Manchester’s kindness has officially been recognised after the city was named the charitable ‘humanitarian powerhouse’ of the north.
The accolade was awarded to the city at an event hosted by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which celebrated the generosity and hard work of Manchester-based humanitarian aid groups and their far-reaching impact across the world.
Taking place at the People’s History Museum, it was revealed that in 2020 alone, Manchester-based humanitarian aid organisations helped over five million women, girls, boys, and men in over 100 countries – spreading their arms out to support their global brothers and sisters in need.
❝In a world where humanitarian crises have become extremely complex and messy, Mancunians have stepped up to the challenge and continue to fight for justice and human rights❞
“The city is home to some of the world’s leading charities and NGO’s,” said Syria Relief’s CEO Othman Moqbel, whose Salford-based charity is the largest Syria-focused organisation in the whole of the UK.
“It speaks volumes of the kind of globally connected and compassionate city Manchester is.”
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Local charity organisations gathered together on 16 September for the event, which was attended by MAG, Syria Relief, University of Manchester HCRI, Hope for Justice, In Place of War, Omega Research Foundation, UK-Med and GISF.
The lord mayor and lady mayoress of Manchester also attended the event, alongside local MPs Afzal Khan and Mike Kane.
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Speaking to The Meteor, organiser Lizzie Humphreys from MAG said: “Everyone knows the London human rights organisations, but why not Manchester? There are so many organisations here doing incredible work.”
Manchester has had a long history of supporting human rights and setting examples across the world, which the event at the People’s History Museum exemplified.
Celebrating the city’s community spirit and how its impact has reached far beyond the greater authority’s borders, it made clear that Manchester’s humanitarian spirit is felt across the world due to the hard work of local organisations.
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Organisers MAG, for example, has worked to find and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in wartorn areas of conflict since 1989 – helping over 19 million people in 68 countries in the past 31 years.
The charity showcased its work at the event, explaining that children are often victims of landmines whilst women going out to collect cooking water can often end up collecting polluted, dangerous liquid instead.
It also revealed a new partnership between itself and HCRI (the University of Manchester’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute), which will aim to develop research to help the world move more quickly towards a landmine-free future.
MAG CEO Darren Cormack said: “MAG is delighted to host this event to celebrate the life-saving humanitarian work that organisations across Manchester are undertaking every day.
“Whilst global in nature, employing 5,000 staff and working in over 25 countries, we are also proudly Mancunian. We take inspiration from our city’s rich history of innovation and social change as we carry out our mission to save lives and build futures for people affected by conflict.”
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Afzal Khan, the Manchester Gorton MP and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, said: “I am delighted to see the humanitarian community coming together to demonstrate what a powerful and positive impact Manchester has around the world.
“From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and from clearing landmines to fighting modern slavery, Manchester NGOs and charities are making a real difference by supporting communities in some of the most vulnerable and conflict-affected countries across the world.”
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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
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Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.
Georgina Pellant -
30th September 2021 
