The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today, and there’s several ways the people of Greater Manchester can come together to pay their respects.
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 in a period of national mourning, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace and the UK government that the State Funeral would be held at 11am in Westminster Abbey today (Monday 19 September) – with a bank holiday declared, so that mourners nationwide have the time to properly pay their respects to the late monarch.
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Due to the bank holiday, many businesses, companies, and organisations across the country have made the decision to close their doors today as a mark of respect, but for those wishing to watch the funeral in the company of others, there are still several ways that people can come together to do so.
Here’s a round-up of different ways to watch the State Funeral in Manchester today.
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The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today at Westminster Abbey at 11am / Credit: The Royal Family
Big Screens
For those who wish to publicly pair their respects, Manchester City Council has confirmed that big screens in the city centre will show coverage of the State Funeral from 9am in these three popular locations:
Cathedral Gardens
Exchange Square
Inside Manchester Cathedral
Each site will be open to the public without the need for tickets.
There will be bag searches in operation and access to the squares will be limited when they reach capacity, but the Council has confirmed that people will be able to move in and out of the big screen areas throughout the day.
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“This Monday will be a historic occasion as Queen Elizabeth II is honoured with a State Funeral,” said Cllr Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council.
“We recognise that many people will take comfort in gathering together to share the moment as they pay tribute to the late Queen and reflect on her long and momentous reign and we are pleased to be able to support this communal remembrance through a public screening of the event.”
Coverage of the State Funeral is to be broadcast nationwide from 9am / Credit: The Royal Family
Cinemas
While Odeon, Cineworld, Picturehouse, Showcase and The Light – most of which have sites across Greater Manchester and the North West – have all confirmed they will be closing theatres nationwide today, others have taken a different approach.
Curzon and Arc are two of the cinema chains that have chosen to screen the funeral for free and cancel the rest of scheduled programming the day.
Vue – which is one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, and the operator of a handful of sites in Greater Manchester – has decided to do a combination of both, by cancelling all of its scheduled screenings today, but opening a select number of venues to screen the funeral from 11am.
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“Seats will be free of charge and we will close our retail stands, but will offer complimentary bottled water during the broadcast,” Vue said in a statement.
With UK government guidance giving hospitality businesses nationwide the option to decide how they operate on the day of the State Funeral, several chains have chosen to keep their doors open and screen the funeral for free rather than shut up shop.
A few of the hospitality chains that have confirmed screenings today include.
HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022 / Credit: The Royal Family
Stonegate
This pub group more than 70 sites in Manchester, including The Slug & Lettuce on Deansgate, Walkabout Printworks, the Oxnoble in Castlefield, The Railway in Sale, The Beech Inn in Chorlton, and The Metropolitan in Didsbury.
Another popular chain that operates 20 pubs in the Manchester borough itself – including the Lass O Gowrie, Ye Olde Cock in Didsbury, the Kings Ransom in Sale, the Matchstick Man at Salford Quays and The Trevor Arms in Chorlton – as well as plenty of others throughout the city region.
Wetherspoons has confirmed that “the majority” of its pubs nationwide will be open from 1pm today following the State Funeral coverage, and will operate “normal trading hours after that”, so that means several of the city’s most popular drinking sites – including the Moon Under Water on Deansgate, The Waterhouse on Princess Street, and the Sedge Lyn in Chorlton – will be open for business to celebrate the Queen’s life.
Passengers warned of ‘disruption’ ahead of more Bee Network bus strikes this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Bus services across Greater Manchester will be disrupted later this weekend as drivers from two companies stage strike action.
In what is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says it has had confirmation that staff from two operators, Stagecoach and Metroline, will go ahead with further planned strikes this weekend.
If this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who were employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – each of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – walked out in a number of co-ordinated strikes earlier this month amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union said each of the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
In this case, Unite has confirmed that drivers at First have called off further action after voting to accept a revised pay offer.
Passengers are being warned of ‘disruption’ ahead of more Bee Network bus strikes this weekend / Credit: TfGM
However, both Stagecoach and Metroline staff have opted to proceed with strike action onFriday 10 October, Saturday 11 October, and Monday 13 October.
This means that around 190 services, including some dedicated school buses, will not run on strike days, and TfGM is therefore advising everyone to ‘check before they travel’ and allow extra time to make their journey.
Bus services in Tameside, Trafford, and Stockport are not expected to run, and some services in South Manchester, parts of the city centre, and Rochdale will also be impacted.
Many bus services will continue to run ‘as usual’, however, and this includes services such as the Free Bus in Manchester city centre, as well as the majority of buses in Bolton, Bury, Salford, and Wigan.
The strikes are the latest in an ongoing dispute over pay / Credit: TfGM
“While we are pleased that planned industrial action by First staff has been called off, we encourage Stagecoach, Metroline, and Unite to continue discussions to avert further strike action,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“We’ll continue to keep passengers informed and support them to make journeys wherever possible. We encourage everyone to check the latest status of their service before they travel, leave plenty of time for their journey and to get in touch if they have any questions.”
Unite has indicated that further industrial action will also happen on Saturday 18, Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October.
This action could still take place, if pay negotiations are not concluded.
Featured Image – TfGM
News
First vendors confirmed Glossop Market Hall, including two indie Manc traders
Danny Jones
The first vendors for the upcoming Glossop Market Hall have been announced, and the lineup includes two beloved Greater Manchester independent businesses.
Better still, the third is another noteworthy name from the North West.
Glossop Market Hall is scheduled to launch later this year, setting up shop in the historic town hall complex, where the High Peak Borough Council, a retail shopping arcade and various other municipal buildings have stood in various different iterations for nearly well over a century.
With the Derbyshire town set to celebrate the opening of the newly revamped market hall, those behind the new Glossop attraction have now revealed the first three names set to take up residence there.
As you can see, the biggest names already signed on to cook from one of the six kitchens is a Manchester favourite food hall in its own right: Hello Oriental.
The Pan-Asian paradise not only has a subterranean space below Circle Square, but also at The Trafford Centre, as well as a dessert spin-off in Freight Island.
Indie trader number two comes in the form of B&V Trading, who are based at Stanley Square in Sale and specialise in eco-friendly, UK-made treats, toys and essentials for four-legged friends.
After proving a hit with the locals, their small stall at nearby Altrincham Market has grown to see them open up not just a second site in the leafy Cheshire suburbs of Knutsford back in 2022, but now boast a third location in neighbouring Macclesfield.
Speaking of Macc, local gin and whisky makers, Forest Distillery – based up at the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn pub towards the Peaks – they round out the first wave of regional businesses set to pop up in Glossop Market Hall (GMH) when it finally arrives this winter.
And once again, as the update on social media reads: “This is just the beginning”.
Natives, day-trippers and tourists from all over are bound to visit this place when it opens sometime in November (exact date still TBC), and with space not only for a dedicated bar, dining space and a coffee shop, but a total of 17 retail spaces, we can’t wait to see what comes next.
GMH becomes just the latest among a growing trend of food and drink halls popping up all over our part of the country, with virtually every Greater Manchester borough now boasting at least one of their own – or, in the city centre’s case, what feels like a dozen now.
Exhibit number… not sure, we’ve lost track at this point.
Emily Sergeant -
19th September 2022 
