A garden centre in Flixton has spoken out about an increased number of incidents involving members of the public being abusive towards staff members following new COVID safety measures.
Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton, in the Greater Manchester borough of Trafford, has taken to social media today to warn shoppers that it “will not accept is aggression in any form directed to staff” and asks that should any members of public have feedback to offer, they instead “have the courtesy to address this with us in a calm and respectable manner”.
The increasing number of incidents involving aggression is believed to be a result of the new health and safety measures the garden centre has put in place to meet government guidelines amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Via an extensive statement on Facebook this morning, Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton, said: “We are and always have been open to feedback from our customers.”
“What we will not accept is aggression in any form directed to our staff.”
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“In the past few weeks, we have had growing instances of individuals being abusive towards staff over the safety measures we have in place. We ask that if you have feedback for us, you have the courtesy to address this with us in a calm and respectable manner.
“Our emails and Facebook messages are open and we do want to hear from you.”
“Since reopening, we have already made changes to our policies in response to feedback, including changing the number of people allowed to shop per household to 2 instead of 1 and allowing parents with babies in prams to enter the shop.”
“Going forward, we will continue to review our policies and make changes when and where possible.”
“However, we will not rush to loosen our measures – we will only do this when we are comfortable and when it is safe. Of course, we would prefer to let all customers into the shop, as we rely on the business of families, groups and people of all ages.”
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“These are exceptional times and we remain in the midst of a pandemic.”
“Trafford and the North West are still hotspots for COVID-19, so we are taking the situation and the safety of staff and customers very seriously.”
There are a vast number of reasons that we are not taking the same approach as other garden centres and retailers. All businesses are well within their rights to take things slowly and have stringent measures in place at a time when lives are at risk.”
“We have put thought into every one of our measures and the intention behind all of them is safety.”
Flixton Garden Centre
The current list of policies in place at Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton are:
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“We encourage customers to shop alone where possible, but no more than 2 people per household may enter together.
No under 16s, other than babies in prams, carriers or slings.
The one-way system in the shop must be followed at all times to allow everyone to safely social distance.
Both customers and staff must not come within two metres of each other.
We have a limit on the number of people in the shop at once. The reason for the queuing system is so we can monitor how many customers we are letting in and out. This is also another reason for no under 16s and only two per household – the less people we let in per household, the faster the queue will move and the less time you will have to wait.
No cash payments. This measure is in place to avoid contact between you and our till operators. Gift cards only for the time being as we cannot accept paper vouchers or offer change from them.
A temporary ban on dogs. This is not due to a fear of dogs spreading the virus, but to avoid people being tempted to stroke and fuss the dogs and to create maximum space in the shop for social distancing.
We are operating reduced customer service, as our focus is on keeping the shop safe and maintaining social distancing, our staff cannot offer some of the services we had in the past. This includes following customers around the shop to direct you to specific products. There are members of staff available in the plant area who can advise you from a distance.
Some of our products are currently unavailable in the shop – this includes some furniture and fencing. We are unable to deliver these items or have had to temporarily remove them from the shop to create space for the one way system and social distancing.
Our coffee shop remains closed until further notice.”
The statement closed out by closed thanking “patient and loyal customers for continuing to support” the garden centre during this time.
Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10am-4pm.
Visit the centre website here for more information.
News
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Manchester ‘institution’ Topkapi Palace quietly closes Deansgate restaurant after 47 years
Danny Jones
After the best part of half a century, local institution Topkapi Palace looks to have quietly closed the doors to its Manchester restaurant.
Founded way back in 1969, Topkapi has been a mainstay of the Deansgate strip longer than most other venues in the area, but many have noticed that it hasn’t been open for a little while now.
After plenty of speculation online, it now appears to have shut down for the foreseeable future.
It remains to be seen whether or not this is a permanent culinary casualty, but judging by the paper signs now displayed in the windows, things don’t look promising for the Turkish grill.
As posted in the shopfront of the restaurant, an update from Wilson and Doe High Court Enforcement says: “Under the terms of the demised lease, we, as authorised agents on behalf of the landlord, have to this day re-entered the premises known as Topkapi Palace…”
It also warns that any attempts to enter the building will result in criminal or civil proceedings.
The statement goes on to read: “Acting as agents for the Involuntary Bailee, we give notice to any third party who asserts ownership of the Goods to which this notice relates:
The goods identified at Topkapi Palace (Part Ground Floor and Basement), 205, 206 and 209 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3NW are being held at the Property.
The Goods are ready for collection immediately, and this is a notice of your obligation to take delivery of the Goods at a mutually convenient time to be agreed and arranged with the Involuntary Bailee’s agents
Unless the Goods are collected on or before 17:00 on 10 April 2026, the Involuntary Bailee or its agents will remove and dispose of the Goods. The period between now and the Deadline is sufficient to provide you with a reasonable opportunity to take delivery of the Goods.
If the Goods are disposed of, the Involuntary Bailee intends to retain its disposal costs from any sale proceeds.”
As you can see, multiple units are listed in the forfeiture notice, including the address assigned to their takeaway sister site located just around the corner on Bootle Street, although it’s still unclear whether or not this way will stay open.
Somewhat of an institution in its own right, plenty of Mancs will have visited the late-night street food spot even if they have never sat down for a meal in the Topkapi Palace itself.
Posting on the Manchester subreddit last week, one user wrote: “I noticed that Topkapi Palace on Deansgate had shut down, I was gutted!”; another went on to add: “Oh dear – I hadn’t realised this.
“I always enjoyed the food, but it was often quiet during the week more recently, and that end of Deansgate is now prime territory for expensive bars. I doubt the unit will stay empty very long.”
Topkapi’s apparent closure is just one of several in and around the city centre already this year, with several hospitality names having to cease trading due to rising energy bills, business rates, rent and various other reasons. Here’s hoping the sector regains a bit of stability sometime soon.
Emily Sergeant -
18th June 2020 
