The Factory: Extra £45 million needed for ‘world’s most ambitious arts space’ in Manchester
The plan to build one of the world's "largest, ambitious and versatile" arts spaces in Manchester will cost an extra £45 million to complete following the setbacks caused by COVID-19.
The plan to build one of the world’s “largest, most ambitious and most versatile” arts spaces in Manchester will cost an extra £45 million due to setbacks caused by COVID-19.
The Factory, which is being constructed at the old Granada TV studios on Quay Street, is anticipated to generate £1.1 billion for Manchester’s economy over ten years – hosting epic concerts and performances across music, dance, theatre and opera.
But Manchester City Council said it is unable to offer further funding for the project; and is instead generating extra money via ‘national funding sources and enhanced fundraising’.
The venue will now cost a total of £186m to build and will open to the public in December 2022.
850,000 visitors a year are expected to visit The Factory – with the completed venue set to create and support 1,500 new jobs according to the council.
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The Factory has also been designed to “support the next generation of local talent” – with a ‘Factory Futures’ programme benefitting up to 10,000 unemployed young people.
The council have described The Factory as a “key project which will help power Manchester’s economic recovery from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and help usher in an exciting new chapter.”
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Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This is a project which will have enormous benefits for the city and its people.
“It’s precisely because of these difficult times that it is even more important than ever that we deliver it.”
Tom Bloxham MBE, Manchester International Festival Chair, added: “The Factory will have a major impact on the lives of people living across Manchester, and will transform the cultural scene in the UK.
“As Manchester International Festival has already shown, The Factory will also strengthen Manchester’s reputation as an internationally important centre for culture and creativity, and as a significant international destination, but like MIF it will be proudly rooted in our great city.
“The Factory will play a key role in the lives of Greater Manchester residents, building on MIF’s record of working with communities, as audiences and as participants, and bringing jobs, skills, training and creative opportunities for local people and artists, as well as commercial benefit for Manchester’s businesses.”
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20 of the best Father’s Day deals in and around Greater Manchester | 2025
Danny Jones
This weekend is festivals galore with Parklife and Outbreak, as well as National Beer Day here in the Uk, but most importantly for lots of us, it’s Father’s Day, i.e. that one specific time of year when you can spoil the bloke who ‘never asks for anything’, is ‘always looking after the rest of us’and so on.
You know the drill.
Every year, when it comes round to Mother’s Day, we always get the usual suspects commenting, ‘What about Father’s Day?’ – well, for what we hope is the final time, the date is the third Sunday in June and in 2025, it happens to be this coming Sunday, 15 June.
Now we’ve got all the tedious housekeeping out of the way, we’re going to channel our inner non-nonsense dad energy and tell you a few deals and offers that you can score for your pops this Father’s Day in a handy little round-up. We think they’d be proud of that already.
Great Father’s Day deals and offers for Greater Manchester dads
The Black Friar – Salford: ‘Bottomless Boddingtons’ deal; book a table this Sunday and when you buy your pops a pint, he gets free refills.
The Black Friar’s Father Day offer has to be one of the best deals around, if you ask us.Boddies is the ultimate Mancunian dad beer.Credit: The Manc Group
1.Lane7 – Great Northern Warehouse: Free pint when booking and using the codeCHEERSDAD at checkout online.
2.J. W. Lees – Various: Sunday roast with all the trimmings, bottomless gravy and unlimited Yorkshire puddings at all J. W. Lees locations.
3.Greene King – Various: Free pint of any Greene King-brewed beer for dads when booking a table for food at any Greene King pub.
Credit: The MancA Greene King great.Greene King is keeping their Father’s Day deals special for 2025: free pints, init.
4.Spirit of Manchester Distillery – City centre: Complimentary rum negroni for all dads. Feasting boards + a bottle of wine for £50 are also available.
5.Stock Exchange Hotel – City centre: Limited-edition Afternoon Tea and Sunday Lunch all Father’s Day weekend. Afternoon teas are available all weekend from 12:30pm until 5pm (4:30pm on Saturday). Book now to secure your spot.
6.Sexy Fish – Spinningfields: ‘Roll the dice’ offer, where fathers can win prizes, including an extra game, free beer, raffle entry, and dad eats free. There is a catch, though, as you can also land yourself a trick, which means dad pays for everything… You can book HERE.
7.Pip – Deansgate: Add a welcome drink and complimentary massage from specialists Ruuby before or after food when reserving a table for Sunday lunch. Bookings HERE.
