Jason Manford and Paddy McGuinness are among the local stars set to play in a charity football match honouring the Manchester Arena attack victims.
With this year marking the fifth anniversary of the bombing that saw 22 people tragically lose their lives on 22 May 2017, the match, which is named ‘Manchester Remembers’, has been put together by local business owner Paul Corrigan and firefighter Aaron Lee – who has already raised over £40,000 for charities and also established the ‘Hive 22 Running Club’ in the aftermath of the Arena attack – and will feature will feature star-studded teams of ex-professionals and celebrities.
The match will be played on Sunday 3 April at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium, and will be raising funds for five different charities set up by the victim’s families – Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust, Liv’s Trust, The Megan Hurley Foundation, The Remembering Nell Foundation, and Eilidh’s Trust.
Former Manchester City players Peter Reid and Joe Royle will be in charge of coaching the celebrities’ team, while longtime football ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce will head up the team of ex-players.
On April 3rd, our Academy Stadium will host ‘Manchester Remembers’, a charity football match between footballing legends and celebrities to commemorate the victims of the Manchester Arena attack 💙
Famous Manc comedian Jason Manford will play for the celebrity team, alongside Bolton-born actor, comedian, and TV presenter Paddy McGuiness, while ex-City stars Shaun Goater and Trevor Sinclair will feature for the former players team, along with other ex-professionals Paul Merson and Clayton Blackmore.
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‘King of the Jungle’ Danny Miller, Love Island star Callum Jones, and comedian Steve Royle will also star for the celebrities.
Manchester United legend Wes Brown has also put his name down for the ex-players team.
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Event organiser Aaron was one of the first responders on the scene at the Manchester Arena five years ago, and since then, has continued to have a close relationship with the victims’ families and has taken part in several activities to raise funds for the charities.
The match has been organised by firefighter Aaron Lee, and local business owner Paul Corrigan / Credit: Manchester Remembers
He explained: “Since the attack we’ve raised over £44,000 for charities that directly support the victims’ families and young people across Greater Manchester, and the Manchester Remembers football match is a massive opportunity to try and double that total.
“What happened on that night shocked not just Manchester but the world.
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“As we approach the five-year anniversary, Paul and I knew we had to do something special and remember those that were so sadly taken from their families and felt launching a city-wide football game would help us raise funds that could really make a difference.”
Tickets are now on sale, with adult tickets priced at £20, concessionary tickets £10, and hospitality packages starting from £100, which include a three-course meal, drinks before and after the game, and the chance to take part in a raffle where all proceeds will be donated to the five charities the match is supporting.
You can get your hands on both standard and hospitality tickets from the Manchester City website here.
Featured Image – Manchester Remembers
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Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Featured Images — Emma Farrer (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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All Greater Manchester boroughs to have 24-7 night buses from next month as new services launch
Emily Sergeant
Extra night buses, new routes, and more frequent bus services are being rolled out across the Bee Network at the end of this month.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy, and now plans to introduce these from September onwards have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford will all get a 24-hour bus service by next month, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that once the new services have launched, it will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
Some of the other changes set to be introduced from next month include a selection of brand-new bus services, and more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends.
All Greater Manchester boroughs will have 24-7 night buses from next month / Credit: TfGM
There will also be better connections overall to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.
“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“As we build it, we’re listening and responding to what residents want with the biggest set of improvements we’ve ever made in one go.
🚌 More improvements are on the way across the #BeeNetwork.
36 service changes will benefit around 740,000 people across Greater Manchester, helping more communities access reliable, convenient public transport.
“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends. In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus, but we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.
“Almost three quarters of a million people live within walking distance of a bus route we’re improving over the next few months, and we’ll continue improving connections for even more communities based on the feedback we get.”
Emily Sergeant -
11th February 2022 
