This summer, Manchester sourdough specialist Pollen will open its second cafe in the city.
Featuringa unique ‘glass gallery’ wall, diners at the new eatery will be able to watch Pollen’s talented pastry chefs at work as they tuck into a seasonally-changing menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.
Adding to its already-popular waterside location at Cotton Field Wharf at Islington Marina, which first opened in 2018, the new cafe and kitchen at Kampus will serve a varied menu alongside pastries, cakes, speciality baked goods and its much-loved range of sourdough bread.
Located opposite Manchester’s Gay Village, it will move into the new city centre garden neighbourhood this June – opening its doors on Thursday 9.
Video: Pollen Bakery
As well as offering diners a front-row seat to all the kitchen action, the new cafe will also be significantly bigger than the Ancoats site.
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It will open from Wednesday to Sunday, with plenty of seating both indoors and out, with an al fresco area overlooking the green foliage of the Kampus garden, joining a growing foodie community that includes the likes of Cloudwater, Levanter, and Nell’s Pizza.
First launched in 2016, Pollen was one of the first bakeries in the city to offer up a range of sourdough and viennoiserie – regularly drawing huge early-morning queues as Mancs clamoured to get their hands on popular treats like cruffins and loaves of 28-hour sourdough.
Founded by Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly, who both share a love of great bread bordering on a (healthy) obsession, over the years Pollen has become something of a stalwart of the city’s baking scene – leading the way for a number of other new openings in kind, such as Trove, Batard and Longbois.
Grilled cheese with Ogleshield, Cheddar, Fior de Latte and 24 Month Comté. Grilled with @pluckypickle Miso Kimchi and hot sauce or Nduja & Salami on Pollen’s 28 Hour Sour. Image / Pollen
Vegan pistachio and strawberry tart. / Image: Pollen
Lucky Charm Cruffin • Cereal Milk Crème Diplomat topped with Milk Clusters & a Lucky Charm. / Image: Pollen
After spending time in France, they were inspired by the general availability of top-class fresh bread and pastry products and how they form a part of daily culture.
So, after trying their hand at making artisan sourdough in their home kitchen using the San Franciscan approach to bread-making, they quickly became hooked and began baking for friends and colleagues.
Soon, they decided to take the plunge, expand the business and invest every penny they had into making a go of their own bakery.
“We had the passion, the drive and the eye for detail and quality to be able to bring something new, exciting and needed to the city centre” says Hannah.
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“We put our heart and souls into everything we do and are always pushing forward to give our customers and the city the best offering possible.”
The Pollen Bakery team, pictured at the 2021 Manchester Food and Drink Awards
Chris added: “Our second location in Kampus forms part of our evolution and growth. After drastically running out of space at our Ancoats bakery, the new location re-homes our pastry team in a dedicated pastry kitchen behind a glass gallery so you can see all the action taking place throughout the day and the masters at work.
“We will still serve the full range as usual at the Marina, but the new kitchen will allow us so much more creative freedom.
“With a bigger café space, we’re creating a brand new, modern, refined menu which will change with the seasons and showcasing the best produce available at the time.
“We’re working with some fantastic suppliers and can’t wait to show you a taste of what we’re working on.”
Pollen will join a raft of other like-minded independent businesses at Kampus, including new arrivals Madre’s Mexican Taqueria, Great North Pie Company, Beeswing Wine Bar, Cloudwater beer hall and a General Store.
Feature image – Pollen
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Government sets up taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England
Emily Sergeant
A taskforce aiming to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England has been set up by the Government.
The new Maternity and Neonatal taskforce – which is chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting – will tackle ‘deep-rooted inequalities’ and deliver urgent action on the recommendations of the independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
This means that women, babies, and families will receive safer and higher-quality care from the NHS in the long run.
According to the Government, the expert panel includes families, senior NHS leaders, royal colleges, campaigners, academics, and third sector representatives.
The Government has set up a taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
As part of the selection process, the Government has been working closely with harmed and bereaved families to ensure their personal experiences were reflected, and those who have been chosen collectively have the clinical expertise, lived experience, and sector know-how to deliver the changes so desperately needed for families.
Starting next week, the Secretary of State will chair regular roundtables with the new taskforce – with the first priority to agree its Terms of Reference.
The taskforce will also address recent developments in maternity and neonatal care, including recommendations from the Thirlwall Inquiry, and the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The taskforce will also be supported by a wider range of experts – as part of ‘expert reference groups’ – that the Government says will bring ‘a broader range’ of perspectives.
“Every woman and baby deserve safe, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth, and the very best start in life,” commented Duncan Burton, who is the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
“Although NHS maternity and neonatal teams work incredibly hard to support women and families every day, we know there is more we must urgently do to improve care and experience.
“I look forward to working with members of the taskforce to improve safety and deliver the best possible outcomes and experience for women, babies, families, and colleagues working in these services.”
Featured Image – Credit: Aditya Romansa (via Unsplash)
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Manchester Piccadilly is closing AGAIN for more improvement works this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Piccadilly is set to close again for more improvement works this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, Manchester Piccadilly train station was closed for nine days back in mid-February while a ‘once-in-a-generation upgrade’ was carried out – with very few train services running in or out of the station in the process, and as you’d expect, widespread disruption caused for those travelling around the region.
But thankfully, after many journeys were impacted for those travelling to and from major destinations like Manchester Airport, and on the West Coast Mainline, the station was back up and running at the end of February, with passengers thanked for their patience in the meantime.
Network Rail invested £7.9m into the major upgrade, with the main points of action being to improve tracks, points, and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station.
At the time it was announced that the station had reopened, passengers were alerted to further minor closures in the future, and one of those closures is set to take place this weekend.
🗓️ On 1 & 22 March, we’ll complete follow-up work following our £7.9m track upgrade at Manchester Piccadilly.
🛤️ Morning journeys will be disrupted on those days, with rail replacement buses in operation to keep you moving.
This Sunday (22 March), routine follow-up work will take place to secure the new railway foundation stone through a process called tamping, and this will impact trains until 1pm, so passengers are advised to check online ahead of time if planning to travel.
These upgrades are said to help deliver ‘smoother, more reliable’ journeys for passengers in the future, but during this time, trains from the south and east will not run into Manchester Piccadilly.
All station facilities at Manchester Piccadilly will remain open on the day, including the ticket office, Passenger Assist lounge, toilets, and retail outlets, and Metrolink trams will continue to stop at the station too.
Northern has confirmed that it will continue to run a reduced timetable on services to Liverpool Lime Street, Blackpool North, and Chester.
Georgina Pellant -
25th May 2022 
