A £20 million funding bid to “jump start the transformation” of Wythenshawe town centre has been submitted to the government.
The bid to the Levelling Up fund – which has been submitted this week by Manchester City Council – could see the creation of a brand-new culture hub, food hall, civic square, and improved public realm and employment space in the heart of the town centre.
Everything from artist studios, to performance space and a community cinema could take shape in the town centre, as well as a flexible events hall that regularly hosts a food, drink, live music, and street food offering by night.
Co-working spaces, and a new enterprise centre focusing on local start-up and small to medium-sized businesses could also be on its way, as well as lots of managed office space.
There could even be a large new outdoor space capable of hosting community events, improved accessibility, and the creation of small, naturally-planted ‘sponge parks’ – which are designed to increase biodiversity, and help adapt to the impacts of climate change, all while reducing the risk of flooding.
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Funding would also help fund the decarbonisation of some town centre buildings, the Council said.
The Council has made a £20m bid to the government's Levelling Up Fund to jump start the redevelopment and regeneration of Wythenshawe's town centre.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) August 3, 2022
Part of a wider long-term vision to ensure Wythenshawe is “fit for the future”, the Manchester City Council says the funding bid complements the town centre’s existing retail space to create a “multi-functional” and “sustainable” place to live, work, and go out.
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If the funding application is successful, it could also support the creation of hundreds of jobs and thousands of new homes – including affordable homes on nearby Council-owned Brownfield land.
Speaking on the funding bid, Cllr Gavin White – Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Counil – said: “This is a highly competitive bid which can act as the springboard for the transformation of Wythenshawe town centre [and] securing this funding would accelerate the change we aspire to see and help unlock wider opportunities for people.”
What Wythenshawe town centre currently looks like / Credit: WTC
The bid for Levelling Up funding comes after Manchester City Council recently announced an agreement to buy the existing 1970s shopping centre and multi-storey car park in the town centre with the aim of supporting the regeneration of the area.
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Regeneration progress is already taking shape, with a new Lidl supermarket proposed for the former Gala Bingo site, and the launch of the new monthly GRUB street food market.
Police release footage of missing Manchester man Adeo Alston-Ekpei’s last-known movements
Emily Sergeant
Video footage showing the last-known movements of a Manchester man who’s been missing for three weeks now has been released.
Detectives at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are continuing to search for Adeo Alston-Ekpei, who has not been seen since Friday 16 May.
The 25-year-old was seen in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury at around 3pm, before later being seen walking down Kingsway away from Manchester and close to the River Mersey, at around 5.20pm that same day.
Multiple lines of enquiry being explored by police at present, but anyone who believes they may have seen him from around this time, is asked to get in touch.
Adeo is described as being a mixed-race male, with long curly black hair and a long singular dreadlock, and bleached eyebrows. He has a cupid’s bow piercing and a right eyebrow piercing. He also has an ‘AKA’ tattoo on his right wrist, and a ‘24’ tattoo in the right side of his chest.
He was last seen wearing long blue denim shorts, an undone green short-sleeved button-up shirt, and white Adidas trainers.
Friends have also recently set up a public fundraiser to help with the search for Adeo.
Adeo Alston-Ekpei has been missing for almost three weeks / Credit: GMP
“We are dedicated to finding Adeo and getting much-needed answers for his family,” commented Detective Inspector Kelly, from GMP’s Manchester district, as the footage was released to the public this week.
“I would ask any residents around the Kingsway area, and surrounding housing estates off Kingsway into Gately, and who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from around this time, to please check and get in touch if you have any information.
“Likewise, if anyone believes they have seen Adeo, please get in touch with one of our officers. Any information is appreciated and investigated as we continue our work.”
#MISSING | We are continuing to ask for information relating to missing Adeo, who was last seen on May 16.
We have additionally released CCTV footage showing Adeo’s last known movements on Kingsway, Manchester.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 5, 2025
A spokesperson for Adeo’s family described the missing man as ‘kind, funny, and intelligent’ with a ‘huge heart’, but they say he ‘wasn’t himself when he disappeared’.
“He may have come across as agitated, lost, or confused,” the spokesperson admitted. “In his last call to his mum, he was in a very vulnerable state.”
Anyone with any information regarding Adeo’s whereabouts is urged to contact South Manchester CID directly on 0161 856 6051 or 0161 856 6063, or you can use the LiveChat function on GMP’s website and quote log number 838 of 18/05/25.
Alternatively, you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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Tributes pour in after Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkey Ralph dies at age 40
Emily Sergeant
The time has come… one of Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkeys, Ralph, has sadly died at the impressive age of 40.
As regular visitors to Manchester‘s largest park may be aware, Ralph the donkey recently celebrated his 40th birthday – which, even more impressively, actually made him 120 in donkey years – and it was a truly incredible achievement for him to reach, especially as The Donkey Sanctuary says that the average life expectancy for a donkey is just over 30 years of age.
But earlier this week, things sadly took a turn for the worse.
Heaton Park‘s Estates Team made the decision to contact a vet for a site visit after identifying some changes with Ralph’s behaviour, and unfortunately, this was found to be caused by a ruptured intestine.
So it’s with ‘deep sadness’ that the park had to announce to the public that Ralph passed away later that afternoon.
“Ralph meant a lot to many, both staff and all our visitors, and he will be deeply missed within the park,” Heaton Park & Hall said in tribute to their beloved friend on social media this week.
They also shared an adorable image of him when he was just a young foal.
Those who had the pleasure of seeing Ralph roam the park over the past four decades soon began flooding the comments, sharing their own emotional tributes to the friendly face who’s sadly no longer with us.
Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkey Ralph celebrating his 40th birthday / Credit: Heaton Park & Hall (via Facebook)
“Sleep easy buddy, you had a wonderful charmed life and you deserved it,” one touching comment read on Facebook, while another added: “Aww Godspeed Ralph, you had a happy life, now its time to rest,” and a third commented: “So sorry to hear this sad news about Ralph, but glad to know he has enjoyed a long and happy life.”
Another tribute reads: “RIP Ralph, you brought a lot of joy to a lot of people,” as does this similar one: “Aww bless him. He’d had a long and happy life, and gave much happiness too.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th August 2022 
