Manchester City Council says plans for a new attraction in Manchester Town Hall that tells the story of the iconic building and showcases some of its unique treasures and artefacts have taken a big step forward.
And it means visitors can explore hidden spaces on a new tour once it reopens.
In case you’re not up to speed, Manchester Town Hall, which officially opened all the way back in 1877, has been closed since 2018 while the ‘Our Town Hall’ project – one of the biggest heritage schemes the UK has ever seen – is carried out, and the Grade I-listed building is currently being repaired and restored to “safeguard it for future generations”.
As well as this, the building is also being sympathetically-upgraded to modern safety and access standards before it’s set to reopen to the public in 2024.
An important part of the huge restoration project involves ensuring that the Town Hall’s story is told in “an immersive and interactive way”, according to the Council, and this including telling the tales of the people who have played a part in its long history and the treasure trove of objects they have left behind.
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A new exhibition will let visitors explore Manchester Town Hall’s fascinating history when it reopens in 2024 / Credit: Mather & Co
Which is why the Council has appointed Wilmslow-based exhibition designers Mather & Co to create a new ‘visitor experience’ to welcome people back to the once the Town Hall finally reopens.
The 328 sq m ground-floor exhibition space will be free to use with no admission charges.
If all of that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, there will also be a chance to go on brand-new guided tours to explore some of the town hall’s hidden spaces rarely, if ever, been open to the public before – such as the Victorian police cells, courtyard area, and clock tower.
A new exhibition will let visitors to Manchester Town Hall explore its fascinating history and civic treasures when it reopens in 2024.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 21, 2022
“This new attraction will open up this beloved building as a destination,” said Cllr Luthfur Rahman, lead member for the Our Town Hall project.
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“It will give visitors the chance to explore its fascinating heritage, see more of its collections, and learn the fascinating and sometimes surprising stories behind them. It will be a welcome addition to Manchester’s varied cultural scene and we look forward to sharing more details of what people can see when Manchester Town Hall reopens in 2024.”
Sarah Clarke – Managing Director at Mather & Co – added: “We want visitors of all ages to experience the story of the Town Hall using their senses, through discovery, experimentation, hidden reveals, exploration, and play.
“We don’t want this experience to be a museum, we want to create a memorable experience with personality.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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RFL give the go-ahead for a new Salford rugby league team
Danny Jones
The Rugby Football League (RFL) have given the go-ahead for a new Salford rugby league team in the New Year.
Rejoice, Salfordians – the Red Devils as you know them might be done, but it looks like a Phoenix is rising very soon.
However, following a consortium bid led by a former player, it now looks as though the local community will be starting a new sporting era in 2026. You can read the RFL’s statement in full down below.
As you can see, the English governing body has agreed to grant the new Salford-based rugby league team Championship status in time for the start of next season.
The Red Devils were officially relegated back in October, following months of uncertainty surrounding their unpaid debts and having to rely on loan players to field squads.
It’s unclear whether the new Salford side will carry on under the well-established brand and logo, or whether they fresh start will include a new Greater Manchester moniker.
There is, of course, an obvious choice as retired winger Mason Caton-Brown has been confirmed as one of at least three key investors following his ‘Phoenix Bid’ to resurrect the club earlier this month.
Following the official announcement on Monday (22 Dec), fan group The 1873 have now expressed their gratitude and support regarding the new investment, adding: “The strength of this club has always been its people and that must remain true in this new chapter.”
We would like to congratulate The Phoenix Bid on being awarded RFL membership and becoming custodians of Salford Rugby League 👏
Fans must fully back the new board as we move into 2026. We have a responsibility to ensure that this is as successful as it can be. pic.twitter.com/BZEwzS0zC6
Caton-Brown had already insisted that the new leadership group had reached multiple pre-contract agreements with players and a new head coach.
While it’s obviously a big result to be gearing up just a few weeks after seemingly folding as a competitive side, the owners are now racing to get a full squad ready to face Oldham in their season opener on 16 January.
Meanwhile, ex-Salford Red Devils stars Paul Rowley and Adam Sidlow have now joined the coaching staff at St Helens.
Featured Images — Anthony Parkes (via Geograph)/Publicity picture (supplied)
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Two men jailed after series of Porsche thefts across Greater Manchester totalling £1m
Emily Sergeant
Two men have been handed prison sentences following a series of Porsche thefts across Greater Manchester.
An investigation into the actions of Eidmantas Sadauskas and Vytautas Ceponis, both of no fixed abode, by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) began back in January of this year.
Described as being ‘sophisticated’ operation, the pair used equipment and tools to disable the vehicle security alarms and gain access to them, before they would then clone the vehicles, using different registration plates to allow them to slip under the radar.
In total, 25 Porsches – estimated, in total, as being approximately £1 million – were linked to the theft series and identified as having been taken by Sadauskas and Ceponis.
The thefts occurred across Greater Manchester – including in Salford, Bury, Trafford, Manchester, and Stockport – and it’s believed they were being stolen to be sold on for illegal gain.
The thefts occurred between January and October 2025, according to police, before the investigation began.
A comprehensive investigation Stockport’s Neighbourhood Crime Team (NCT) found that Sadauskas and Ceponis were mapped out as being in the areas of the crimes as they occurred, and the vehicles involved in the thefts were additionally identified as being linked to them.
The pair subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal motor vehicles at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court in late November, before their sentencing last Friday.
Ceponis was jailed for four years for conspiring to steal motor vehicles, while Sadauskas was jailed for four-and-a-half years for conspiring to steal motor vehicles.
Several of the Porsches have since been recovered, and police say work remains ongoing to locate the outstanding vehicles and reunite them with their owners.
“No one should have their property taken from them,” commented PC Chris Hopkins, from GMP’s Stockport NCT. “As officers in the Neighourhood Crime Team, we work proactively to tackle these sorts of offences and punish those responsible.
Emily Sergeant -
21st June 2022 
