It’s the original Manchester cocktail bar that made its name using dry ice to create smoking cocktails with a touch of magic.
Now, over a decade since its arrival on The Avenue, Spinningfields, The Alchemist is getting a makeover – to the tune of over half a million pounds, no less.
First launched here in Manchester in 2010, today The Alchemist has a string of bars not just within the city centre but across the UK.
Image: The Alchemist
Image: The Alchemist
It was the first in a flurry of adventurous Living Venture drinking dens to push the envelope when it came to Manchester’s booming cocktail culture, with the Spinningfields’ site acting as The Alchemist’s flagship venue.
Over a decade later, it’s finally getting an upgrade fit for the 2020s.
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The group intends to return to its trend-setting roots with an extensive refurbishment, promising a significant evolution in design that will “unveil the next phase and a new era for the brand concept story”.
A CGI of how The Alchemist will look after its £550k refurbishment. / Image: supplied
A new, cosmic-inspired design taking inspiration from the universe, astrology and outer space is on the cards, as are new food and drink menus.
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These promise “a significant evolution in design for The Alchemist” in what appears to be a step away from the creative alchemy, and potion-style molecular mixology that has defined it for the past twelve years.
The renovation will also include the addition of two new private areas, designed for parties enjoying late-night cocktails.
The all-day dining and cocktail space will close on 28 February for the refurbishment to take place and reopen in late March with a brand new look, followed by a new menu offering in May that pledges to introduce a new kind of theatre as part of the drinking and dining experience.
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Image: The Alchemist
Image: The Alchemist
Whilst we’re not exactly sure what that will entail yet, as new menu details are currently being kept strictly under wraps, if The Alchemist knows how to do anything, well, they certainly know how to serve dishes with flair.
Speaking on the huge refurbishment, Simon Potts, CEO, said: “The Alchemist footprint has spread across the UK over the last few years, as we’ve taken our hospitality brand down to London and up to Scotland, but we’ve always remained a Manchester company, at heart.
“The Spinningfields venue is an institution and much loved by our teams and guests alike; we look forward to bringing our new design direction to the city in March.
“The refurbishment also marks a new phase of growth for the business as we put the recent challenges behind us and look forward to the renewed evolution and expansion of the brand.”
Feature image – TripAdvisor
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Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
News
Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Georgina Pellant -
15th February 2022 
