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Prince Edward and Countess of Wessex will visit Manchester today

The royal couple will view floral tributes, meet with volunteers and light a candle at the Cathedral this morning

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 15th September 2022

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex will visit Manchester this morning ahead of the Queen’s funeral on Monday.

The royal couple will stay for just a few hours, visiting the Council’s book of condolence at Manchester Central Library to add their signatures, before moving on to view the floral tributes left in St Ann’s Square by locals in mourning.

The pair will also visit Manchester Cathedral today to light a candle for her late Majesty and view their books of condolence, and meet with volunteers involved with managing the tributes.

Council Leader Bev Craig, Lord Mayor of Manchester Cllr Donna Ludford and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Diane Hawkins will be amongst those on hand to greet the royals when they arrive in the city this morning and give introductory addresses.

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Image: THe Manc Group

High Sheriff of Greater Manchester Lorraine Worsley-Carter will then read the proclamation before the Earl and Countess move on to St Ann’s Square.

Read more: King Charles III won’t pay 40% inheritance tax on £641 million estate

In a statement released this morning, Manchester City Council announced that the royals would be making a visit to the city today and outlined the details of their visit. It said: “Today, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex will visit Manchester.

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“They will arrive late morning at Central Library to sign The Queen’s Books of Condolence. Then on to St Ann’s Sq to see the tributes left by the public.

“They will end their visit at The Cathedral to view their Books of Condolence and to light a candle in memory of Her Majesty The Queen.”

Read more: Cinemas across UK to either close or screen Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral for free on Monday

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The royal visit comes ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, wwhich ill take place on Monday 19 September.

Manchester City Council has announced this morning that the funeral will be live streamed on large screens throughout the city centre. For those who want to come together to watch it, it will be shown on screens in Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Square and inside Manchester Cathedral.

The day has been declared an official bank holiday, and so far a large number of businesses including major supermarkets and retailers have announced that they will be closed.

Read more: Thousands of hospital appointments cancelled because of Queen’s funeral

A large number of events have also been cancelled on the day, as well as thousands of NHS hospital appointments including knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery, maternity check-ups and some cancer treatments.

Feature image – Manchester City Council Twitter / Commons Wikimedia

News

Nurses across the UK say ‘enough is enough’ as they begin vote on strike action over pay

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Hundreds of thousands of NHS nurses nationwide have now begun casting their votes on whether to strike over pay.

This is the first ever UK-wide ballot by the history of the nursing industry’s largest union.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has this week asked 300,000 nurses if they want to begin a campaign for industrial action for the first time in its 106-year history – with the union urging its members to vote in favour of striking, and the union’s general secretary calling this a “once-in-a-generation chance” to make real change.

The vote comes amid warnings that nurses are leaving the profession in record numbers, and are unhappy with working conditions, staff shortages, and ultimately, pay.

The RCN said new analysis by London Economics found that pay for nurses has declined at twice the rate of the private sector in the last decade.

Their real-terms earnings are said to have fallen by 6%.

The RCN wants nurses to be given a pay rise in line with the rate of inflation – which is currently at a 40-year record high of 10.1%.

“Across the board, it’s unacceptable,” the RCN said on the opening of the ballot.

“We’re campaigning for a pay rise of 5% above inflation to overcome a decade of real-terms pay cuts, support nursing staff through the cost-of-living crisis, and recognise their safety critical skills [as] only by paying nursing staff fairly will we be able to retain existing and recruit new nursing staff to the safety critical roles they do.”

The union is urging its members, including those across Greater Manchester, to “make your mark on history” by voting for strike action.  

RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said the nation’s nurses are “understaffed, undervalued, and underpaid”.

Nurses across the UK say ‘enough is enough’ as they begin vote on strike action over pay / Credit: gov.uk

Calling on members to cast their votes, Ms Cullen said: “For years, our profession has been pushed to the edge, and now patient safety is paying the price.

“We can’t stand by and watch our colleagues and patients suffer anymore.   

“Though strike action is a last resort, it is a powerful tool for change, and we must demand that change. Enough is enough.

“I urge you to vote ‘yes’ in this ballot.” 

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She continued: “This is a once in a generation chance to improve your pay and combat the staff shortages that put patients at risk. Governments have repeatedly neglected the NHS and the value of nursing. We can change this if together we say ‘enough is enough’.

“Record numbers are feeling no alternative but to quit and patients pay a heavy price. We are doing this for them too. I have spoken with hundreds of you directly in recent weeks – it’s clear we need urgent change.

“Nursing is the best job in the world. Protect it with your vote.”

Featured Image – UKHSA

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Signs say ‘Instagrammable’ Manchester restaurant Boujee is closed for good

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Less than two months after Boujee closed its site in Liverpool, signs have appeared outside the Manchester site showing that it has also suffered the same fate.

A handwritten note simply reading “closed, so sorry” has been taped to the all-pink restaurant and bar’s front door, whilst a second on the restaurant’s terrace, which had been taken over by pop-up venue Carnival, read: ‘we are extremely sorry but due to unforeseen circumstances we are left with no other options to close the venue.”

Image: Boujee

On the Boujee website, all traces of the Manchester venue have now been removed with just the Chester site now available to book online.

The news should not come as a surprise, given that the restaurant has appeared to be struggling for several months now.

Earlier this summer, staff walked out of the Liverpool site complaining of unpaid wages and tips. At the time, workers said that they had received just 40% of their expected wages on recent paydays and claimed that management had withheld their table service charges for months.

The pay dispute was reported in the Liverpool Echo, after staff told the paper some colleagues had walked out of shifts over the situation and that others were struggling to meet their rent and mortgage payments.

A company message was shared with Boujee’s staff at the end of June in an attempt to explain to workers why they had not received their full pay.

Read more: Unpaid wages and tips cause staff walk out at Boujee restaurant

It said: “It is with huge regret and disappointment that we are not able to pay the wages in their entirety today. We have exhausted every avenue and it is at the point where we require the revenue from this weekend and next in order to catch up and make the payments in full.

“Today we will be making a payment to all employees of 40 per cent of their total wage. On Monday we will make a second payment and this will be 30 per cent of their total wage plus 50 per cent of the service charge for the month.

“The following Monday we will pay the remaining 30 per cent and the remaining 50 per cent of the service charge.

“We are extremely sorry that it has come to this and I assure you we are doing all we can to get back on track and our team are vital in this path to recovery. We fully appreciate this is not acceptable and we thank you for your hard work, support and loyalty through what has been a very challenging time.”

Now, it appears that the business has had another setback as it has moved to close its Manchester site too.

Image: The Manc Group

The news follows an announcement from the former director and Real Housewive Of Cheshire star Lystra Adams who revealed last month that she had walked away from the business.

In a post on Instagram, Lystra wrote: “I’m walking away … As of yesterday 23/09/2022 I walked away from what I’ve know and loved for past near two years. As many of you may know I have given considerable time and dedication in building the brand and platform for myself.

“Over the past eight months things had taken a bumpy turn. I had confidence in that the board of directors would turn it around. Unfortunately mistakes were made along the way […] and it made the comeback near impossible.”

She continued: “As a 20-per-cent shareholder and the face of the business I want you to know that I did what I could with what I had. […] I’ve made my voice heard more than before as I dreaded this day would come. I’ve taken abuse in all forms for being the face of the companies involved as well as my daughter and enough is enough.

“Sorry it’s taken so long to speak out and I want to thank each and everyone that has visited or worked for Boujee and carnival from opening until now. All my love, Lystra.”

Feature image – The Manc Group

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