running venues, something good has come out of it by creating an opportunity for Lee to take on G-A-Y Manchester for hopefully many years to come, unless, of course, he fucks it up.
“One of the greatest honours has been for G-A-Y to put on the headline acts of Manchester Pride. Walking on stage and getting to introduce some amazing talent has been an honour that I’m so proud of. I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported G-A-Y over the years in Manchester and I hope you will continue to do so.
“Look after Lee and the staff at G-A-Y Manchester, look after independent LGBT venues, and be nice on social media.”
Numerous comments have since flooded in online over the weekend, with celebs including Rupaul’s Drag Race stars Shangela and Brooklyn Hytes, TV personality Denise Van Outen and singer Alexandra Burke all rushing to show support for the move.
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G-A-Y will continue to operate its normal hours, which are 12 pm – 4 am Monday to Sunday.
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”