Salford Rum open the city’s first rum garden under the railway arches
As well as hosting the brilliant-sounding rum garden, the new space will also be home to the company's first proper distillery and bar - giving fans of their Salford Docks-inspired spiced rums the chance to drink straight from the source.
Today, Salford Rum is a well-known brand in the city – but like many popular craft enterprises, it started from humble beginnings.
Founded by two lads from Leigh, today Salford Rum Company is stocked nationwide in supermarkets like Morrisons and Co-Op but it first began life as an idea conceived during a drunken night out.
Rugby-league-playing high school friends Tommy Gaughan and James Harrison were sat watching their wives sip from a list of gins as long as their arm when they had their very own ‘eureka’ moment.
Founders Tommy Gaughan and James Harrison run the business alongside their 9-5 day jobs / Image: Salford Rum Company
Based upon the logic that if there’s a market for craft gin, surely there might also be one for craft rum, the pair spent the following eight months researching everything they could about distilling their own concoctions whilst continuing to work their day jobs.
Drawing inspiration from the history of the local area and ingredients imported to the old Salford Docks, they went on to create two core expressions since launching in 2018: a golden Salford Spiced Rum and Salford Dark Spice.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now, they’ve revealed plans to open Greater Manchester’s very first rum garden as part of a new expansion into the railway archways on Viaduct Street.
The new distillery will be housed on Viaduct street in a former Martial Arts centre, with the rum garden on accompanying land under the railway line / Image: Google Maps
As well as hosting the brilliant-sounding rum garden, the new space will also be home to the company’s first proper distillery and bar – giving fans of their Salford Docks-inspired spiced rums the chance to drink straight from the source.
ADVERTISEMENT
Here, the pair plan to create some new small-batch expressions and unique blends using a shiny, new craft copper still which will be on display for all to see.
It’s exciting times for the duo, who continue to work their 9-5 jobs whilst running Salford Rum Company alongside using all the free hours they can find.
Speaking on the new opening plans Tommy Gaughan, one half of the duo responsible for launching Salford Rum, said: “The support we’ve had locally for Salford Rum is nothing short of incredible.
ADVERTISEMENT
“When looking for somewhere to take the brand to the next level, it was always going to be in Salford, and always going to be a place whereby our supporters can come and feel like they’re part of the Salford family.”
“We’ve got so many ideas and can’t wait to see the distillery space, bar and rum garden come to life over the next couple of months,” added James Harrison.
Salford Rum’s first expression Salford Spiced Rum is infused with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and dried Caribbean fruits / Image: Salford Rum
With the opening date set for early 2022, we expect to see some enticing new additions added to their repertoire – which currently spans core expressions, as well as some special editions like their new Honey Rum, made with honey from local beekeepers.
Aptly named The Dirty Old Town Distillery after the song ‘Dirty Old Town’ which featured on The Pogues 1985 album Rum Sodomy & the Lash, the distillery will be located in Arch 33 on Viaduct Street, Salford.
Altrincham named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2026 in The Sunday Times’ annual ranking
Emily Sergeant
A popular Greater Manchester town has been named among the UK’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in its annual ranking.
That’s right… it’s that time of year, once again.
The Sunday Times is known for pulling together a list of what it considers to be the most sought-after places to live in the UK every year, and 2026’s ranking has officially been published today – with dozens of locations across the country making up the comprehensive guide, and six of those coveted locations being right here in the North West.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all locations on the list, and assessed factors such as schools, transport, culture, broadband speeds, access to green spaces, the health of the high streets, and much more to devise the always-talked-about annual ranking.
Macclesfield in Cheshire, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Lancaster in Lancashire, and Aigburth in Liverpool are just some of the North West areas named by the publication in the 2026 list.
Altrincham has been named one of the best places to live in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
A spotlight has also been shone on two Greater Manchester towns, and one of two has even been given the regional North West title… but which are they?
Where has taken the top spot as the best place to live in the North West for 2026, and is therefore one of the best places to live in the whole of the country? Well, that honour has been given to none other than Greater Manchester’s very-own Altrincham.
The publication described the Trafford town as ‘classy, cool and effortlessly comfortable’.
“Altrincham is a top-notch town brimming with independent businesses and big brands, and now it’s flying even higher,” The Sunday Times said.
The fact that co-working has now arrived on the high street thanks to the conversion of the old Rackhams department store, and that the town’s cultural and creative ‘cachet’ is also on the rise, have been highlighted as reasons as to why Altrincham has been chosen as the North West’s winner, as well its newly-flourishing fitness scene.
Of course, the town has also been praised for its transport links into Manchester city centre and across the region, as well as it being a great place for families thanks to the excellent local schools on offer.
Didsbury was the other Greater Manchester town chosen to represent the best of the North West – with the Manchester suburb described as being ‘stylish, solid, safe, and, yes, a little bit smug in parts… but that’s okay’.
You can read the full Altrincham feature here, and see where else The Sunday Times included in its list for 2026 here.
Featured Image – Geograph
News
11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”
Georgina Pellant -
13th September 2021 
