A Manchester bar has told people not to ‘be a Karen’ about their deposits if they decide to cancel their Christmas parties this year.
Charlotte Felton, a representative of Impossible bar on Peter street in Manchester, shared a post to her Facebook page appealing to people to NOT cancel their Christmas party this year.
Making some pretty succinct economic arguments for keeping your booking, she starts by stating the tragic fact that “not all venues will survive a cancellation”, before going on to explain to people that they should be prepared to ‘use or lose’ their deposits.
Adding that ‘hospitality is a business too’ she says, “Don’t be a Karen about this”
“If they say your deposit is lost that is to cover everything that’s been paid for already.”
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“Postponing, whilst this is appreciated, venues won’t be able to fill that date you cancelled with very little notice and they will more than likely have done orders, rotas and spent hours of admin making sure the event is to a high standard.”
She also said “Whilst you were stuck indoors Boris was having a knees-up with the lads”, making reference to the newly-installed sign above the Peter street bar, which has been shared widely online and reads: ‘When bars were on their knees Number 10 were on the wine and cheese’.
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Image: Impossible MCR
Other operators have chimed in too, voicing concern and confusion following a government briefing that has told people they now must work from home – but should also attend their Christmas parties.
Elite Bistro chef-owner Gary Usher tweeted the Prime Minister last night to ask for clarification on what to say to work’s do cancellations, saying: “could you just clarify again what we’re saying to large work do’s who’ve now cancelled their restaurant bookings but think they should get their deposit back?”
He then added, “We’ve gone with sorry it’s your Prime MInister’s fault. His Christmas party was, is and always will be more important than yours.
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“Just need a sign off from you mate if that’s about the gist of it. Cheers.
The Prime Minister gave a press conference earlier this week announcing that England would move into ‘Plan B’ restrictions, requiring people to work from home where possible and introducing Covid passports at large venues.
However, asked whether Christmas parties and nativity plays should be cancelled, the Prime Minister replied: “No, in my view they should not.
“They should follow the guidance, of course, but we are not saying we want kids to be taken out of school before the end of term – not that there is very long to go now – and we don’t want nativity plays to be cancelled.
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“We think that it is okay currently, on what we can see, to keep going with Christmas parties.”
The situation is made more confusing by the fact that Scotland is now advising people not to attend Christmas parties, whilst in England, the government appears to be saying the opposite.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Professor Linda Bauld of the University of Edinburgh said:
“I think if people have made plans then it’s really important that they try and assess risks, so they think about the fact that public health agencies are deeply concerned, if things can be delayed and the impact of that is minimal, that’s a choice for individuals to make,
“Public health Scotland is not saying anything that’s legal or required they’re simply issuing a piece of advice.”
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“Their statement was focusing on the direct harm from the virus, the harm to public health, the other harms are harms to the health service, they’re also worried about that, but harm three, the third harm, is social harms and harm four is to the economy, so you have to balance all of these things.”
Bask is BACK – bosses confirm return to ‘golden era’ of popular Stockport spot
Danny Jones
In brilliant news for Stopfordians, Bask is officially coming back, as current boss Jon Fitzpatrick is bringing back one of the key core members of the OG owners and staff, co-founder Benji Taylor.
Very exciting times for the town centre.
While local DJ, musician and entrepreneur, Jon, is the man behind the Irish-American bar and grill reboot under his surname that began in June of 2025, the business has gone on to become more of a morning and afternoon venue in the time since then.
However, with the help of Benji returning after a bit of well-deserved time off and having spent a period working on other ventures, they’re looking to dip back into the evenings as well and make this more of an all-day spot.
Writing a statement in the caption of the post, the duo said, “We couldn’t be more proud to announce that Bask is back, and we are pleased to reveal one of the original crew returns to help our team return it to the golden era.
“Live music, great bands, entertainment all week, and non-stop fun. We’re not a late-night venue like it was recently; we want to keep it mature and [aim] to enhance the experience for our customers.
“Our daytime, sport and relaxed atmosphere won’t change, and our kitchen will actually be open later than it is now! We have many goals, but our main aim is to put credible, exciting live music back on the Stockport map. With Benji and Jon’s experience, it’s gonna be a magical time for Stopfordians.”
We met face-to-face with the prolific pair last week, and they made it clear that their shared vision is simple: marry Fitzpatrick’s steady daytime trade with the initial magic of that very first iteration of Bask.
Get it right, and they could very well create a new all-seasons superpower on the Stockport bar scene, as the brand certainly had a taste of that when they first captured attention with inside that packed-out unit just outside the train station.
Speaking to The Manc, the Bask boys admitted it was a “real shame” how things transpired towards the end of the previous setup, acknowledging that trouble with some problematic punters (especially in the early hours of the morning) effectively “spoiled” what became a weekly pilgrimage for many others.
That’s why, although they’re opening well into the evening and nighttime – with a full schedule of regular events such as live music, stand-up, karaoke, quizzes, darts nights and more already lined-up – they haven’t gone for a late license this time around, as they want to preserve what made it special.
Set to fully re-launch on 1 May from 5pm onwards, we’re expecting them to be off to the races the second the word about the comeback spreads.
Ben and Jon also still believe that in the era post-Bamboo in Hazel Grove closing, Stockport hasn’t really had a well-known and reliable night out, comparable to that kind of experience. Other than here.
Now, Bask isn’t a club, nor was it ever supposed to be; it was a bar that, on its day, was one of the biggest parties in all of Greater Manchester, and although it won’t be ’till two’ this time around, we can’t wait to see the gang get back to their best.
Locals will also be glad to hear that borough favourite Stock Party will also be returning this summer, and you can bet on seeing some familiar native faces taking part.
Man charged and police appeal after multiple stabbing in broad daylight in Bolton
Emily Sergeant
A man has been charged after multiple people were stabbed during broad daylight in Bolton earlier this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 10:30am on Tuesday morning (21 April), officers were called to reports of a stabbing on Tonge Moor Road in Bolton, and once emergency services arrived on the scene, they found two injured men – who were treated by medical professionals for stab wounds.
Police immediately responded to the incident, and a man in his 50s was subsequently arrested on suspicion of assault.
He remains in custody for questioning at this time, and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
A man has been charged and police are appealing after a multiple stabbing in broad daylight in Bolton / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Following the initial statement provided by police, the man has now been publicly named as Stephen Nolan, a resident of Tonge Moor Road in Bolton – where the incident occurred – and he has been charged with grievous bodily harm, and an attempted section 18 assault.
He appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates yesterday (Thursday 23 April).
With the investigation now ongoing and progressing at speed, GMP are continuing to appeal to the public for information, witnesses, or any CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage from around the time of the incident (10:30am).
Georgina Pellant -
10th December 2021 
