SEA LIFE Manchester has launched a new initiative to help the conservation of Manchester’s canals, with a number of clean-ups organised throughout 2022.
SEA LIFE centres across the UK are known to be dedicated to the conservation and clean-ups of the nation’s beaches, but since our region is famous for having ‘everything but a beach’, the team at SEA LIFE Manchester has decided to shift their focus over to Manchester’s canals instead.
The team are now seeking the help of locals to volunteer for the clean-up programme.
Volunteers will not only get the chance to lend a hand in removing litter from the canals, but also help with the potential aquatic creatures that could be found in the city’s waters, according to SEA LIFE Manchester.
SEA LIFE Manchester explains that the main objective of the canal clean-up is “the conservation and de-cluttering of the channels”, but that’s not all, as volunteers will also be encouraged to keep a keen eye out for any terrapins or turtles living in the waterways for the UK citizen project ‘Turtle Tally’.
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Turtle Tally is an ongoing study that’s aimed at collecting observational data on the locations where turtles and terrapins are spotted across the UK, and thanks to public input, organisations such as this one can collect information to understand more on this topic, and the wonderful sea (or canal) creatures.
Through working with Turtle Tally, SEA LIFE Manchester says it is helping to “ascertain the impact” that “invasive species” such as these are having on British waterways.
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On top of that, the project will raise awareness of dangers posed to native habitats, and also how non-native species can struggle to cope in the British climate.
Unfortunately, SEA LIFE Manchester says terrapins and turtles are often released by people who no longer want the creature as a pet, and they then end up suffering in the environment due to competition for food and basking sites.
Speaking on the new project, Matt Barker – Aquarist at SEA LIFE Manchester – said: “Here at SEA LIFE, we are constantly committed to the conservation of our waters, whether that be through our beach cleans, or in this instance, our canal clean-ups, and through these conservation efforts, we aim to create a healthier environment for marine life to thrive, whilst also encouraging others to think harder about the consequences of cluttering waterbodies.
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“We hope to see plenty of local volunteers come down and help us in our latest conservation efforts.”
The upcoming 2022 clean-up dates are:
26 March: 1-3pm
28 April: 1-3pm
26 May: 1-3pm
25 June: 1-3pm
14 July: 1-3pm
11 August: 1-3pm
15 September: 1-3pm
6 October: 1-3pm
All volunteers will get free entry to SEA LIFE Manchester as a thank you, so for more information or to find out how to get involved, then you can visit the dedicated conservation page here.
Featured Image – SEA LIFE Manchester
News
Manchester City win watershed case against Premier League over sponsorship rules
Danny Jones
Manchester City have landed an early blow in what is set to be a long and arduous series of legal proceedings over the coming months as they have won a case against the Premier League over their rules around sponsorship and related party transactions.
The current English champions, who have won a record four Premier League titles in a row, launched legal action against the division back in June after claiming that their restrictions around Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules and sponsorships were unfair and unlawful.
Now, as it turns out, an independent panel of three retired judges ultimately concluded that the rules were unlawful and, at least in part, contrary to the Competition Act 1998.
The details of the case are obviously numerous and complex but, in short, it has been found that Man City were unfairly blocked from moving forward with two huge sponsorship deals earlier this year.
BREAKING: Man City has won their legal challenge against the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction rules, which surrounds commercial deals between clubs and their related companies 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ZevrXvOOhd
Although the outcome has been somewhat debated by the league itself, it was decided that the imposed regulations were unfair and “discriminatory in how they operate, because they deliberately excluded shareholder loans.”
Issuing a statement following the decision, the Premier League said they “welcome the Tribunal’s findings, which endorsed the overall objectives, framework and decision-making of the APT system”, adding that it also “upheld the need for the APT system as a whole and rejected the majority of City’s challenges” while reiterating that the rules are necessary for their “financial controls to be effective”.
