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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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.
Emily Sergeant -
15th September 2022 
