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The Manchester Pride Parade will return this summer after two-year break

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 15th April 2022

Manchester Pride has confirmed the return of the annual parade this summer after the pandemic forced it to be cancelled two years in a row.

The charity has announced details of the hugely popular event, which this year will be a ‘March for Peace’.

It’s set to take place on Saturday 27 August – the bank holiday weekend – as part of the wider Manchester Pride weekend.

The usual Manchester Pride Live event has been scrapped this year as the charity ‘refocuses its efforts’.

Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies gather to walk in the parade every year, as the city streets become awash with colour and celebration.

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The Manchester Pride Parade will return in 2022. Credit: Supplied

Thousands more are expected to head out to watch the parade for the first time since 2019.

The March for Peace theme has been chosen to highlight the importance of peace, and work towards a world where all LGBTQ+ people can live and love without prejudice.

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Mark Fletcher, CEO at Manchester Pride, said: “In 2020 we had decided to theme the parade as our March for Peace. Sadly the pandemic took hold and we were unable to take to the streets.

“As we look around the world today, this theme has become even more relevant.

“Conflict within and outside of our communities is rife and we are calling on our LGBTQ+ communities and allies around Greater Manchester to join in and support us as we March for Peace.” 

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Returning after two years, the Manchester Pride Parade will be a feel-good procession that organisers say will ‘wow crowds across Manchester and send the world a big, bright, colourful message that everyone deserves to live and love with peace’. 

Mark continued: “LGBTQ+ people have achieved so much in recent history, however, homophobic and transphobic hate crimes have increased in recent years, with many people still facing discrimination because of their identity. 

“We are calling on our communities and its allies to come together, embrace differences, and to recognise that everyone deserves the right to be who they are and live their lives in peace. 

Read more: The biggest beer gardens in Manchester where you might actually get a seat

“Our Parade message is loud and clear this year: No one is really free unless we are all free, and no one gets left behind.”

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Registration is open for organisations to take part in the Parade, with entry categories refreshed in 2022 to enable more LGBTQ+ organisations and groups to participate for free, subsidised by larger organisations to wish to participate. 

Manchester Pride is also striving to make its events greener, and so are encouraging groups to register the parade as walking entries rather than floats.  

For more information can be found at manchesterpride.com/parade. 

Featured image: Supplied

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MediaCityUK makes huge pledge to Salford Youth Zone

Danny Jones Danny Jones Media City donate 100k to Salford Youth Zone

MediaCityUK has committed a sizeable new pledge to nearby Salford Youth Zone, becoming a key patron for the increasingly important community cornerstone.

Initial work on Salford Youth Zone (SYZ) only began back in 2023 but is already promising to become an important outlet for so many through the borough.

Set to open later this summer and now with backing from none other than the hugely influential entity that is MediaCityUK, SYZ’s inaugural year will hopefully get off to a wonderful start.

As its own city with the national media hub boasting a huge reputation of its own, its great to get more eyes on and profile behind the project.

Teaming up with Salford Council and Empower Youth Zone (EMPOWER) – the youth work charity behind the already established HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton and the soon-to-open SYZ – MediaCity has become the latest and one of their most generous patrons yet.

Pledging a huge donation of £100,000, MediaCity will be supporting the charity at large with an extensive volunteering and business support programme over the next four years at the very least.

As a Landsec Futures employability partner and influential hub for the creative industries in the UK, MediaCity are looking to work closely with SYZ and its partners to provide greater access in creative spaces and with local businesses.

Landsec (who have recently acquired full ownership of the MediaCity brand) are equally committed to creating places that deliver lasting positive impact for both communities and the environment.

As per an official announcement of the partnership, “It joins the growing EMPOWER patron community, funding vital services that enable young people to break down barriers, unlock potential, and build brighter futures.”

Salford Youth Zone – situated adjacent to Belvedere Road and Broadwalk in Pendleton – is set to open seven days a week, deliver more than 200 volunteering days each year, as well as offer completely free membership to support thousands of young people in the city and across Greater Manchester.