8.Albert’s Schloss – City centre: Every dad dining ‘in-haus’ will receive a branded stein and a bottle of Krombacher to take home; they can even have it engraved from 1-4pm when booking in advance. There will also be a ‘Rise + Shine Brunch’, where dads can take control of the playlist.
9.Zouk – Oxford Road Corridor: Brunch and Sunday roast sharing platters, close-up magic with Daniel Maze, as well as Zouk BBQ Banquet Kits and Masterclasses.
As far as deals and offers go, Zouk has some of the best in Manchester as it is, let alone on Father’s Day. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
10.The Ivy – Spinningfields: Cowboy-themed Father’s Day set menus on Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 June. Top-quality meat and fish are the stars of the show, and dads will also take home a limited edition set of The Ivy playing cards as a souvenir. More info on the menu and bookings HERE.
11.TGI Fridays – Central and Trafford Centre: Free pint of Hofmeister (or alcohol-free version) with any portion of wings purchased.
12.TheRefuge/Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – Oxford Road: Free pint on Manchester Union Lager when booking a meal this Sunday.
13.Cockfield’s Farm Park – Oldham/Ashton: Free entry for dads with every child ticket. In addition to the usual resident animals, kids’ playground, cafe and gift shop, there will also be a ‘Machine Madness’ event this weekend. Find out more HERE.
14.Seven Brothers – Ancoats, Media City, Salford Brewery and Taproom: Father’s Day Bundle (12 cans from £34.95) and Gift Pack (£9.95) as well as other discounted items available to order online.
15.Forbici – City centre: Free haircut for all fathers at Urban Gent when settling the bill.
One of the most random Father’s Day deals in Manchester, we’ll admit, but we rate it.
16.The Lead Station – Chorlton: Free pint of beer and branded Shindigger pint glass. Set Sunday menus are also available for booking.
17.The Martlet Kitchen – Rochdale: Special Father’s Day menu; as well as the usual stunning Sunday roast, dads can also share a ‘Tomahawk Rib Eye for Two’ or ‘The Lancashire Mixed Grill’ – both built for big boys. You can find out more details and reserve your table HERE.
It really is a Greater Manchester gem, and its Father’s Day menu offers plenty of variety, plus quality too.
18.Manchester Airport – GM Ringway: Hangar and aircraft showcase tours at the Runway Visitor Park as well as a free sausage or bacon barm. Now, if this Father’s Day offer isn’t the most dad deal on this list, we don’t know what is. You can book online or over the phone on 0161 489 3932.
19. Maya – Gay Village: Bottomless brunch promising 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks as well as a ‘Quiz & Cocktails’ event from 6:30pm onwards. The prize? £50 bar tab.
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20.meetspaceVR – Trafford Park: 25% off all gift cards when using code BONUSTIME at checkout, and those who spend £50 or more can claim a bonus Black Card, which gets you 25% off all future bookings. As in forever.
Now, obviously, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the Father’s Day deals and offers that there in and around Greater Manchester this year, but it’s a bloody good start.
And on a very serious note, if this particular annual observance is one that you’re also guilty of perhaps overlooking, then let’s make 2025 the last year that is the case.
Happy Father’s Day to all the proper good pops out there – we love you. Cheers.
Yellow weather warning issued for Parklife weekend with thunderstorms forecast
Daisy Jackson
A yellow weather warning has been issued for Greater Manchester over the weekend – just as Parklife festival gets underway.
The Met Office has predicted thunderstorms may hit the region on Saturday, the first day of the two-day party up at Heaton Park.
There’s a yellow weather warning in place across much of the UK over the coming days, but it doesn’t come into force in Greater Manchester until Saturday.
The Met Office is currently predicting wet weather for Parklife festival-goers on day one, with a 70% chance of light rain from the time the gates open until early evening.
It’s then might to brighten up and is likely to be dry, if a little cloudy, into the evening.
The yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place from midnight until 6pm on Saturday 14 June.
Temperatures are expected to peak at around 21°C
As for Sunday at Parklife, which will be headlined by none other than Charli XCX, the weather is looking a lot more settled, if a bit cooler.
There are forecasted highs of 18°C and lows of 12°.
While the day will begin quite overcast, it’s expected to really brighten up with sunny intervals in the afternoon and into the evening.
Back in 2023, when thunderstorms hit Manchester during Parklife, the entire festival had to be momentarily halted.
On that occasion, festival-goers were told to ‘keep away from metal structures’ and all the live music was paused.
The Manc -
6th October 2020 
