High street fast fashion beast Primark has surprised its fans and haters this week by revealing plans to launch a new vintage clothing section.
The retailer, which is regularly chastised by slow fashion campaigners for its unethical methods of production, has made a move to be a bit more green by linking up with a local indie vintage clothing business.
Working alongside the Vintage Wholesale Company, which also runs the established vintage and second-hand clothing boutique Poorboy in Hull, Primark will launch two new vintage clothing sections at its Manchester and Birmingham stores under the brand name WornWell.
It means that, for the first time, Primark customers can shop a mix of branded and unbranded, pre-loved items in store and leave feeling that little bit better about their carbon footprint.
Image: Primark
Promising to stock a range of 70s, 80s and 90s trends, vintage fans can expect to see one-off denim jumpsuits and shirts, spaghetti tops, printed sweaters, puffa jackets and vibrant, patterned shirts within the new Wornwell sections.
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Brands-wise, those prepared to dig will uncover vintage pieces from Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Converse, Levi’s and Dr. Martens.
Riccardo Seaton, Director of WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company, said; “We are delighted to be opening WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company at Primark.
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“We take great pride in sourcing high-quality vintage clothing from around the world, and we’re excited to expand our business and offer once-off pieces of timeless fashion to customers in Birmingham and Manchester.
“Each item is unique. We want to inspire our customers to express their individuality and discover a love of vintage through wearing our clothes.”
Image: PRimark
Speaking on the new partnership, Jermaine Lapwood, Head of Innovation and Future Trends at Primark, added: “We’re very excited to open our first vintage concessions in Birmingham and Manchester. Vintage clothing has increased in popularity over the last few years, and we know that our customers love creating unique looks by mixing old fashion with new.
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“This concession will be the nostalgic bridge between generations, bringing curated retro fashion at great value.
“We want to see clothes loved for longer and kept in circulation – we’ve got big plans within our own business to give clothes a longer life, and we’re thrilled to be supporting an independent business who is working to do this.”
Manchester set for its busiest weekend of the year with pop-up Park and Rides to open
Emily Sergeant
Pop-up Park and Ride facilities are set to open as Manchester prepares for what’s expected to be its busiest weekend of the year.
The festive season in the run up to Christmas always sees more people flock to the city centre than usual, but this weekend will likely be even busier than expected, as not only are Manchester Christmas Markets still in full swing, but there are also a number of gigs, live festive shows, and major sporting events coinciding with this.
So in a weekend that sees legends gigging and the Manchester Derby take place, as you would expect, thousands are predicted to flock to Manchester city centre and Etihad Campus.
Manchester Christmas Markets are in full swing and Paul McCartney will be at Co-op Live this weekend / Credit: The Manc Group | Wikimedia Commons
Because of this, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is taking action and encouraging people to dodge the likely congestion and use public transport instead where possible – with pop-up Park and Rides set to be introduced for weekend shoppers and fun-seekers who do want or need to drive.
On Saturday and Sunday, Booth Street West Car Park D (M15 6PD) – which will have 965 parking spaces available – will be free for customers travelling to the city centre by bus, and then again on Sunday, the same car park will be free for those attending Paul McCartney at Co-op Live.
Your ticket to the gig must be shown on entry, before a dedicated shuttle bus then takes you from the car park to the Etihad Campus.
Disney On Ice will be hosting four shows at AO Arena this weekend / Credit: Supplied
Shuttle buses – which are only available on the Sunday – will depart from Higher Cambridge Street and run to Co-op Live and back every 15 mins from 4pm until midnight.
Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground (Talbot Road, Stretford, M16 0PX) will also have 500 parking spaces available for Metrolink customers on Sunday, but you must show a valid pre-booked tram ticket to park there.
On Sunday [15 Dec], we’re offering free parking at Emirates Old Trafford to help relieve congestion in the city.
The Park and Ride is available to customers with a valid tram ticket purchased on the app, at a ticket machine or via contactless.
Anyone else planning to drive across the weekend may also want to consider using one of the permanent Park and Ride sites and complete their journey on foot or by public transport, and you can find more information and the locations of these sites on the Bee Network website here.
Tram capacity has been increased for the festive season, with every available tram running until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The V1 and 36 bus services now also run 24 hours a day.
Other late-running buses on the Bee Network from Manchester include the 43 service to Manchester Airport, the 86 to Sale, and the 142 to East Didsbury.
Body found in search for missing Stockport postman Steven Caulfield
Emily Sergeant
A body has been found in the search for a 70-year-old former postman from Stockport who went missing a couple of months ago.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a public appeal after to help find Steven Caulfield, who was last seen in the vicinity of the golf course next to Middlewood Way, in the Marple area of Stockport, at around 4pm Tuesday 1 October, after he failed to return home from a walk.
Since Steven was reported missing, an extensive missing person investigation was launched by Stockport detectives, alongside a widespread search by specialist GMP officers, and a number of missing appeals were also published on social media and shared widely – not just in Greater Manchester, but all across the UK.
#UPDATE | At around 12pm today (Wednesday 11th December 2024), an officer sadly located a body in woodland near to Middlewood Way in Stockport.
At this time, we believe this is likely to be Steven Caulfield who went missing on Tuesday 1 October.
But sadly, at around 12pm yesterday (Wednesday 11 December 2024), a GMP officer has sadly located a body in a woodland area near to Middlewood Way in Stockport, and at this time, police believe this is likely to be the body of Steven Caulfield.
Steven’s next of kin have been made aware and are currently being supported by officers.
There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding Steven’s death, according to GMP.
Speaking on the discovery of the body, Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes, Stockport District Commander and GMP lead for Disaster Victim Identification, said: “Our deepest condolences remain with Steven’s family and friends, who have been devastated by this traumatic news, we have officers supporting them through this difficult time.
“It has been a challenging couple of months since the missing report came to us in GMP and our Tactical Aid Unit, Specialist Search, Canine and Underwater Units were all utilised to search for Steven in challenging conditions and locations around the Middlewood Way.
“We hope today’s discovery provides some answers for Steven’s loved ones.”
Georgina Pellant -
23rd August 2022 
