But now, we’ve got ourselves a new crown… and this is definitely one to wear with pride.
Our city has gifted the world so much throughout history, from the splitting of the atom, the right for women to vote, and the first ever computer, right through to the NHS, the iconic ‘Madchester’ music scene, and even the beloved delicacy that is Vimto, so perhaps it goes without saying that we’d be considered one of the UK’s creative capitals, right?
Manchester has been named one of the UK’s ‘most creative’ cities for 2024 / Credit: Marketing Manchester | Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
The fact us Mancs consider our city to be creative has now been backed-up by a new study carried out by Adobe Express – which has placed us not just within the top 15 or top 10, but in the top five.
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To create the ranking, Adobe Express compared 25 UK cities against each other and looked into factors such as the number of art galleries and museums, creative festivals and events, the amount of art schools, the volume of theatres, and the number of jobs listed in the ‘creative’ field.
Top 10 most ‘creative’ UK cities in 2024
Brighton and Hove
London
Edinburgh
Manchester
Leicester
Coventry
Derby
Bournemouth
Belfast
Bradford
Jobs in ‘creative’ industries currently represent around 7% of the UK workforce, according to recent statistics, and Adobe Express says that living in a city which supports creativity can “significantly enhance” the ability to “thrive and produce innovative work” for creative individuals.
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Our city’s new title is all according to a new study carried out by Adobe Express / Credit: Marketing Manchester
Brighton and Hove has been named the UK’s most creative city thanks to having an unrivalled number of more than 26 art galleries per 100,000 people, while England’s capital unsurprisingly claims the second spot on the list and boasting the highest number of creative jobs in the ranking, and Scotlands stunning capital, Edinburgh, snatching third place.
Manchester follows really closely behind Edinburgh and sits pretty within the top five, scoring an impressive overall 1.910.
The city has 65 art schools, 882 creative jobs listed, and 815 events and festivals to its name.
Some of the other Northern cities making the top 10 list include Bradford and Derby, and elsewhere within the top 15 is where you’ll find Liverpool and Sheffield.
Featured Image – KCH / The Refuge (via Supplied)
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Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
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Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
11th June 2024 
