Legendary Manchester club The Hacienda is turning 40 this month, and to celebrate there will be a huge party in the car park beneath the apartments where the original club once stood.
Whitworth Street West might now be home to a series of neat magnolia two beds, but – if its walls could talk – they would still speak of hazy all-nighters, sweatbox dancefloors, and the thumping basslines of the early acid house scene where it all began.
Planned to mark 40 years to the day the club first opened its doors, the 40th anniversary party is set to take place on 21 May.
The Hacienda, once a ship building warehouse, then a nightclub, is now flats for Manchester’s city dwellers. / Image: Flickr
The event sees a host of the Hacienda’s finest residents return to the building with Graeme Park, DJ Paulette, Jon Dasilva, Tom Wainwright, Hewan Clarke, Aaron Mellor. K Klass live and surprise guests all coming along for the anniversary party.
The entire eight hour event is to be broadcast live by StreamGM and supports The Christie charity and Legacy Of War Foundation – Ukraine, Factory Founder Alan Erasmus’s appointed charity for his recent humanitarian mission to Ukraine.
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All proceeds from the event will be donated to charity, as was the case when a similar event was held at the same location in 2012 to mark the 30th anniversary.
According to reports in the Manchester Evening News, letters signed by organisers including Peter Hook and James Masters have already been sent out to residents of the Hacienda apartments to let them know of the 40th-anniversary plans – and invite them to join in.
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The letter reads: “The Hacienda is revered as part of both Manchester’s and the UK’s musical history, returning to the original site of the club for the 40th anniversary will be very special for everyone, undoubtedly enhancing the reputation of the building.
“As you might be aware, FAC251 The Hacienda celebrates the 40th anniversary in May 2022, having opened its doors in May 1982 to create the legacy which has given the apartments their unique heritage and history.
“Some might remember or may even have attended the event which we did for the 30th anniversary in 2012 which was much praised and this event will be generally similar to our previous event in the car park. All proceeds from the event are to be donated directly to charities.”
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The letter continues to say they hope residents will be “enthusiastic about the event” and apply for tickets to attend, adding: “It will generate worldwide attention and media on the building and be a great event for all concerned.”
Tickets go on pre-sale Thursday 12 May 10am with a general sale Friday 13 May 10am, both at at www.fac51-thehacienda.com.
Already being described as “the ultimate African safari experience right here in the UK”, some of the lodges will be located at the side of a lake, while others will offer views of a private savannah-style habitat that are home to Northern giraffes.
Bookings officially went live last Wednesday (29 January), and demand was “nothing short of phenomenal”, with the website crashing for a brief period and more than 550 bookings made so far.
But merely moments after this, people began hitting out at the prices for overnight stays.
Those working on the “very special” project say a stay at The Reserve will help to fund Chester Zoo’s global conservation projects.
Chester Zoo has issued a statement after people slammed the ‘totally ridiculous’ prices for safari-style lodges / Credit: Supplied
In the off-season, prices for the lodges start from £375, while one-night stays in summer start from £672.50, and then in peak season, for the more luxurious lodges, prices can go all the way up to £2,486, but it’s worth nothing that this does include guided safari tours and going behind-the-scenes with the giraffes.
“As an international wildlife charity we wholly rely on public funding to carry out our species-saving work,” a Chester Zoo spokesperson said in defence of the pricing.
“The Reserve is the latest way that people may wish to help to directly fund our global conservation projects and make a difference to the future of some amazing, but sadly endangered, species.
“A stay at The Reserve includes so much more than a room for the night.
“Packages include elements such as a range of exclusive behind-the-scenes and animal experiences, breakfast, dinner and out-of-hours access to the zoo, as well as two-day passes and the chance to view wildlife straight from your lodge balcony.”
Find out more and book your stay in the new lodges on the Chester Zoo website here.
Featured Image – Supplied
News
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise in April
Emily Sergeant
More than three million workers across the UK are set to receive a ‘significant pay boost’ from April, the Government has announced.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to “put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year”, the Government has now laid legislation this week that confirms a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour from April onwards.
Ministers say the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which will be worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a “significant step” towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a “genuine” living wage.
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
This is the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
We are putting more money in your pocket.
From April, millions of working people will get a pay rise.
With the Government’s end goal being to create a single adult wage rate, this increase to both the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage will put an end to age-based wage discrimination, meaning employers can no longer be justified in paying younger workers less for doing the same job as their older colleagues.
The minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted this year, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of all of these changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise in April / Credit: Pexels
An impact assessment published earlier this week shows that these changes will put around £1.8 billion into the pockets of workers over the next six years, according to the Government.
“The increased income is set to boost financial stability for millions of families and improve spending power which will drive economic growth,” the Government claims.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves commented: “This Government promised a genuine living wage for working people that will support people with the cost of living, creating a workforce that is fit and ready to help us deliver number one mission to growth the economy.
Georgina Pellant -
6th May 2022 
