Beer lovers, rejoice. Manchester’s Indy Man Beer Con festival has confirmed it is returning to the city following a two-year hiatus.
It will return to Victoria Baths for a four-day run from September 29 to October 2, bringing some of the world’s best breweries alongside street food traders, tastings and talks to the historic south Manchester venue once again.
Every year the festival makes hundreds of beers available for ticket holders to sample, both from top brewers based in Manchester and across the globe, with various ticketed time slots usually spread across the weekend.
Image: Indy Man Beer Con
But thanks to various restrictions, it’s now been nearly three years since an event has been held, with two now missed due to the Covid pandemic.
In that time, the beer world has changed quite a lot. Thanks to lockdown lots of talented brewers have split away to open up their own shops, and the general turmoil Covid has caused in hospitality has led even more in the bar world to break away and experiment with making their own beer.
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As a result, it looks like there could be some exciting new breweries tipped to exhibit at the celebrated beer festival this year.
In a rather cryptic post shared to the festival’s Instagram page, the team shared the news writing: “Our last post was empty. This is full. A Independent Manchester beer convention. 29.9.22 – 2.10.22”
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Suffice to say the news has caused somewhat of a storm amongst the city’s beer fans, who are already clamouring for ticket information to be released.
Image: Indy Man Beer Con
Excited comments flooded in thick and fast, with one follower saying: “ITS BAAAAACK! Yas!”
Another person said: “Praise be”
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A third simply added: “I AM EXCITE”
First launched in Manchester in 2012, the festival has become somewhat of a mecca for northern beer lovers – with people travelling from far and wide to attend and sample all the different weird and wonderful beers on offer.
More information is due to be released next week.
Feature image – Indy Man Beer Con
News
Family pay tribute to father-of-two killed in Rochdale plane crash
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man killed in a light aircraft crash in Rochdale have paid tribute to a ‘deeply loving father and devoted husband’.
36-year-old Arian Abbasi was one of two men killed when an aircraft crashed into farmland in Littleborough in Rochdale last week, after travelling from Birmingham.
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 11am on Tuesday 3 February, but sadly pronounced both men dead at the scene.
It’s believed there was no one else on board the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.
Now, Arian’s family have issued a moving tribute to him. He was a pilot from Harrow in Greater London.
They described him as being a ‘deeply loving’ family man, whose passion was flying.
He was about to embark on a new chapter with a commercial airline in just a few weeks’ time.
His family said: “He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support.
“Flying was his passion, and he was on the brink of beginning an exciting new chapter with a commercial airline on 23 February; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
GMP investigations are now focused on finding part of the parachute system which contains propellant and hasn’t yet been located.
Finding the device has been ‘very difficult’ due to the nature of the terrain and the wide area over which it may have travelled.
It measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish. It weighs less than 2 kg. It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.
GMP said: “Please do not handle the device if you see it. If discovered, contact the police immediately via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1056 of 03/02/26.”
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free bus travel to and from school
Emily Sergeant
Children who are currently living in temporary housing in Greater Manchester are set to get extra support with school travel.
In a move that was announced by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) at the end of last week, and following years of campaigning, homeless children living in temporary accommodation are now set to get free school travel on all Bee Network buses.
TfGM says it understands that some children end up a long way from their school when placed into temporary accommodation, and this leaves parents or carers with the difficult choice of either having to move them to a closer school, which ultimately disrupts their education, or having to pay unexpected travel costs.
While the Greater Manchester Strategy – which is the plan for the city region’s next decade – commits to reducing the number of families and children in temporary accommodation, and measures are also being taken to make sure residents have the support they need to ‘access, improve, and retain’ a decent, affordable home, this doesn’t tackle the immediate issue.
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free school bus travel / Credit: TfGM
So, to help those families when they ‘need it most’, free bus travel to and from school is set to be provided, as subject to approval of this year’s Combined Authority budget.
The move comes after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham asked TfGM last year to look at options to help with the cost of travel.
“Using our locally-controlled Bee Network buses to support families when they need it most is the right thing to do,” Andy Burnham commented.
Of course, the long-term solution is no kids in TA and we’re working with our councils to achieve this in the next few years.
We can do it because GM will soon hit the point where we are building more council and social homes every year than we’re losing through right-to-buy. 👍🏻
“A move into temporary accommodation is often a massive upheaval for families and can be a worrying time. With this measure, the cost of travel to school will be one less thing for families to worry about.
“It will mean parents and carers don’t have to choose between an extra demand on their household budget and keeping their children with friends and teachers they know and trust.”
Georgina Pellant -
11th March 2022 
