A permanent memorial paying tribute to the workers of Bradford Colliery is to be installed near the Etihad Stadium following a seven-year campaign project.
Bradford Colliery – affectionately known as ‘the pit in the city’ – thrived for more than 350 years near Manchester city centre and employed around 1,500 people before it was shut down back in 1968.
The eight metre high steel-design memorial is so be erected at the site where the former colliery once stood.
Near the Etihad Stadium – alongside Sir Howard Bernstein Way on the east side of the Etihad Campus – the memorial will take the form of a lift shaft cage, with glass panels featuring images of miners taking the journey underground, as well a map and other information.
There will also be a stone base with a wording with the words “in remembrance of Bradford Colliery and the mining community.”
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The Bradford Pit Project
Dating back to the early 18th century, Bradford Colliery was a thriving part of the UK coal industry for more than 350 years, providing power and fuel for Manchester and surrounding areas. The seams dug by the miners at the pit have been described as a ‘spider’s web of tunnels’, which stretched for miles underground, and it’s famous coal known as ‘Roger’ was the best grade you could get.
Bradford Colliery’s miners generally lived in neighbouring areas such as Beswick, Clayton and Newton Heath.
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The site of the former pit – known as the ‘Eastlands’ area of Manchester – was primarily wasteland after the colliery closed and before the City of Manchester Stadium and its surrounding facilities were built in the late 1990s onward, but former miners have felt the history of the area is being quickly forgotten.
This was the catalyst behind the memorial campaign.
The Bradford Pit Project
The memorial comes after a seven-year campaign – known as The Bradford Pit Project – which was lead by the granddaughter of one of the former miners.
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Lauren Murphy, who has campaigned for a memorial since her grandfather Alan Evans died in 2012 and began researching the pit whilst studying at university, said he would have been “chuffed” and “over the moon” at the news of the memorial’s instalment.
Her grandfather’s stories of his time at the mine had been the “driving force” behind The Bradford Pit Project.
Speaking to the MEN, Lauren, a 3D Design Graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “It’s been an incredible experience finding out about the pit and reconnecting the community of miners who mostly moved away from the area when the pits closed.”
“It’s clear that there was no closure for these men when the pit closed and what started as an interest in the history of the area has become a network of miners, some of whom have not been in touch for 50 years. That’s probably the most humbling thing – to bring members of a community back together after such a long time.”
“Many people who used to live in east Manchester are amazed at the transformation of their old neighbourhood.”
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“Through a lot of engagement events with miners and local people, through the project’s community engagement, it was clear that many people wanted to see a physical memorial so that the history of the pit will be remembered,”
“Hopefully [the memorial will] encourage people to find out more”.
The Bradford Pit Project
The monument has been designed by long terms supporters of the project – Broadbent Studio.
Lucy Gannon, designer at Broadbent Studio, said: “The physical memorial structure represents a lift shaft cage. It allows the viewer to imagine being lowered into a subterranean world below the streets of Manchester and to recognise the history and legacy of this site.”
“Broadbent Studio has felt privileged to be on this journey with Lauren and the miners group in realising their vision.”
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The memorial is to come into fruition pending planning permission that is set to be unveiled later this year.
You can find out more information via The Bradford Pit Projecthere.
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Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
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The richest people in the North West have been revealed, featuring Harry Styles, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Gallaghers
Daisy Jackson
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published today, revealing the wealthiest person in the North West to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The annual list highlights the richest people in the UK, often filled with famous faces and business moguls.
This year, the 350 individuals on the list hold a combined wealth of £783.5 billion – that’s about a quarter of the UK’s total annual GDP.
The Sunday Times Rich List also highlighted other North West figures, such as Harry Styles, the Issa brothers, and Tyson Fury.
Other famous faces from elsewhere in the UK include Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, JK Rowling, Charlotte Tilbury and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It found that Sir Jim Ratcliffe – chemicals magnate, Ineos CEO, and Manchester United shareholder – still tops the list regionally despite falling revenues and a £515.7 million loss.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa are fourth on the list of the wealthiest in the North West – the Blackburn billionaire brothers founded the EG Group petrol stations, and acquired the supermarket giant Asda.
Betfred brothers Fred and Peter Done come next, with an estimated net wealth of £3.6bn.
Property developer and Renaker founder (Renaker is behind the Deansgate Square towers) Daren Whitaker saw his wealth grow by £100m in a single year.
Elsewhere on the list are Liam and Noel Gallagher, making their Sunday Times Rich List debut at £375 million.
Michael and George Heaton, the British brothers behind the Represent streetwear brand, paid themselves minimum wage for a decade before selling a stake and making £18.5m each.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Rich List is a tale of two exoduses. One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don’t feature this time.
“Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away. We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK nationals these people remain on our Rich List — wherever they now live.
“These two exoduses pose challenges for the UK economy and its public finances. Will more of the wealthy now set up or grow their ventures overseas and in doing so create fewer jobs here? How much tax — if any — will Rachel Reeves’s Treasury be able to extract from those affluent Brits who have now left the country?
“For nearly 40 years the Sunday Times Rich List has analysed the fortunes of Britain’s most affluent people. We believe understanding where wealth lies and where it is being accumulated is a vital part of a functioning democracy.
“Over the years our research has told us a lot about our country, charting the way a generation of largely self-made entrepreneurs overtook the old money of the landed gentry.
“This year’s edition shines a light on fortunes made from artificial intelligence, driverless cars and crypto-currencies as well as baby milk, make-up, hoodies and other everyday items. We know many of our readers find those rags-to-riches stories of entrepreneurs who started out with little more than a laptop and an idea particularly inspiring.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd July 2020 
