Bar Camparino, Milan’s timeless icon of Aperitivo culture, is arriving in Manchester for its first-ever northern residency.
Established more than 100 years ago by Davide Campari, son of Campari founder Gaspare, Camparino has ever since been home to the artists, intellectuals and celebrities of the day, cementing itself as a must-see mainstay of Milan.
Now, it’s coming to Manchester for one night only on Sunday 5 March and will be hosted at Manchester favourite Schofield’s Bar – a polished, old-world venue specialising in cocktails housed inside the former Old Grapes Tavern on Little Quay Street.
Moving in for one-day only, the takeover will celebrate the illustrious history of Camparino and the vibrancy of contemporary Aperitivo culture.
Served in the very same way as it is in Milan, it uses a recreation of Camparino’s famous 1915 soda machines – the only way to ensure a perfectly cooled, sparkling Campari Seltz with its distinctive foamed head.
Visitors to the Camparino residency can expect exceptional cocktails mixed by Camparino’s Head Bartender Tommaso Cecca, that will capture the complexity and versatility of the distinctive Campari taste.
The residency arrives as the UK continues to fall in love with Aperitivo, embracing the timeless ritual of ending the day and starting the evening with a refreshing, appetite-whetting drink alongside light bites and good conversation.
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Camparino’s limited residency consolidates its status as one of the most influential establishments in the world for lovers of mixology and gastronomic innovation.
Camparino Head Bartender, Tommaso Cecca, said: “We are delighted to be bringing Camparino to Manchester, through this exclusive collaboration with Daniel and Joe at Schofield’s Bar.
“With Campari being at the heart of Milanese Aperitivo culture for more than 100 years, we are so excited to bring the essence of Camparino from our home in Milan to The North for the first time.”
Schofield’s Bar co-owner Daniel Schofield, said: “As well as being synonymous with the timeless art of Aperitivo, Camparino is an innovative, legendary bar serving up an exceptional range of classic cocktails that we’re looking forward to showcasing on the night.”
Joe Schofield added: “We can’t wait to welcome the Camparino to Manchester for this exclusive residency, and to be able to share a truly unique experience and taste of the original Campari Seltz with our guests.”
Those who want to experience Camparino at Schofield’s Barcan visit on 5 March. No reservation is required, guests can book here and walk-ins are welcome.
This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024
Thomas Melia
An annual poll has named the Manchester suburb of Didsbury spot among 70 locations said to be the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Greater Manchester has got lots to say for itself, especially with its diverse and unique cultural landscapes, as well as various vibrant communities, so it comes as no surprise that one of our beautiful suburbs has been voted in a list of the UK’s happiest places to live for this year.
The survey included submissions from 5,000 people and there’s a lot of love being shown to the neighbouring areas of Yorkshire like Doncaster, Bingley, and Harrogate – the lattermost placed in second in the entire country.
But, ranking 62nd out of a possible 70 places, the distinct and vibrant area of Didsbury has been noticed by Furniturebox as one of the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Credit: The Manc Group
The results took into consideration good state schools, affordable housing, as well as accessibility to pubs, bars, restaurants, independent shops, retailers and more.
With multiple parks, walking destinations, and top-notch travel links with Bee Network trams and buses easily taking you back into the city centre and out to other boroughs, East, West and Didsbury Village all remain some of the most sought-after areas in the region.
There’s a whole host of indie retailers to enjoy, especially on the likes of the main high street and Burton Road, which effectively serves as its own cultural district, home to vintage clothing shops like Steranko, tailored styling opticians Fox Brothers and much more.
Burton Rd also boasts countless fantastic food and drink spots like The Great Kathmandu, SANTÉ, Volta and Proove Pizza, just to name a few; we’ve spent plenty of time just on this stretch of Didsbury alone.
If you’ve spent even a little time in Dids, you’ll know there’s plenty going on and it’s certainly one our happiest places in all of Greater Manchester and therefore the UK.
You can also enjoy the famous ‘Didsbury Dozen’ right on your doorstep.
Elsewhere, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Shakespeare’s ever-romanticised hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon once again reigned supreme at the top of this list.
That being said, it’s refreshing to see that these locations weren’t entirely related to wealth and similar factors, the survey took affordability into careful consideration.
Cheshire was destined for success with its cracking views and grand properties, as the North West county made waves for the region managing to place in fifth position, holding up against Falmouth in Cornwall which placed in sixth.
Although not nabbing that all-important top spot, Didsbury is carrying the flag for 0161 and showing what all know to be true: Northerners do it best.
A Greater Manchester town could be set to get a train station for the first time in 60 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of one local town could soon be able to hop on a train out of there.
That’s because a planning application for a brand-new £32 million station in Golborne – which would connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years – has been submitted to Wigan Council, meaning connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.
In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, and Leigh is the biggest town in England without a rail station, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.
The milestone aims to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people in the town and the wider Wigan borough.
NEWS: Greater Manchester on track with plan for first new rail station in over 20 years. 🚉
✅ 90%+ public consultation support for Golborne station in Wigan ✅ Planning application in to @WiganCouncil ✅ Local area improvements and walking and cycling links
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which “significant investment” has been put into.
The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.
The submitting of the proposals comes after nearly 3,000 people had their say on the station earlier this year, with more than 90% of respondents supporting the plans.
A CGI of what the proposed new Golborne station could look like, if plans are approved / Credit: TfGM
If the plans are approved by Wigan Council, work on the site should begin in 2026, according to TfGM, with the new station scheduled to open in 2027.
Mayor Andy Burnham called the submitting of the proposals a “transformative step” for the region.
“It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point,” he explained. “But we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.
“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”
Georgina Pellant -
28th February 2023 
