Manchester’s neighbourhood Kampus is gearing up to host a solid ten weeks of back-to-back block parties from its canal-side garden.
From laid-back disco vibes to escapist California beach sounds, Irish folk parties, raucous Mexican festivities to smooth NYC jazz, each weekend will see guest DJs take to the decks to spin tunes from different corners of the world.
Kicking off from Friday 15 April, the neighbourhood will play host to a range of eclectic patio parties with free-flowing beer from Manchester brewery Cloudwater.
Image: Kampuis
As for food, Ramsbottom favourites Levanter will be moving into the Kampus Bungalow for a residency -serving up tapas, giant paella and charcuterie boards aplenty over the ten-week period.
Every Saturday and Sunday from 11am, the team will be putting on a special Spanish brunch with a rotating menu and special Bloody Mary cocktails from Cloudwater on tap, using a different base spirit and garnish each week.
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The residency – to takeover the Kampus gardens and Bungalow – will run until Sunday 26 June 2022.
Paul Jones, co-founder of Cloudwater, said: “The vibe at Kampus last summer was knock-out, with people dancing in the gardens and sipping craft beer overlooking Canal Street.
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“We’re properly excited about this line-up. We not only wanted to celebrate the best of Manchester’s scene, with local DJs and artists, but cherry-pick the best produce from around the world and showcase it during a run of epic neighbourhood parties.
Image: Levanter
“The global weekenders mean we can not only rotate our own beers, but serve up amazing imported drinks from our friends in Europe and the US to the Manchester crowd.”
The residency is further expansion for Ramsbottom favourites Levanter.
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Born from founder Joe Botham’s love for Flamenco music and Andalusian culture, the restaurant and sister brand Baratxuri went on to gain critical acclaim – with rave reviews from national food critics, awards and a place in the Michelin Guide.
Based at The Bungalow, the canalside concrete block on stilts at Kampus, they’ll be serving up food from 11am to 9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 11am to 8pm on Sunday throughout the residency.
Giant paella will be served in the garden from 3pm on weekends, with both meat and vegan options.
Joe Botham, owner of Levanter and Baratxuri, said: “We’re all about serving delicious, Spanish food in a way that’s unpretentious, traditional but above all social. It’s about the shared experience of having great food and spending time with the people you love the most.
“This residency will be perfect for that, visitors can expect giant paella cooked outside, hand-carved Jamon Iberico de Bellota and a raft of our favourite dishes we picked up on our travels around Spain’s stunning villages.
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“We’ve done our own thing and gained an awesome following at Levanter, but we’ve always loved collaborating with like-minded people. Coming to Kampus is like coming home, it’s got that neighbourhood feel that we love and loads of our old mates who’ve gone on to found great brands that are due to open here too.”
Image: Kampus
The Cloudwater X Levanter global weekender line-up will include:
Manchester Long Bank Holiday (14-17 April)
Known Manchester DJs and homegrown city favourite beers
Spain (21-24 April)
Spanish house music, specially imported Basqueland beers and cider, plus Record Store Day pop-up featuring indie record shops selling and spinning hot records.
California Bank Holiday (28 April – 1 May)
Beach soundtrack, surf rock and hip hop, with guest beers flown in.
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Mexico (5-8 May)
Cinco de Mayo celebrations, with traditional décor and Latin party vibes.
Ireland (12-15 May)
Fresh imported beer from our neighbours, folk music, spoken word artists and stalls.
New York (19-22 May)
Eclectic mix of Jazz in all its forms, paired with beers from the best NYC breweries.
Canada (26-29 May)
Fresh beers from Toronto’s finest, including Bellwoods, Sonnen Hill and Goodspeed breweries.
The Queer Ju-Beer-lee Festival Bank Holiday (2-5 June)
Celebrating the Best of British in honour of Queen Liz! Party bags and street party at the ready, pouring fresh beer from the Queer Brewing Project.
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Portugal (9-12 June)
Fun-twist on a Portuguese party, with Fado and Flamenco tunes, with port-infused Bloody Marys.
New England USA (16 –19 June)
Levanter dishes with beers from some of the highest rated breweries in the world.
Manchester closer (23-26 June)
Manchester favourites to celebrate our home town, with back-to-back tunes!
Feature image – Kampus
News
Government officially approves Eton’s plan to ‘remove barriers’ and open new FREE college in Oldham
Emily Sergeant
Eton’s plans to open a new free college in Oldham will officially go ahead following Government approval this week.
