The list of pubs and bars closing across the UK is growing depressingly large and brewing giants Stella Artois are as fed up with it as the rest of us.
It was only earlier this week that we learned two beloved Stockport boozers, Doctor Feelgood and The Glass Spider, were sadly shutting down due to rising energy bills and overall business costs, not to mention people simply not having as much money to go out at the minute.
With that in mind, Stella wanted to try and help those in need and, naturally, their idea to support struggling owners that I’m sure you all immediately thought of: turning pub signs into nudey Renaissance-style paintings. As you do…
Drummed up in partnership with Hospitality Action, a charity for those in the service industry, Stella Artois’ UK arm has put together a novel new campaign in hope of raising money for local publicans and it’s a truly brilliant idea. Now, this is what we call ‘high art’.
As you can see in the short advert, with around 400 UK pubs sadly closing in the last year alone — not to mention countless others in the wake of the pandemic — Stella have teamed up with some seriously talented artists to reimagine some iconic pub signs as oil paintings.
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Nudity being an essential component, of course.
The clever and comedic initiative dubbed, ‘The Pub Renaissance‘, will see art collectors or people who simply want to do their bit for a worthy nationwide cause bid on these limited edition artworks, as well as be able to buy affordable prints to hang up back at home.
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All of the proceeds will go towards a fund which collected by Hospitality Action and distributed across various watering holes in need of financial assistance across Britain. Quality stuff.
Collaborating with painters from the likes of the Lake District and London, to as far as Australia and Iceland, the aim was to get each of them to come up with their own inspired take and, in defiance of the nation being stripped of important gathering places, they decided to strip their signs instead.
After all, Stella Artois is best unfiltered and they thought the same should go for the patron saints of these precious pubs, hence them now hanging above the door completely ‘au naturel’.
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As they put it: “Revealing a royal modesty here. An imperial side-boob there. No aristocratic private part was kept under wraps.” Quality stuff.
You can bid for any one of Stella Artois’ 12 Pub Renaissance paintings or grab yourself a print HERE, or simply donate to Hospitality Action directly if you wish. Let’s help save our pubs.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Danny Jones -
6th April 2023 
