A major theatre in Greater Manchester has been praised – and criticised – by members of the public for reintroducing its mandatory face mask policy.
The Lowry in Salford has made the decision to make face masks compulsory inside its theatre and gallery.
They say it’s ‘in light of the Omicron variant & rise of positive COVID-19 cases’.
There are now more than 300 confirmed Omicron cases in the UK.
The Government has recently reintroduced mandatory face masks in settings like retail and on public transport.
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The Lowry at Salford Quays. Credit: Unsplash
But it’s not yet a legal requirement to wear them in hospitality venues, including theatres, gig venues and cinemas.
The Government has advised: “You should continue to wear a face covering in other indoor places that are not listed above, which are crowded and enclosed and where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet” – which seems to fit the brief of a theatre.
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The Lowry’s face mask rule will come into action from tomorrow, Wednesday December 8.
After sharing the news on Twitter, many praised the arts venue.
In light of the Omicron variant & rise of positive COVID-19 cases, we have decided to re-introduce the mandatory wearing of face masks (except for those who are exempt) within the building from Wed 8 Dec. More info: https://t.co/u76UbLR4zD
One person replied: “Excellent decision. Thank you @The_Lowry”
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On Facebook, one person commented: “Quite agree. We were with you a couple of weeks ago and wore masks (only about 10 per cent of audience did). Would have felt more comfortable if everyone had.”
Another said: “Brilliant decision. Cannot believe so many didn’t wear mask when I visited the other week. I am far more likely to go back to the theatre. Thank you.”
Someone else said: “Well done. For those of us with vulnerable relatives at home this is very caring. Even if fit and healthy and vaccinated this is a horrendous virus as I know to my cost. Thank you.”
There were a few critics of the decision to reintroduce face masks though.
One person wrote: “Ridiculous and cowardly decision, dragging us back into the Covid nightmare, I thought the vaccine was our way back to normality?”
Another said: “I assume you will refund tickets on patrons who wish not to comply given this is not the message from the government’?”
The Lowry’s upcoming theatre shows include SIX The Musical, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, and John Bishop: Right Here Right Now.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
News
Manchester’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness raises a whopping £50k for ‘A Bed Every Night’
Danny Jones
This city can stand up and pat itself firmly on the back after this year’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness raised a whopping £50,000 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Manchester, you truly are incredible.
Returning for the sixth time last week, the 2024 edition of Manchester’s annual fundraising 24-hour relay event was a bumper year and then some, as not only did they cruise past their initial target of £25k but there were records all over the place for distances covered and attendance.
With well over 1,000 runners from all over the region descending upon host venue Freight Island and the city centre route at various different points during the 24 hours, we can well and truly say us Mancs ran our absolute socks off for a crucial cause.
Starting from 12pm on Wednesday, 13 November and running until noon the next day, those involved completed a total of 40 consecutive laps with some of those taking part barely stopping for even a moment’s rest in between each one, no matter how dark, cold or painful it got.
Translating to the equivalent of 1,666 beds for those in the Greater Manchester homeless community and counting, the team – comprised of 86 volunteers, hugely supportive overnight security staff and countless runners – managed to generate nearly double the amount of donations raked in last year.
If you want more context, prior to the 2024 event, The 24 Hour MCR Run had raised approximately £52,807.99 over the course of its entire first five years, meaning they’ve basically just matched that overall tally in just one day – albeit a very long one.
The frankly ridiculous tally couldn’t have been reached without help from donation-boosting sponsors AutoTrader and Together Co. (as well as help from Accenture and Mistral), but even without those additions, it was still by far and away the most successful year in the event’s history.
Countless runners booked time off or got laps done on their lunch hours, with many even coming after work on the Wednesday to then return and put in even more graft the following morning before their shift. Simply inspirational stuff.
Volunteers and run leaders like Marv Lucas, Shomak Chakrabarti, Jay Orris, Molly Glenister-Doyle and many others each smashed 100km or more; even The Manc managed to rack up 110k between us.
The Manc doing their bitRunners doing their 5k laps of Manchester city centreStill hundreds there come nightfallBurnham gave a rousing and emotional speech(Credit: The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness)
One Chorlton Runner, 55-year-old Ian Sharpe, set the men’s record with a simply staggering 150k, while Natasha Barclay smashed the women’s record with an unbelievable 117k just 10 days after running almost the same distance at The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness‘ debut event in Birmingham.
Joining for the busy 7pm, when hundreds of people from Greater Manchester-based run clubs, local businesses and more lined the steps of Freight Island, Mayor Andy Burnham was in attendance and admitted that the immense turnout brought “a tear to the eye.”
Labelling the ever-growing initiative a prime example of “Greater Manchester in action” and community engagement at its finest, it was visible to see how taken aback he was not only by the sheer number of runners but by how much the event has grown since its inception.
Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity (GMMC) CEO, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock – who also put in some laps herself along with members of her team – was equally blown away by the 2024 event.
Talking to The Manc, she said: “The 24 Hour Run raises vital funds to support our flagship scheme, ‘A Bed Every Night’ (ABEN), providing far more than just a bed for the night but vital wrap-around support to help get people back on their feet.
“No one should have to spend a night on the streets, particularly as we head into the colder, harsher months. Raising funds for ABEN helps to get us closer to a point when we can say we have truly eradicated the need for rough sleeping.” Safe to say a big dint was put in the problem this month.
Speaking on an overwhelmingly successful 24 hours, co-founder Tom Lewis said: “I’m genuinely overwhelmed with the support we received for this year’s event and the Manchester running community and local companies coming together to help make a real impact in the region.
“As for the future, we plan to come back bigger than ever each year. We’ve set an ambitious precedent by doubling our fundraising total for the last few years, which could mean we’re looking at £100,000 next year. At the moment that seems like a dream, but I said the same about £50,000 and here we are.
It goes without saying that raising this much money for such a vitally important problem in the space of 24 hours is phenomenal and we couldn’t possibly be any prouder of all those who took part.
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The supplementary JustGiving page is actually still active for 2024, so you can still donate if you want to add to that already huge sum but, for now, well done to everyone and we’ll see you next year.
Daisy Jackson -
7th December 2021 
