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Peter Kay’s gigs at Co-op Live have been postponed as the arena admits it’s not ready for opening act

The news comes less than 24 hours before Kay was set to deliver the venue's inaugural show.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 22nd April 2024

Just a day before the venue was set to welcome its very first act, Co-op Live has announced that arena opener Peter Kay’s gigs have unfortunately been cancelled and postponed until later this month.

Both of Peter Kay‘s highly-anticipated shows have ultimately had to be called off after Co-op Live revealed that the brand-new entertainment venue is simply not ready to welcome guests just yet, with work still to be completed on key areas of the building, namely power supply issues.

Issuing a regretful statement on social media, the arena has confirmed that the shows will now be rescheduled to Monday and Tuesday, 29-30 April.

This comes barely a day after its official opening event this past weekend which also saw thousands have their tickets cancelled for the accompanying ‘test gig’.

Co-op Live confirms Peter Kay’s pair of opening shows have been cancelled and rescheduled.

Addressing the situation online, Co-op Live said: “Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay…

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“It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind. Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly.

“This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size. Peter Kay has very graciously agreed to perform his record-breaking comedy at Co-op Live on 29 (rescheduled from 23) and 30 (rescheduled from 24) April 2024.

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“All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend. We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause for some.” Safe to say many of those looking forward to the show have been left frustrated.

Speaking to The Manc, a Stockport gig-goer who had tickets said they had to find out via social media and that her group had still received no email notifying them about the cancellation, adding, “We just logged into the app to find the date on our tickets had been changed to next Monday”.

As for the beloved Bolton-born stand-up and British comedy legend himself, Kay added: “I’m truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it’s a brand-new venue and it’s important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences.

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“Fortunately, we’ve been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I’ll have to miss my Bums & Tums class) but hopefully I’ll see you then.”

The venue also went on to assure that they will still be hosting The Black Keys on 27 April in the lower bowl with 10k fans as planned and will continue to test the resilience of the venue and its operations for the time being.

They also reminded fans who previously missed out on tickets that due to dates being moved, tickets may now become available.

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Featured Images — The Manc Audio/Press Images

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Five retired GMP officers arrested following investigation into sexual exploitation of a girl in the 1960s

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Five retired police officers have been arrested as part of an investigation into the sexual exploitation of a girl in Manchester in the 1960s.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the arrests were made after months of detailed enquiries to identify suspects from allegations made by a woman – who was younger than 16 at the time when the offending began.

Some of the offenders are believed to be officers from a dedicated unit that worked to safeguard sex workers in Manchester at the time, according to GMP.

Three of the arrests were made after warrants were executed in Bolton, Bury, and Trafford last month, while the other two suspects were arrested this month.

The suspects – who are each between the ages of 73 and 81 – have been questioned on suspicion of sexual offences and misconduct, and at this time, GMP says they are on conditional bail as police enquiries continue.

The victim involved is also being continuously supported by specialist officers and partner agencies throughout the investigation.

GMP said in a statement of intent that ‘no matter when abuse has taken place’ and ‘no matter who by’ either, the force is there to listen to and support victims, and take necessary action.

“We commend the woman’s courage for coming forward and supporting this investigation,” commented Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said.

“We do not underestimate how difficult it is for her to relive details of this horrendous abuse decades on from the time it was happening, and I’m sure the public will be as troubled as I am that five former officers are suspected of being involved in the abuse of a woman when she was a vulnerable child and adult who needed their protection.”

Five retired GMP officers have been arrested following an investigation into the sexual exploitation of a girl in the 1960s / Credit: RawPixel

ACC Parker insisted that ‘no abuser is immune from justice’ and ‘time is no barrier’.

She continued: “The GMP of today is absolutely committed to ensuring victims are listened to and supported, regardless of who’s committed these offences and how long ago it occurred.

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“Our investigation will go to all necessary lengths to uncover the full facts of these allegations and to ensure any offenders are rightly brought to justice.”

Anyone affected by this case, or who may have any relevant information, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting ‘Op Salvador’.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

News

Deliveroo is set for a multi-billion dollar buyout from a takeaway rival

Danny Jones Danny Jones Deliveroo DoorDarsh takeover buyout

UK takeaway service Deliveroo is set for a massive takeover by a fellow delivery business rival, said to be worth several billion.

The British multinational is known nationwide, occupying one of the biggest market shares alongside competitors Just Eat and Uber Eats, but now the takeaway delivery service is set to be swallowed up by an even bigger brand based in the US.

As reported on Tuesday, 6 May, American delivery firm DoorDash – the biggest of its kind in the States – looks set to complete an estimated £2.9 billion buyout, which will see Deliveroo folded into their growing global portfolio.

This massive deal will see the company’s presence in more than 40 countries further consolidated, already serving somewhere in the region of 50 million customers every month.

According to the likes of Reuters, Bloomberg and BBC, DoorDash is offering 180p per share, which is a 44% increase on Deliveroo’s share price from the point when initial takeover talks were made public in April 2025.

Speaking in a joint statement on the impending buyout, the two firms said: “The combination with Deliveroo will strengthen DoorDash’s position as a leading global platform in local commerce.”

Founded by chief executive Will Shu back in 2013, Deliveroo is now considered one of the big three in the food delivery industry’s UK scene, but is set to get much bigger under the DoorDash umbrella.

As for DoorDash, CEO and co-founder Tony Xu went on to add: “Coming together with teams that have similar visions and values accelerates our work to achieve that mission. Deliveroo is just such a team and one that I have long admired.

“Like DoorDash, Deliveroo is obsessively focused on their customers – consumers, merchants, and riders. They work day in and day out to improve their consumer value proposition, bring new services to local businesses, and offer flexibility and support to riders.”

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This isn’t the only big move they’ve made even just this week; in fact, the giant not only purchased Deliveroo but also New York’s restaurant technology company, SevenRooms Inc., which means they have forked out over $5bn in roughly five hours.

Put simply, this seriously big business and even bigger money that could make a big impact on UK hospitality and culinary convenience.

Obviously, full ratification via the SEC and so on is yet to be announced, but it looks like pretty much a done deal already.

So yeah, be prepared to see the name DoorDash being advertised up and down the country a lot more moving forward.

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Featured Images — @shopblocks/Focal Foto (via Flickr)

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