Manchester city centre culture venue HOME has become the recipient of a six-figure grant to support its activity in 2021.
The cinema, theatre, museum and arts space has been awarded £349,110 by the Garfield Weston Culture Fund – which has distributed over £30 million to more than 100 cultural organisations struggling during the pandemic.
Representatives at the First Street venue expressed their delight at the news, claiming that the money would play a “vital role in ensuring that HOME’s future is secure and we can come back stronger than ever.”
The grant will allow HOME to commission work and provide opportunities for artists while venues are closed – as well as covering the costs of making the building COVID-secure.
Extra funding also means HOME can continue supporting local artists and other cultural organisations in the region – with staff already working alongside Manchester council on the Cultural Sector Hardship Fund for Freelancers.
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From today (February 1), residents working in the freelance creative industry may be eligible for grants of up to £1,500 – and HOME staff are on hand to offer guidance for applicants.
We’re delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £349,110 by the Garfield Weston Culture Fund @WestonFdn, to support our activity throughout 2021. This #WestonCultureFund support provides HOME with the confidence to move forward with some important projects. pic.twitter.com/S3FK3wKtmw
Dave Moutrey, Director and CEO of HOME, said that he and his team were “incredibly grateful” to the Garfield Weston Foundation.
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He added: “We’re particularly proud that HOME and the other successful applicants were praised by the Foundation for our entrepreneurial approach and creativity throughout the pandemic and the ways we have adapted and engaged with our audiences and communities.
“Artists and audiences are at the heart of what we do at HOME, and we remain committed to providing a home for art that provokes, enriches and brings joy.”
HOME first opened in Manchester city centre back in 2015 and has been a cornerstone of local culture ever since – screening independent films, housing art productions, and providing a space for a wide variety of artistic projects.
The venue is currently running an online programme of events during the national lockdown – all of which are available to access via the organisation’s official website.
News
UK set for another ‘potential’ heatwave next week after warmest June on record
Emily Sergeant
England could be heading towards another potential heatwave early next week, the Met Office has revealed.
While it’s obviously true that temperatures this week have returned to average for the time of year, bringing largely settled conditions for many, once next week rolls around, some parts of the country could be heating up once again – with the Met Office revealing what Greater Manchester residents should prepare for.
For the early part of next week, temperatures will definitely rise and perhaps reach what are considered heatwave conditions for some.
But if this is the case, the forecast suggests that it’s ‘unlikely’ to reach the high temperatures and humidity of last month’s heat, and the North West won’t be getting the worst of it.
The potential of next week’s heatwave comes after last month was officially declared the UK’s warmest June on record.
After a week of respite from the heat, high pressure moves in this weekend, dominating many southern and central areas for the next 10 days.
A defining feature of the month’s heatwave was the ‘exceptionally warm’ overnight temperatures, with frequent ‘tropical nights’ helping to drive the highest average June minimum temperatures on record.
Giving an insight into what’s to come as we head into the weekend, Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Tony Wisson, explained: “Toward the weekend, high pressure will continue to build in across most of the UK as it extends from the Azores. This will lead to more settled, warm or very warm conditions for many, especially across England and Wales, though some rain may still affect the far north.
“The forecast for this weekend suggests that temperatures could approach high 20s°C across parts of England, perhaps 30°C in parts of the southeast, with values of mid to high 20s°C in Wales.
“Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas, the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low.”
Featured Image – Dmitry Zvolskiy (via Unsplash)
News
NHS to begin offering new one-minute jab to women with ‘aggressive’ form of cancer
Emily Sergeant
The NHS is set to begin offering new immunotherapy for hundreds of women with aggressive cervical cancer across the country.
Pembrolizumab – which experts have described as being able to ‘take the handbrake off’ the body’s immune system to target cancer – will now be presented as a new treatment option for women in England with locally-advanced cervical cancer, which means the cancer has grown beyond the cervix to regions such as the pelvic wall, but not yet spread further around the body.
Trials found that adding pembrolizumab to standard chemoradiotherapy helped keep cancer ‘at bay’ for longer, and improved survival rates overall.
Two years after starting the treatment, nearly seven in 10 patients (68%) were still living without their cancer progressing, compared with 57% for those receiving chemoradiotherapy alone, according to NHS figures.
The trial also found that 82.6% of patients were still alive three years after treatment with pembrolizumab and chemoradiotherapy, compared with 74.8% with chemoradiotherapy alone.
Hundreds of women with aggressive cervical cancer are to be offered a new immunotherapy treatment.
It marks one of the biggest improvements in treatment for the disease in years, and could help more women survive and stay cancer-free in the long term.
The drug is either given every three or siz weeks via an infusion, or as a ‘one-minute’ injection, alongside chemoradiotherapy.
The NHS estimates around 550 patients in England will be eligible for the treatment – which has been approved this week by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – over the next two years.
Patients will now receive fast-tracked access, funded by NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund.
“This is great news for women facing a diagnosis of aggressive cervical cancer, and represents one of the biggest improvements in treatment for this disease in recent years,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer.
“Combining this immunotherapy with existing treatment has had very positive effect for patients in trials, helping the body’s immune system to target cancer more effectively.
The Manc -
1st February 2021 
