Community spirit and the power of pulling together at a time when it’s needed most has never been more prevalent than during these few months and no one has proved that more than Mama Flo.
Stockport residents have been showing support in the hundreds on social media over the past few months for a “hero of the community” who has been feeding the borough throughout lockdown.
Mama Flo, of the popular and much-loved Caribbean restaurant Mama Flo’s on Buxton Road in Stockport, has been cooking hundreds of meals to offer to NHS staff, critical carers, essential/key workers and the most vulnerable within her local area to ensure they are well fed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A beloved figure in her community, Mama Flo is up everyday from around 4am to begin preparing fresh food.
She has been doing this for no financial gain and has been described as “an absolute inspiration”.
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In the spirit of her mantra ‘be kind and share the love’, Stockport residents have been sure to share their love for Mama Flo on social media.
Facebook / Mama Flo’s
A heartwarming post on Facebook by a local Police Officer, which highlights Mama Flo’s selfless efforts, has garnered much public response and has amassed thousands of likes, comments and shares over recent weeks. It reads: “This is Mama Flo. Those of you who know Stockport know…or should know that she has her Jamaican restaurant ‘Mama Flo’s’ on Buxton Road.”
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“Flo is up around 4am every day preparing food for her shop, and feeds the local community. Over the past few weeks since lockdown, Flo has not stopped. She’s fed Police Officers and Emergency service staff for free…without being asked.”
“Flo has cooked food and fed staff at the MRI at a time of stress and heartache.”
“Flo does not stop and does what she does because she loves people.”
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This is Mama Flo. Those of you who know Stockport know…or should know that she has her Jamaican restaurant 'Mama…
“Today it was nice to take some flowers to her to say thank you from all Police Officers at Stockport who have been helped by her love, generosity and selflessness.”
“If you have never been to sample Flo’s food, you are sorely missing out, she is amazing, go and support her.”
“Flo…you are a hero of your community, and we salute you.”
Other local residents, happy customers and grateful members of the community have also added their support for Mama Flo in the comments of the above post, on her Facebook page and via other similar posts across social media platforms.
Mama Flo has also been sure to keep her community regularly updated via her Facebook page and has often expressed how grateful she is to have received such overwhelmingly positive feedback.
After drawing her ‘Free Food Monday’ initiative to a close at the start of June, she took the time to thank customers in a post that read: “Thank you for your continued support throughout the past three months during the COVID pandemic. It’s been a real pleasure to see the community join together to support one another during what has been such a difficult time.”
“What has been a great 3 months [it has been]. I will especially miss the giving goody bags out for the children and receiving all the beautiful photos they brought for me.”
“Thank you to everyone that has helped me out, spread the word and donated to this amazing cause, but most of all, thank you to all my family that have been there to support me every step of the way.”
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
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Hey everyone,Thank you for your continued support throughout the past three months , during the COVID pandemic. It’s…
If you’re local to Stockport and are keen on Caribbean cooking, you can order for delivery and collection from Mama Flo’s on Tuesday-Thursday 12pm-9:30pm and Friday & Saturday 12pm-10pm.
Orders can be placed on Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and for collection by calling –
A GoFundMe page has also been set up by local residents to support Mama Flo, say thank you and “give her a little something back”. If you would like to make a contribution, you can do so here.
You can continue to keep up to date with Mama Flo on Facebook here.
News
Some tourists will have to pay £1 to visit Manchester from this weekend
Daisy Jackson
Manchester is becoming the first city in the UK to introduce a ‘tourist tax’ from this weekend.
Visitors staying over in one of the city centre’s hotels or apartments will now need to pay £1 per night, in a scheme known as the City Visitor Charge.
Officials hope it will raise up to £3m per year, which will ‘support future growth of the visitor economy and continued high performance for accommodation providers across the city’.
Hoteliers voted in favour of a new Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (BID) last year, as a way to respond to the ‘significant challenges currently facing the accommodation sector in Manchester’.
The tourist tax applies to 73 different accommodation offerings in the city centre, including Hotel Gotham, Dakota, and Kimpton Clocktower.
Any hotel or accommodation that falls within a mapped zone, and has a rateable value of £75,000 or more, is subject to the statutory Accommodation BID charge.
The Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (BID), and the ‘tourist tax’ zone. Credit: Manchester ABID
Similar schemes are already in place at several major cities in Europe, but Manchester is the first city in the UK to bring in a ‘tourist tax’.
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “These are exciting times for Manchester city centre with an unprecedented number of new hotel rooms being added and major new visitor attractions such as Factory International and Co-op Live due to open in the months ahead.
“Seizing that opportunity means ensuring as many rooms as possible are full all year round. We believe that targeted investment through the Manchester Accommodation BID will help support the accommodation sector – which plays such a vital role in supporting jobs in our city and adding to its overall vibrancy – to thrive.”
Adrian Ellis, General Manager of the Lowry Hotel, Chair of the Manchester Hoteliers’ Association, and Interim Spokesperson for the Manchester Accommodation BID, said: “The Manchester Hoteliers’ Association has been in discussion for several years to develop options to create new, additional funding that will support continued high performance and future growth of the visitor economy for accommodation providers across the city.
