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A brand-new private members club is coming to Manchester very soon

No surprise as to where it's popping up.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 20th September 2024

First Soho House, now Queen Street: another new private members club is coming to Manchester as the city’s ever-bustling nightlife continues to evolve.

Yes, just off the street of the same name located near Spinningfields, where some of the most luxurious Manc hospitality destinations already lie, a new private members facility is set to pop up next month.

From the team behind the BEAT Club in London, one of the capital’s most exciting and renowned venues located in the famous Fitzrovia district, they are hoping to deliver the same kind of opulence with the Queen St Members Club.

Opening on Saturday, October 5, the new private members club is set to beat leading industry rival Soho House Manchester when it comes to its launch date, with the latter still only earmarked for early 2025.

Similar to Soho House and other member brands, Queen St will be designed for those seeking an exclusive night out, with the private club will bring a new level of elegance to Manchester’s party scene. 

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The interiors of the highly-anticipated venue blend sleek black leather with grand gold touches, a bespoke lighting system as its eye-catching centrepiece, and the latest Funktion One sound system.

Credit: Carrol Design

A regular DJ roster will consist of both local and global talent each week and Queen St will obviously offer a private club function, available for members to hire and where guests can create a fully customised party.

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And get this, the club will also be one of the few Manchester venues that will stay open until 6am on weekends, so the party – however private – doesn’t stop until you say it does, essentially.

Memberships will be priced between £300 and £500 per annum, you can already enquire online now if this kind of thing tickles your fancy – or should we say very fancy.

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Marc Merran, Owner of the new Queen St Members Club, BEAT and Inca (also in London) said: “We are thrilled to bring this brand new members’ club concept to Manchester.

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“A first of its kind, Queen St is set to become the city’s premier destination for those craving an elevated nightlife experience that mirrors the London members’ club market.”

Meanwhile, as for the worst-kept secret among Manchester’s high society, earlier this year we had a tour of an existing facility to see what we can expect when Soho House finally lands over in the city.

You can find out more down below.

What to expect from Soho House Manchester when it finally opens

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Carroll Interior Design Specialists

News

Environment Agency officially declares a drought in north west England

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Low reservoir

The Environment Agency has officially declared a drought in the north west of England following the driest start to spring in 69 years.

It comes after river flows and groundwater levels have been declining due to the dry March, April, and start of May, and now reservoir storage levels in the region are also receding too, meaning at this moment in time, they’re currently lower than they were during the famous drought years of 1984, 1995, and 2022.

According to the Environment Agency (EA), a decision to declare drought is taken based on reservoir levels, river flows, and moisture in the soil, along with taking into consideration weather forecasts on a long-term basis.

Declaring drought status enables the EA to ‘plan, deliver, and manage’ actions in drought plans.

Drought
The Environment Agency has officially declared a drought in north west England / Credit: Pxhere

However, there is no single definition for drought, the EA admits, so while it’s a given that it’s caused by a period of low rainfall, the nature, timing, and impacts on people, the environment, agriculture, or business will vary.

Some droughts are short and intense, while others are long and take time to develop over multiple seasons.

Although there has been some welcome rain across the North West in recent days, the EA says this is ‘not enough to reverse the dry start to the year’ and is definitely not enough to cover the expected hotter weather in the coming weeks, which it believes is only set to ‘exacerbate’ the situation.

The decision by the EA to move the region into drought status means the regulator will increase its operational response throughout the summer.

Low reservoir
It follows what has been the driest start to spring for the region in 69 years / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)

This will be all while ensuring that water company United Utilities steps up the actions agreed in its drought plans – including fixing leaks, communicating with customers and supporting them to reduce demand, and submitting drought permits to take more water, as and where needed.

According to the EA, if these actions are taken in a ‘timely manner’ will help preserve supplies for people and the environment.

“Drought is a naturally occurring phenomenon,” explained Andy Brown, who is the Water Regulation Manager at the Environment Agency. “As we see more impacts from climate change, heavier rainfall and drier summers will become more frequent and this poses an enormous challenge over the next few decades.

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“Despite the rain over the weekend levels remain low and we are encouraging people to be aware of the impacts of drought as we enter the summer period.

“With further unsettled periods and rainfall over the coming weeks we will continue to closely monitor the situation and implement our Drought Plan.”

Featured Image – Stuart Herbert (via Flickr)

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Trafford gymnastics coach jailed for 18 years after raping and sexually assaulting young girls

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Michael Haynes

A gymnastics coach from Trafford has been jailed after being found guilty of non-recent rape and sexual assault against young girls he taught.

It comes after a woman bravely came forward to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) back in September 2020 to disclose the prolonged abuse she suffered at the hands of a sports coach during her youth – with the years of offending spanning from the late 1980s to the early 90s.

That coach was Michael Haynes, from the Urmston area of Trafford.

Mr Haynes, who is now 77 years old, appeared at Manchester Crown Court and was sentenced this week after a four-week trial.

During the trial, the court heard how in the late 80s, one of the victims – who was 11 at the time – joined Trafford School of Gymnastics, and it was here where Haynes first sexually assaulted her by inappropriately touching her through her clothing as he was appearing to ‘help’ her with stretching exercises.

This progressed over time, and eventually turned from sexual touching to rape – with offences occurring in his vehicle whilst he was assisting the victim’s family to transport her to and from the gymnastics club.

Following these discoveries, then in December 2023, another woman learned that Haynes was to stand trial for sexual offences and bravely came forward to the police to report what happened to her when she was around 12 years old and had already been at the gymnastics school for years with Haynes.

Michael Haynes
Michael Haynes / Credit: GMP

The court learned how Haynes began inappropriately asking her about relationships with other boys her age, before proceeding to touch her leg and sexually assault her.

“Michael Haynes violated boundaries I hadn’t yet learned how to name,” the first victim tragically explained in a victim impact statement.

“I didn’t understand what had happened, or how I felt about it. I just knew something had shifted in me. Something had been taken by someone I trusted, and I carried confusion and shame for many years. I still live with the effects of what happened, but I also live with pride in who I’ve become. All you have left now is shame.”

Michael Haynes has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he was found guilty of nine counts of rape and 11 counts of sexual assault against two girls.

Following the sentencing this week, Detective Inspector Rick Lees, of Trafford’s CID, said: “This was a harrowing investigation, and I would like to thank the survivors for their bravery in coming forward after all these years and reporting what happened to them.

“I cannot imagine the psychological effect that this abuse had on them over the years, and I hope today’s sentencing brings some form of closure and a sense of justice.”

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Following the investigation, GMP said it believes there may be further victims of Haynes’ from the same time period who may have previously felt unable to come forward.

“We would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who has been a victim of any form of sexual abuse, whether it be recent or non-recent to please get in touch with us, no matter how long ago it was, we will listen to you, and we can help,” DI Lees concluded.

Featured Image – GMP

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