For those who have come across the exciting new ‘FRAMELESS’ exhibition over in Salford Quays, this comes not only in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery but SYZ itself in one of its first big activitations for 2025.

Here’s a whistle-stop tour of the £6.2 million youth centre and activities space.

Speaking in an official statement, MediaCity Managing Director Martin Chown said of the welcome new partnership: “Salford is an important part of our journey, and deepening our roots here reflects our commitment to enriching the communities we’re part of.

“Partnering with EMPOWER will help us continue to drive forward a thriving creative community while s upporting talented young people. MediaCity has become a cornerstone of Salford’s identity, helping the city attract leading businesses and driving investment into the city.

“It’s a bridge between Salford and the creative industries, and we want to ensure local people feel like a career in the creative industries is within their reach. EMPOWER’s arrival in Salford will make a material difference to young people and the wider community, so we’re proud to be supporting the team.”

Adam Farricker, CEO of Empower, went on to add: “Our partnership with Landsec is another powerful step towards our mission to support young people across Greater Manchester. MediaCity sits at the heart of the city, and we want our young people to feel connected to its energy and community spirit.

“Young people are full of potential but often need the right support to overcome the barriers they face and truly believe in themself. Together, with the MediaCity team and Landsec, we’re working to ensure every young person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to grow, succeed, and move towards a better future.”

With the recently unveiled ‘Content Studio’ to boot, it’s happening in Salford and another exciting event is also heading back to MediaCity this season.

Popular outdoor dining event returns to MediaCity waterfront this summer
Salford Youth Zone isn’t the exciting collab with MediaCity this year.

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Featured Images — Arran Bee (via Flickr)/Salford Youth Zone/Sophia J Carey (supplied)

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Beloved Danish lifestyle and home decor store Søstrene Grene to open new site in Stockport

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Sostrene Grene

Stockport has been given the ‘Grene’ light, as a beloved Danish lifestyle and home decor brand is opening in the town’s centre.

Known for its contemporary – yet surprisingly affordable – home decor, furniture, and stylish lifestyle products, stepping foot inside a Søstrene Grene is store is arguably unlike any other experience on the high street, thanks to its unique layout and winding aisles making it feel like you’re discovering something new around every corner.

Founded in Aarhus in Denmark back in 1973 by Inger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen, Søstrene Grene – which translates as the ‘Green Sisters’ – is now led by Grene’s sons, Mikkel and Cresten Grene, making sure that while the brand continues to grow internationally, it still stays true to its family roots.  

Søstrene Grene will be taking over a spacious 4590 sq ft unit formerly occupied by JD Sports inside Stockport‘s Merseyway Shopping Centre, and it’s already being described as an ‘exciting milestone’ moment for the Greater Manchester town.

Søstrene Grene will be opening a new site in Stockport / Credit: The Manc Group

Shoppers will be able to experience a signature immersive shopping experience when the brand opens in Stockport.

Think soft lighting, classical music, and a distinctive labyrinth-style layout designed to surprise and inspire at every turn – everything Søstrene Grene is known and loved for.

Central to Stockport’s £1bn regeneration plans, Merseyway is playing a key role in the town’s vision of a ‘thriving and vibrant’ town centre, and Søstrene Grene’s opening will be a huge part of that alongside other major projects including new cultural and creative space Stockroom, and the Merseyway Innovation Centre offering flexible working spaces and offices to support local businesses.

Sostrene Grene
The beloved Danish lifestyle and home decor store is known for its affordable prices / Credit: The Manc Group

“We are looking very much forward to opening our first store in wonderful Stockport,” commented Søstrene Grene Group’s CEO, Mikkel Grene.

“This opening will further solidify our presence in Greater Manchester, where we already have many loyal customers. The location in Merseyway Shopping Centre is superb and this new store will be the first in the area to showcase our newest shopping concept where we have worked especially on evoking the visitors’ senses.

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“We want our visitors to feel like entering a Søstrene Grene is like taking a break from an often-hectic everyday life and we cannot wait to spread this feeling amongst shoppers in Stockport.”

Søstrene Grene is opening in Stockport later this year.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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