In case you need bringing up to speed a bit, plans for three new post-16 colleges – with the other two being in Dudley and Middlesborough – that are designed to help give young people who’ve done well in their GCSEs the opportunity to achieve the A-Levels they need to go to Oxbridge and other elite universities across the world were first announced back in March 2022, and then given the green light in August 2023.
Eton has partnered with Star Academies – which is said to be the highest-performing state school trust in the country – for the new colleges.
The colleges will aim to recruit ‘dynamic young people from deprived communities’, including in Oldham, and provide them with a ‘rigorous and rounded education’ that supports their ambitions to achieve places at ‘the very best universities’.
Oldham Council has welcomed the news that the new college – set to be named Eton Star Oldham – will go ahead, after the Government confirmed the conclusion of its national review into the proposals.
The decision means that Oldham will become one of the first places in the country to offer this new education model that combines high standards with strong partnerships and expanded opportunities for local young people.
The Government has officially approved Eton’s plan to open a new free college in Oldham / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Approval means pupils from every background will soon have access to the ‘very best’ opportunities.
Cllr Arooj Shah, who is the Leader of Oldham Coucil, said this is ‘great news’ for Oldham, adding: “Eton Star Oldham will give our young people access to life-changing opportunities, no matter their background or where they start in life.
“We have been clear throughout that this must be a college shaped with our young people, our parents and our communities.
“Now that the Government has confirmed it will go ahead, we will work closely with Eton College and Star Academies to make sure this delivers for Oldham’s children and opens doors for generations to come.”
Work will now begin on the detailed next steps – including design, delivery, and engagement with families and communities.
It’s also been confirmed that the college will be built on the current Tommyfield Market car park site in Oldham town centre.
Featured Image – Oldham Council
News
Former Salford Red Devils player planning phoenix club after the team’s collapse
Danny Jones
A former Salford Red Devils player is planning to start a phoenix club from the ashes of the fallen rugby league team.
Retired winger Mason Caton-Brown, who played for the Red Devils between 2014 and 2016, is leading the consortium currently being linked with resurrecting the Salford side.
The Greater Manchester sporting institution sadly folded following liquidation on 3 December after a prolonged period of uncertainty and crippling debts.
Despite investors promising funds and multiple adjournments to their winding-up ceremony, time simply ran out and now Caton-Brown and co. are, hopefully, looking to pick up the pieces.
Heading up the move to bring back the beloved outfit, the former chairman of the ‘Forever Reds Supporters Trust’ (FRST), Malcolm Crompton, local entrepreneurs Paul Hancock and Ashley Washington are also assisting with the proposal.
Simply known as ‘The Phoenix Bid’, they are said to have potentially secured a six-figure sum and have already reached some provisional pre-contract agreements with a new coach and several players ahead of the formal offer being taken into consideration.
Publishing a lengthy mission statement on social media earlier this week, the ex-pro wrote: “I moved to Salford from London over 10 years ago, and the club and city welcomed me with open arms.
“It made me who I am today. The Salford City community is like no other, and the club is a big part of that, so when I saw it was at risk of going under, I truly felt the need to be a part of a solution and give back to the club, city and the community.
“But I’m not on my own, I’m part of a team of people that are passionate about what this club means and truly focused on making sure a true Salford RLFC stays alive and is something the fans and the city can call their own.”
Chatting with BBC Sport Manchester in a recent interview, the 32-year-old Enfield-born athlete turned businessman – who also represented the London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity – claims that conversations with investors and stakeholders are progressing nicely.
🗣️ "We are looking to bring this club back to life"
Former Salford winger Mason Caton-Brown has outlined his plans for a new phoenix club.
Salford fans, make sure to listen back to last night's Total Sport.
Signing off the post with a strong assurance, he said: “If our bid is successful, I promise we will do everything we can to protect the club and build a future Salford can be proud of.”
As for the fans, a spokesperson for the aforementioned supporters’ trust dubbed the prospective personnel spearheading the revival as a “powerful and credible team”, with Caton-Brown promising to reveal all the exciting details if the bid gets green-lit.
Speaking in an official press release shared with The Manc, the one-time Jamaican international and adopted Salfordian added: “This isn’t just about rebuilding a club, it’s about rebuilding belief.
“Salford means everything to me as a club and is part of my story. We want to create something the city can be proud of again; a club that stands for honesty, sustainability, and genuine community connection.”
“We’re inviting the people of Salford to stand with us. Together we can rise again, not just to bring rugby league back to this city, but to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”
Do you think The Phoenix Bid will be successful and, more importantly, do you think this group are the right people to bring the club back and get them moving onwards and upwards again?
Georgina Pellant -
25th March 2022 
