Pollen has revealed some huge news today that will have fans of the artisanal bakery very excited, we think it’s safe to say.
The trailblazing Mancunian bakery, first founded by partners Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly from their kitchen in 2011, has revealed that it will be opening a second flagship site at KAMPUS next year.
The new home, which has been designed by local studio No Chintz, will house Pollen’s pastry kitchen behind a glazed gallery wall, giving customers the chance to see their patissiers at work throughout the day.
A glimpse of what the new space at KAMPUS will look like when it’s ready / Image: Pollen / No Chintz Studio
With room for 60 covers, the team says the extra space is “much needed” and will help them facilitate the launch of an expanded, produce-led, and seasonally focused brunch and lunch offering.
Sharing their exciting news in an Instagram post, the Pollen team said:
ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s all super exciting and we are over the moon to be joining such an incredible community down at KAMPUS.
Image: Pollen
“The space has been designed by the amazing team at @nochintzstudio and we just can’t wait to see it all come together.
ADVERTISEMENT
“All of this wouldn’t have been possible without Rochelle. her warmth, positivity, professionalism and championship of independents and her passion for KAMPUS were all second to none.
“We are honoured to have been able to work with her and know her. KAMPUS is her vision. her legacy and we will go forward to make her proud.”
Image: Pollen
Revealing plans to open in early 2022, they added that they will be launching a Kickstarter in the coming days to help them reach the last part of the budget for the build.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments have flooded in online, with many people expressing their excitement for the new opening.
One said, “This is amazing, congrats” whilst another added: “VERY excited.”
A further person said “Phew Its your second location .thought you might be leaving Islington.”
And another said, “Rochelle a legend forever.”
Keep your eyes peeled on their social media for updates about the new site going forward.
Feature image – Pollen / No Chintz Studio
News
Greater Manchester set for one of its warmest days of 2026 so far as spring settles in
Emily Sergeant
Today is set to be one of the warmest days of the year so far for Greater Manchester.
With the days getting longer, the skies bluer, and the sun warmer, there’s no denying that spring is finally starting to settle in across the UK now… or ‘false spring’ at least, let’s not get too carried away with ourselves of course, this is the North West after all and we’ve still got those April showers to contend with first.
But after what was a pretty unsettled start to the week here in Greater Manchester, with both rain and wind pelting us on Monday (16 March), it seems like things are taking a turn today.
The Met Office has forecasted that the region is set for a ‘warm and pleasant spell of spring weather’ for this week, particularly today (Wednesday 18 March) with highs of 16-17°C on average, and in some parts of the country, temperatures could even reach 20°C.
“Wednesday looks likely to be the warmest day of the week for many, with high pressure dominant,” explained Dan Harris, who is the Chief Forecaster at the Met Office.
Wednesday is set to be the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures expected to reach around 21°C
In some areas, this is as much as 9°C above the average March temperature, making it feel more like late spring than mid‑March pic.twitter.com/byA1ggcF8N
“The warmest spots are likely to be in parts of west Wales and western England, where under sunny skies, 18-19ºC, possibly even 20ºC is on the cards. This is due to the additional boost expected from the passage of east to south-easterly winds over areas of higher ground, known as the Foehn effect.”
Dan did add, however, that there’ll be a big difference between the maximum daytime temperature and minimum overnight temperature this week.
“Thanks to the clear skies during the day, we’ll see some chilly nights after the warmer days with a few places experiencing air frost,” he concluded.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week and onto the weekend, it appears this nice weather is sticking around for a little bit longer here in Greater Manchester, as while there are some cloudy spells expected, daytime temperatures are staying warm for the time of year.
Thursday looks to be dry and settled with plenty of sunshine, but temperatures will start to cool towards the seasonal average on Friday.
Featured Image – Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
News
Government sets up taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England
Emily Sergeant
A taskforce aiming to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England has been set up by the Government.
The new Maternity and Neonatal taskforce – which is chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting – will tackle ‘deep-rooted inequalities’ and deliver urgent action on the recommendations of the independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
This means that women, babies, and families will receive safer and higher-quality care from the NHS in the long run.
According to the Government, the expert panel includes families, senior NHS leaders, royal colleges, campaigners, academics, and third sector representatives.
The Government has set up a taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
As part of the selection process, the Government has been working closely with harmed and bereaved families to ensure their personal experiences were reflected, and those who have been chosen collectively have the clinical expertise, lived experience, and sector know-how to deliver the changes so desperately needed for families.
Starting next week, the Secretary of State will chair regular roundtables with the new taskforce – with the first priority to agree its Terms of Reference.
The taskforce will also address recent developments in maternity and neonatal care, including recommendations from the Thirlwall Inquiry, and the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The taskforce will also be supported by a wider range of experts – as part of ‘expert reference groups’ – that the Government says will bring ‘a broader range’ of perspectives.
“Every woman and baby deserve safe, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth, and the very best start in life,” commented Duncan Burton, who is the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
“Although NHS maternity and neonatal teams work incredibly hard to support women and families every day, we know there is more we must urgently do to improve care and experience.
“I look forward to working with members of the taskforce to improve safety and deliver the best possible outcomes and experience for women, babies, families, and colleagues working in these services.”
Featured Image – Credit: Aditya Romansa (via Unsplash)
Georgina Pellant -
24th September 2021 
