News

Greater Manchester continues #IsThisOk? sexual harassment campaign with powerful new video

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 21st December 2022

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has launched the next phase of its ‘#IsThisOk?’ campaign, targeting sexual harassment towards women and girls across the region and the UK.

Started back in 2021 as Mayor Andy Burnham tweeted the first video of a woman being sexually harassed and posed the simple but important question, The hashtag followed soon after and the initiative has only continued to grow since then.

Targeting boys and men in the hopes of educating them on appropriate behaviours towards the opposite sex, the GMCA campaign looks to encourage more people to hold each other accountable.

With 97% of women aged 18-24 in the UK alone having experienced sexual harassment in the past and countless women throughout various age groups across the country suffering the same on a regular basis, it’s clear that there is a lot more that still needs to be done.

Crucially, what this year’s campaign has placed a particular emphasis on compared to 2021 is males becoming allies by not just checking their own conduct, but by challenging other men and boys on their behaviour too.

Following research by the local authority, it is estimated that only one in three men have called out a friend for ‘banter’ or making a sexual joke about a woman to other men and, similarly, just one in three have admitted to creating a distraction after a man acted inappropriately towards women.

As blokes, we simply have to do better.

As detailed on the updated #IsThisOk? website, the fresh push for awareness, education and support this December is “to show that calling out behaviour that isn’t OK in a small, everyday way can make a change”.

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Focusing not only on men aged 18-35, the overarching goal of the #IsThisOk? campaign is to educate young boys are the earliest opportunity possible and, hopefully, hold the both current and next generations to a higher standard.

It’s not just about keeping men in line, it’s about making everyday life safer and more enjoyable for women all across the country.

Let’s make Greater Manchester a better place to live for everyone, lads.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — #IsThisOk (via Twitter)

News

‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.

Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.

The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.

It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.

“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.

“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”

Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.

Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.

A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)

The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.

Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.

“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey. 

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“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”

The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.

Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)

News

Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.

Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.

This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.

Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.

@bbcradio1 we’re not crying you are 🥹 @Lewis Capaldi watch on bbc iplayer listen on bbc sounds #Glastonbury #BBCGlasto ♬ original sound – BBC Radio 1

His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.

To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.

The star has been very quiet in the past two years after cancelling his Glastonbury Pyramid slot in 2023 and a string of tour dates across the country to work on his physical and mental health.

Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”

We, for one, are so glad to have him back.

These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”

On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.

There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.

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Lewis Capaldi is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday, 20 September, with pre-sale starting from 9 July.

If you miss out on the Manchester show, he’ll also be playing a huge date over in Sheffield to kick off the start of his comeback tour.

You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image – Publicity Picture (via Supplied)

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