“The result of these discussions is the Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District proposal, and I am delighted that hoteliers’ have voted in favour of creating an innovative, business-led solution to some of the problems we have been facing as a sector.
“A supplementary fee for guests, added to the final accommodation bill, is now an established norm within the travel sector across the world, and the Manchester Accommodation BID will now bring our accommodation sector in line with European and global counterparts and competitors.”
All the hotels where Manchester’s new ‘tourist tax’ applies
ABode Manchester
AC Hotel by Marriott Manchester City Centre
Britannia Hotel Manchester
Church Street by Supercity Aparthotels
CitySuites Manchester
Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre
Cove – Minshull Street
Crowne Plaza Manchester City Centre
Dakota Manchester
DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester – Piccadilly
easyHotel Manchester City Centre
Great John Street Hotel
Hotel Campanile Manchester
Hotel Gotham
Hampton by Hilton Manchester Northern Quarter
Hilton Manchester Deansgate
Holiday Inn Express Manchester CC – Oxford Road
Holiday Inn Express Manchester City Centre – Arena
Holiday Inn Manchester – City Centre
Hotel Brooklyn Manchester
Hotel Indigo Manchester – Victoria Station
Hyatt Regency Manchester & Hyatt House
Ibis Budget Manchester Centre Pollard Street
ibis Manchester Centre Princess Street
ibis Manchester Centre 96 Portland Street
ibis Styles Manchester Portland
INNSiDE by Meliá Manchester
Kimpton Clocktower
King Street Townhouse
Leonardo Hotel Manchester Central
Leonardo Hotel Manchester Piccadilly
Leven Manchester
Manchester Piccadilly Hotel
Maldron Hotel Manchester City Centre
Malmaison Manchester
Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel
Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel
The Midland Manchester
Motel One Manchester – Royal Exchange
Motel One Manchester – Piccadilly
Motel One Manchester – St Peter’s Square
Moxy Manchester City
Novotel Manchester Centre
Park Inn by Radisson Manchester City Centre
Pendulum Hotel
Premier Inn – Manchester (Deansgate Locks)
Premier Inn – Manchester City Centre Portland Street
Premier Inn Manchester Central
Premier Inn Manchester City (Piccadilly)
Premier Inn Manchester City Centre (Princess Street)
Premier Inn Manchester City Centre (Arena/Printworks)
Premier Inn Manchester City Centre West
The Edwardian Manchester, A Radisson Collection Hotel
Roomzzz Aparthotel Manchester City
Roomzzz Aparthotel Manchester Victoria
Sachas Hotel Manchester
Staycity Aparthotels – Manchester Piccadilly
Staycity Aparthotels – Northern Quarter
The Ainscow Hotel Manchester
The Alan
The Castlefield Hotel
The Gardens Hotel
The Lowry Hotel
Stock Exchange Hotel
Townhouse Hotel Manchester
Travelodge Manchester Ancoats
Travelodge Manchester Central Arena
Travelodge Manchester Central
Travelodge Manchester Piccadilly
Velvet
Whitworth Locke
Wilde Aparthotels by Staycity – St. Peter’s Square
Yotel Manchester Deansgate
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News
The Makers Market is coming back to Cutting Room Square every month as of this Sunday
Danny Jones
The North West’s hugely popular Makers Market is returning to Ancoat’s Cutting Room Square as of this weekend, marking the start of a monthly community staple.
While Makers Markets have been popping up around the region for years now — Stockport, Cheadle, Salford and Media City; Knutsford, Northern Quarter, Didsbury, Congleton and countless other locations — it’s only ever been at Cutting Room Square just the once as part of a trial run back in November 2022.
However, after going down an absolute treat and just as popular as all the others around Greater Manchester and beyond, the organisers have decided to bring it back on a permanent basis from this weekend onwards. Ancoats just got even better.
Now, as of Sunday, 2 April, city centre residents and those travelling into town will be able to enjoy a regular community market packed with local traders from all over every month. Wonderful stuff.
If for some reason you’ve never come across a Makers Market before, the concept is pretty simple: local businesses and indie traders of all different kinds gather in public spaces like Cutting Room Square, setting up pop-up stalls to sell their wares, whatever they may be.
Whether it’d be homemade food and bakery items, handcrafted prints and textiles, or homeware, second-hand records, flowers and everything in between, there is literally always something for everyone.
More importantly, though, these monthly markets aren’t just another place to shop locally and responsibly, but they genuinely provide a wonderful sense of community, quickly cementing themselves as a regular staple for everyone to look forward to and socialise at.
Typically taking place on the second Sunday of every month and with Cutting Room Square and Ancoats already a popular district for locals and tourists alike, we’re sure the atmosphere is going to be great.
You’ve also got the successful Ancoats Pop Up events scattered throughout the rest of the 2023 calendar too — happy days.
We look forward to a year filled with plenty more markets all around Greater Manchester!
You can check out the full list of traders that will be appearing at this weekend’s Makers Market at Cutting Room Square HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
16th June 2020 
