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Manchester Museum shortlisted for prestigious European Museum of the Year award following £15m redevelopment

A very-well deserved nomination.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 28th November 2024

Manchester Museum has been shortlisted as one of the best museums in Europe at a special awards ceremony.

Undeniably one of the most prestigious museum awards in the world, the annual European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is an annual prize given to the best of the best on our continent, and for 2025, Manchester Museum – which is part of the University of Manchester (UoM) – will compete against 41 other cultural hubs.

Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises new or redeveloped museums that showcase the best in excellence and innovation in their field.

According to the organisation, the aim of the award is to shine a worthy spotlight on museums that promote inter-cultural dialogue and community participation, demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, and show creative and imaginative approaches to the production of knowledge.

Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the European Museum of the Year Award for 2025 / Credit: Manchester Museum

The nomination for Manchester Museum comes after its recent £15 million transformation project.

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Completed back in February of last year, the redevelopment was described as “the most ambitious museum transformation in a generation”.

The major bricks and mortar redevelopment introduced new galleries, partnerships, visitor facilities, and sector-leading work around repatriation, restitution, and indigenisation to what was an already-important visitor attraction in our city centre, as well as the top floor being transformed into an environmental and social justice hub for environmental and educational charities to address issues affecting communities within Manchester.

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“This nomination means an awful lot to the whole team at Manchester Museum, because it recognises our efforts to make this a place where everyone belongs,” explained Esme Ward, who is Manchester Museum’s Director.

“The Museum’s redevelopment was about much more than just bricks and mortar, it was about transforming our spaces and our approach to ensure we’re the museum our city and communities need us to be.”

The winner of next year’s EMYA is set to be announced in Białistok in Poland on 25 May 2025.

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Aside from the main prize, there are also a number of other awards categories too – which Manchester Museum could also be in the running for.

Featured Image – Chris Bull (via Manchester Museum)

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NHS urges public to use 111 and not A&E over Christmas except for ‘life-threatening emergencies’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The public is being urged to use NHS 111 instead of going to A&E over the festive period unless it’s a serious injury or a life-threatening emergency.

After it was estimated that a significant number of A&E attendances are either “avoidable” or “could be better treated elsewhere”, the NHS’s top A&E doctor is now calling on the British public to make full use of 111 services this winter, instead of heading straight to their nearest emergency department if it’s not necessary.

Ahead of Christmas, which is always one of the busiest times of the year for for NHS, Professor Julian Redhead is asking people to only to use 999 or A&E services for life threatening emergencies and serious injuries.

If this isn’t the case, they should otherwise “get to the help they need by calling or using 111 online” or via the NHS App.

Following a record few months of A&E and ambulance demand, the pressure is now said to have risen across other parts of the NHS – with the health service believed to be going into winter busier than ever before.

“We know that up to two-fifths of A&E attendances could be better treated elsewhere, as well as one in six calls to 999 just needing advice over the phone,” Professor Redhead explained. “So I really want to encourage everyone to use our free, around the clock 111 service that can give millions of people this winter fast, safe and easy access to the advice or treatment they need.”

NHS 111 is described as being an “easy and convenient” way for people to get urgent help for a wide range of health problems from the comfort of their own home.

NHS urges the public not to go to A&E over Christmas except for in ‘life-threatening emergencies’ / Credit: NHS Digital

The service – which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week – can assess and direct people to the most appropriate local service, including urgent treatment centres, GP practices, and consultations with a pharmacist.

If needed, the service can arrange a call back from a nurse, doctor, or paramedic, or provide self-treatment advice over the phone.

Earlier this year, NHS 111 also began offering crisis mental health support for the first time.

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“We’ve protected A&Es from strikes this winter and are supporting the NHS to cope with winter pressures,” Health Minister Karin Smyth added.

“But with a busy season ahead, it’s important people only attend A&E for emergency care.”

Featured Image – Nordwood Themes (via Unsplash)

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Ex-Hacienda DJs announce new gig series – and it’s way more intimate than you think

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

DJs from Manchester’s iconic club The Hacienda are returning with a new gig series that lets concertgoers get up close and personal.

The Hacienda might be one of the greatest pieces of Manchester music history, and now people can relive it all over again with a new experience that is bringing clubbing back to its original roots.

Running across 2025, party people have multiple opportunities to relive the high life of traditional clubbing in a venue situated in the heart of Manchester city centre.

Well-established pub and frequent club-night host, Joshua Brooks, is bringing back The Hacienda but on a much more personal level, not like the Warehouse Project event hosting around 10,500 fans.

‘The Hacienda: All Night Long’ is a bi-monthly residency starting in February with a performance from Graeme Park followed by a packed line up of incredible music makers and lovers.

Picture of the Hacienda Manchester
The original Hacienda club in its hay-day / Credit: Jon Shard.

The next event after the initial launch is in April with David Morales on the decks throughout the evening with good tunes and usual sleek style.

Greg Wilson is taking up a slot in June known for his work in dance music and the ‘re-edit movement’ which is still shaping music today.

Keeping spirits high and vibes even higher, in August, attendees are in good company with your night soundtracked by Manc legend DJ Paulette.

Finishing off a phenomenal run of music mixing events is K-Klass who are notorious within the music scene for working with musical forces like Whitney Houston and Rihanna. The group even first met each other in The Hacienda!

Each event will include an extended set up to six hours long (or even more, if you’re lucky).

Graeme Park hacienda all night long
Graeme Park putting on a show.
K-Klass hacienda all night long
K-Klass in their element behind the decks.
Credit: Supplied

This run of live DJ sets are set to be an unmissable experience, partly due to the fact that there is a ‘No Photos, Just Music’ policy to help people live their life in real time and not through a digital device.

This rule is put in place by event organisers so that people can relive or first-hand experience an original club setting with no distractions and fully focus on the music being played out across the venue.

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Graeme Park said of Haçienda – All Night Long: “A long time ago, in a nightclub, far, far away, I started DJing in a dark booth in the corner of a dark room, in a dark nightclub.

“I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but over the next few years I learnt my craft by DJing all night long. Back then, it was all about the music and the crowd with the DJ being the person in the corner playing the tunes that mattered.

“This is why, after more than 40 years on the decks, I’m really excited to be back at the fabulous Joshua Brooks in February for another All Night Long session where I can play an extended DJ set in intimate surroundings, close up and personal with a superb sound system and an enthusiastic crowd right in front of me.

“Last time we were all connected through the music and I can’t wait to do it all again.”

If you fancy celebrating clubbing in its truest form guided through the night by some Hacienda greats, you can grab tickets here.

Featured Image: Supplied

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