HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022.
During her reign, she served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures, and religions.
She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the UK for 70 years.
With the UK now in a period of national mourning, it has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace and the UK government that on the day of the State Funeral, at 11am in Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September, will be a bank holiday – giving mourners nationwide the chance to properly pay their respects to the late monarch.
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The day before the State Funeral, a ‘National Moment of Reflection’ will be also held in the form of a one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm, and the public is being encouraged to observe this either privately at home, with friends and family, out on doorsteps or the street with neighbours, or at locally arranged community events and vigils.
But for the Greater Manchester residents who are planning on making the journey down to London for the funeral, or travelling in general, some travel information and advice has now been issued by TfGM and GMP.
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TfGM and GMP has issued travel advice for travel on the day of the State Funeral / Credit: TfGM
Due to the State Funeral being declared a bank holiday, this means that many public transport services across Greater Manchester will be operating on an amended timetable – with both bus and Metrolink services operating to a Sunday timetable.
Many transport services will also pause at 8pm on Sunday to observe the one-minute silence.
Following the end of the funeral service, another two-minute silence will be held, and again, as a result of this, TfGM says Metrolink services will pause at 11:50am to observe the silence, and will resume following the completion of it.
Passengers on board the trams will be notified when the silence begins and ends.
/ Credit: Network Rail
For those travelling by rail, services will be operating to a standard weekday timetable on Monday 19 September – however, services to London between now and Monday are expected to be exceptionally busy due to “the unprecedented number of people likely to be travelling to the capital”, TfGM explains.
This means that some passengers may not get a seat for a period or all of the journey, and they are urged to book in advance and allowing extra time for your trip.
Passengers are also advised to check the latest customer information before travelling, as tickets will still be required on all services, but peak restrictions will not apply on the day as it is a bank holiday.
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Find out more about travel on the day of the State Funeral on the TfGM website here.
Featured Image – Network Rail
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Acclaimed Manchester cocktail bar named one of UK’s best quietly closes its doors
Emily Sergeant
An acclaimed Manchester cocktail bar that was formerly named one of the best in the UK has quietly closed its doors for good.
Tucked away beneath the former set of Coronation Street in the Old Granada Studios complex, and hidden in the basement of Manchester‘s historic 1800s Bonded Warehouse at St. John’s, Project Halcyon Distillery officially opened its doors in 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic delays – with the intimate venue going on to become a city favourite.
The acclaimed, Speakeasy-style bar drew inspiration from Prohibition-era Chicago, focusing on ‘halcyon days’ of calm and luxury.
It included an on-site distillery used to create bespoke ingredients for its seasonal menu, and beyond cocktails, even featured a so-called ‘Stillroom’ for masterclasses and had private, curtained room dedicated to absinthe, with traditional fountains, called ‘Salon Vert’.
Project Halcyon has quietly closed its doors for good / Credit: Project Halcyon | The Manc Group
But despite its success over the years, and even earning a place in the coveted Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK list on several occasions, Project Halcyon has officially – but somewhat quietly – now closed its doors for good.
“It was with sincere regret that due to unexpected challenges at the ownership level we must close our doors for the foreseeable. Though we say goodbye, the memories live on.
“Thank you to everyone who shared in our craft, our community, and our story.”
After the news broke on social media, Project Halcyon’s Instagram post was flooded with dozens of comments showing support for staff members, and remembering the venue as one of their favourite cocktail bars in the city centre.
The nature of some of the comments also prompted Project Halcyon to issue a follow-up statement below addressing concerns over money owed to workers and other partners, adding: “We sincerely hope that anyone who may be owed by the owners of Project Halcyon – past and present team included – receives what they are owed.
“We are not deleting comments and have no interest in doing so. We also cannot control how Instagram manages comment threads. This page is run by the team, not the owners.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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‘Hefty’ Foo Fighters ticket prices for surprise Manchester gig divide opinion
Danny Jones
Foo Fighters fans, gig-goers and all-round music lovers in general have been left up in arms after the legendary American rock band announced some surprise shows in the UK and Ireland – including here in Manchester – as ticket prices have labelled ‘shameful’ by some.
In case you missed the news that sent us here in Manchester and all over the nation into bedlam, Foo Fighters recently revealed they would be playing just a handful of shows up and down the country, all at smaller venues than their usual arena tour dates.
Sharing the news fairly last-minute over the weekend, with tickets going on sale this past Sunday and (shock) selling out almost immediately, many have taken issue with the band’s and/or promoters’ approach to the event.
While lots have revelled in the excitement of a show scheduled for this week being dropped on our laps in the eleventh hour, lots of others feel the price point for the tickets is ‘ridiculous’.
Although they’re not quite on the level of the controversial Oasis/Harry Styles sagas, at £99 including all fees, they’re still up there with the most expensive gig tickets venues like these will ever charge.
Most poignantly, the tickets were sold strictly in person via the box office, with fans queuing up outside a trio of venues.
Taking place at the O2 Ritz, which has a capacity of roughly 1,500, the Foo Fighters’ Manchester date is not only one of the most in-demand gigs, but also promises to be one of their sweatiest – and, apparently, most divisive.
For some, this is a very cool bit of marketing and at least an attempt to curb online ticket touts, plus helping support live music spaces directly; on the other hand, the significant fee remains a sticking point they refuse to move past.
Responding in the comments underneath the post by the Ritz, one person wrote: “That ticket price is f****** disgusting. It’s not costing them f*** all to play there, if Harry Styles can play the Co-op Live for £20 then they should”; another simply added, “99 quid is wild, do better.”
Safe to say it has split opinions across the board.
i really want to know who is paying £100 to see foo fighters at o2 academy ritz and what they do for work to justify that
Big fan of the foo fighters but having only in person tickets and then still charging £100 is a joke. Then to move other bands earlier to slot them in isn’t fair
As you can see, it’s also affected other acts set to play these same rooms this month, too.
Others have also doubted whether the ‘face value exchange’ tactic really works all that much, as a few people on social media reported having already found a number of tickets being listed on resale on certain platforms.
What do you make of artists charging these kinds of prices for exclusive one-off shows like this, or the cost of gig tickets in general these days?
Better yet, did any of you succeed in grabbing tickets to see Foo Fighters at the Ritz here in Manchester this Friday, 27 February?
Emily Sergeant -
15th September 2022 