They went on to add that “the decision represents an important and detailed assessment of the APT Rules, which ensure clubs are not able to benefit from commercial deals or reductions in costs that are not at Fair Market Value (FMV) by virtue of relationships with Associated Parties.”
Meanwhile, the City Football Group responded to the news in a series of bullet points, insisting that the “Premier League was found to have abused its dominant position, […] had reached the decisions in a procedurally unfair manner” and that they will now have to “restate the fair market value of two transactions entered into by the Club.”
Safe to say people have noted quite a distinct difference in tone when it comes to statements from the two parties regarding associated parties and their transactions with clubs but, nevertheless, it’s a victory for the Manc club could have a huge knock-on effect regarding how much teams can spend in the future.
Quite a contrast in wording between the statements from Man City (left) and the Premier League (right) on findings related to Associated Party Transaction rules. pic.twitter.com/H3QkHlwMGM
The Premier League have also reassured that two particular aspects of the existing rules that didn’t fully comply with the Competition Act will be rectified promptly and will be “conducting a process that can allow the league and clubs to enact those specific changes quickly and effectively”.
Not only does this mean that CFG is likely to restart conversations with the two blocked parties – one being the Etihad Group and another with a bank based in Abu Dhabi – but that other clubs could now potentially look into further lucrative sponsorship deals, although ‘fair market value’ will still be assessed.
You can read page 164 of the document which summarises the full Tribunal HERE.
Meanwhile, the still outstanding case against Man City over their 115 charges regarding FFP breaches has now begun, though a decision is still a ways off.
Date set for Manchester’s move to London-style ‘touch in, touch out’ public transport system
Emily Sergeant
The date for Manchester’s switch to a London-style ‘touch in, touch out’ public transport system has officially been set.
With just three months to go until all buses in Greater Manchester are back under local control, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has now set the date for the introduction of capped contactless payments on the Bee Network in a bid to “support multi-modal travel”, and it’s already being described as a “huge step forward”.
TfGM believes contactless pay-as-you-go systems on buses and trams will make travel easier overall, as it’ll guarantee passengers pay the right fare for their journey.
But how exactly will it work?
Coming soon, contactless Pay As You Go on #BeeNetwork buses. Travel seamlessly between bus and tram, with fares automatically worked out for you.
🟡 Pay no more than the daily or weekly cap for your journeys (adult fares) 🟡 Unlimited daily travel by bus for £5 a day pic.twitter.com/dOa8o96vqA
Well, similar to how customers currently travel on the Metrolink, passengers will be able to use their bank card or smart payment device to touch in on all Bee Network bus services, and rest assured knowing that they will only be charged the lowest fare up to the daily cap of £5, or the new weekly cap of £20.
Under the new system, people travelling by Bee Network bus will simply ‘touch on’ as they board the service.
Not only that, but passengers will also be able to travel across both Metrolink and Bee Network bus services at the same time, and only be charged a single multi-modal fare, instead of having to plan or buy tickets in advance – which is similar to travelling in London.
Passengers who use both Bee Network bus and Metrolink can use pay as you go for unlimited all-day travel across Greater Manchester, which is expected to cost a maximum of £9.50, or £7.80 if you start your journey after 9:30am or at weekends.
Journeys will be cheaper if travelling across fewer Metrolink zones.
Manchester is set to move to London-style ‘touch in, touch out’ public transport payment system / Credit: TfGM
For the time being, TfGM has confirmed that pay as you go travel will operate with adult fares only, but this may be rolled-out to others in the future.
“Pay as you go will be launching across Bee Network buses to build on the system that has been in place on the Metrolink since 2019,” explained Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
“This is a massive step forward in terms of delivering a London-style transport network for the people of Greater Manchester, putting our region on par with not only the capital, but also major cities across the world that offer seamless integrated travel by public transport.”
Mr Burnham also said it’ll be “affordable and easier to pay for”, and will ultimately “take the worry out of choosing the right ticket”.