A group of world-renowned street artists will descend on Stockport for a new graffiti festival this month.
Five eminent artists from Argentina’s La Boca district are flying to Manchester this September to transform one of Stockport‘s forgotten backwaters.
Working alongside 12 local artists and 100 residents, artists Eva Luna Maissa, Patrica Salatino, Melina Lluvia, Omar Gasparini and Alejandro Fenochi will transform one of Stockport’s crumbling backstreets from a nowhere place into a somewhere place, just as they did in La Boca, Buenos Aires.
The project, which is called ‘La Boca to La Stocka’, is being masterminded by John and Sophie Macaulay, the husband-and-wife team behind Stockport’s GRIT Studios and Art Battle Manchester.
Speaking on the upcoming urban graffiti project, John said: “This could be the most exciting artistic event ever to happen in Stockport.
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“We are bringing together people who have a lot in common, even though they live half a world away. It’s the spirit and drive to do something for themselves when everybody else seems to have given up on them.”
Sophie added: “We love the story of what artists were able to do in La Boca. It was a forgotten place; the buildings were crumbling; yet people were determined that their children should experience the influence of art and culture they used blank walls as their canvas.
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“Today, La Boca has become a must-see destination, so we wondered if we could do the same for our little bit of the world.”
La Boca is must-see attraction in Buenos Aires (Credit: Flickr)The Argentinian town is famous for its colourful buildings. (Credit: Flickr)
The Argentinian artists will all live in the neighbourhood around Canal Street, Stockport for ten days, getting to know the community whilst painting together.
These five Argentinians will work collaboratively with 12 local artists, plus 100 residents, many of whom haven’t previously engaged with the town’s cultural offerings and activities.
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Together they’ll create a unique, colourful space that it is hoped will make the community proud and attract new visitors to the town.
“We are both about bringing the power of art to the people rather than just the ‘usual suspects’ and we hope this will be the start of a long and fruitful relationship between our two neighbourhoods,” said John.
‘La Boca to La Stocka’ will take place in and around Canal Street and Lower Hopes Carr, Stockport between 3 and 12 September.
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Featured Images — Emma Farrer (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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All Greater Manchester boroughs to have 24-7 night buses from next month as new services launch
Emily Sergeant
Extra night buses, new routes, and more frequent bus services are being rolled out across the Bee Network at the end of this month.
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 plans to introduce these from September onwards have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford will all get a 24-hour bus service by next month, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that once the new services have launched, it 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.
Some of the other changes set to be introduced from next month include a selection of brand-new bus services, and more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends.
All Greater Manchester boroughs will have 24-7 night buses from next month / Credit: TfGM
There will also be better connections overall to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.
“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“As we build it, we’re listening and responding to what residents want with the biggest set of improvements we’ve ever made in one go.
🚌 More improvements are on the way across the #BeeNetwork.
36 service changes will benefit around 740,000 people across Greater Manchester, helping more communities access reliable, convenient public transport.
“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends. In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus, but we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.
“Almost three quarters of a million people live within walking distance of a bus route we’re improving over the next few months, and we’ll continue improving connections for even more communities based on the feedback we get.”
Georgina Pellant -
5th September 2023 
