A petition to save one of Manchester’s legendary metal pubs from permanent closure has racked up hundreds of signatures.
It was sadly announced last Friday that the city centre’s staple metal music and gig venue, Grand Central, would be permanently closing its doors after being an Oxford Street stalwart for over 20 years.
Rumours had already begun circulating that the wildly-popular haunt would be calling it a day during it its temporary closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic – with the venue confirming on social media that it would not be reopening on the country’s so-called ‘Freedom Day’ last Monday as it “had a few things to sort first”.
Now, just a week after that initial announcement, the venue announced that it would “not be reopening the way it was”.
Breaking the news in a statement shared to Facebook, alongside a group photo of all the staff members, Grand Central said: “The stories are true, Grand Central won’t be re opening the way it was.
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“All the now former staff want to thank Tom for everything he has done for us and for giving the alternative scene a home for the last 20+ years [and] I’m sure everyone has stories connected to this little pub.
“Thank you to everyone for all your custom over the years, we will miss you.”
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The venue also urged fans to come together and share their memories of times spent there over the years in a bid to not “let the memory of GRAND F***ING CENTRAL die”.
Not long after the closure announcement was made on Facebook, hundreds of people flocked to share their sadness at the news, with many saying it’s “devastating” for the city’s alternative scene, and that “Manchester has just lost a main part of its culture”.
“I will never forget this place and everyone I have either served or had the pleasure to have a drink with,” one Facebook user wrote.
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Another person said: “Absolutely gutted isn’t even the word. Everyone was so nice and there was never ever trouble there, I’ve had some banging convos with people I didn’t even know I would always start my nights out there – I will miss you terribly.”
Grand Central has announced that it will “not be reopening the way it was” / Credit: Grand Central
Some punters have been so devastated by the closure news that they decided to take matters into their own hands and launch a petition to save the venue – which is believed to have been acquired by the Stonegate Pubs group.
Organised by Emma Gould and directed at Stonegate Brewery, the petition reads: “One of the last few remaining sanctuaries for the rock/metal/alternative folk in and around Manchester. Our venues keep disappearing and it’s time to stand up and say ”we’re not gonna take it”.
“Even if it doesn’t achieve anything, our voices need to be heard and the brewery need to realise exactly how this will impact us.”
Having already racked up over 600 signatures and counting, you can sign the petition here.
Government to begin giving millions of UK workers ‘significant’ pay rises from this week
Emily Sergeant
The Government is to begin giving more than three million workers across the UK a ‘significant pay boost’ from this week.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to ‘put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year’, the Government confirmed back at the beginning of February that a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour would take effect from April onwards.
Ministers said the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which is now worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a ‘significant step’ towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a ‘genuine’ living wage.
Today, millions of working people will get a pay rise as the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase.
New rates:
🔹 from £11.44 to £12.21 if you’re 21 and over 🔹 from £8.60 to £10.00 if you’re 18-20 🔹 from £6.40 to £7.55 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 1, 2025
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
The minimum wage pay boot has also been called the first step towards removing the ‘unfair’ age-bands that see a 21-year-old getting paid more than a 20-year-old for doing the same job.
According to the Government, this is also the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise from this week / Credit: Pexels
“In the last Parliament, living standards were the worst on record and sky-high inflation was crushing working people’s finances,” commented Chancellor Rachel Reeves, explaining why the pay boosts are being introduced.
“Making work pay is good for workers, will strengthen businesses’ workforces, and will grow our economy for years to come.
“It’s a key milestone on my number one mission to get more money in people’s pockets as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Not only that, but the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted later this year too, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of these particular changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2021 
