Manchester Rum Festival is returning to the city this summer and bringing fifteen brand new rum brands with it for their festival debut.
In what is set to be the biggest festival to date, organisers will bring together a mix of local Greater Manchester brands and those from further afield for an afternoon full of cocktails, tasting sessions and samples.
Taking place in Manchester city centre this June, local rum distilleries Tameside and Decorrum will make their festival debuts alongside Tanduay – an exciting rum brand from the Philippines.
Other new brands set to take part this year include Beach House and Arcane, both from the sunny climes of Mauritius, Ron Aguere from the Canaries, Ron Colon from El Salvador and Santiago de Cuba.
They’ll be joined by festival stalwarts Salford Rum and Diablesse, both returning for 2022 with new expressions including Salford Honey Rum and Diablesse Coconut and Hibiscus Rum.
The 2022 festival will also feature an appearance from the Spirit of Manchester distillery and its One-Eyed Rebel rum brand, crafted right here in the city centre.
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Elsewhere, city centre tiki bar The Liars Club will be on hand mixing up some signature cocktails, with street food provided by British Virgin Island pop-up Nyammin’.
In total, the festival will welcome a whopping 40 different rum brands from around the globe.
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Read more:Where to find the best Easter foodie specials in Manchester 2022
Image: Manchester Rum Festival
S[eaking on the upcoming event, Manchester Rum Festival’s founder, Dave Marsland, said: “This year’s festival is set to be more fantastic and fun than ever, with a host of new brands from far reaching corners of the earth which will be tasted alongside brands from local distilleries. It really is a one-of-a-kind event.
“This year, guests will be able to taste rums from over 40 producers overall, sample amazing cocktails by Liar’s Club, enjoy traditional music and entertainment by festival stalwart, DJ Dom and food by British Virgin Island cuisine legends Nyammin’, who will be cooking up a flavoursome storm from their pop-up stand.
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Manchester Rum Festival’s founder, Dave Marsland. / Image: Manchester Rum Festival
“The festival will feature expressions from single and multi-distillery producers to flavour-enhanced bottlings and will bring together rum producers, bartenders, enthusiasts and rum fans from all over the region and further afield. It’s set to be a real summer treat for the city and tickets are selling fast.”
Manchester Rum Festival will run from 12pm to 7pm on Saturday 18 June, 2022. Tickets for the day are for over 21’s only, priced at £25 and involves all available samples from the rum brands.
Drinks from the Liar’s Club cocktail bar and any street food are not included in the ticket price.
To find out more and book tickets, visit the Manchester Rum Festival website here.
Feature image – Manchester Rum Festival
News
Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
Georgina Pellant -
14th April 2022 
