Salford
The Greater Manchester Riots: 10 years on
This week marks a decade since hundreds were arrested in Greater Manchester after "unprecedented levels of violence and criminality" swept the region in summer 2011.
On the morning of 10 August 2011 – when the sirens had switched off, the flames had fizzled out, and the roars had been silenced – hundreds of Mancunians quietly got to work on repairing their shattered city.
Families, students and businesspeople arrived en masse to strap on gloves, grasp brooms and pick up paintbrushes, working together to shovel broken glass out of streets and reattach the frames to shop doorways.
The day before, Manchester and Salford had been swept up in the violence consuming England following the death of Mark Duggan – a 29-year-old who had been shot dead by police earlier in the summer of 2011.
A protest in Tottenham Hale had led to clashes with law enforcement, and the next few days saw trouble spread from the capital into other cities across the country.
The first pockets of local violence erupted in Salford Shopping Centre on the afternoon of August 9. Supermarket Lidl was the first target, before looters proceeded to break into a Bargain Booze and The Money Shop.
Police were pelted with missiles and journalists covering the story were even caught up in the melee; a BBC radio car battered with bricks before being set alight.
Within hours, Manchester city centre’s shops were also under attack – with officers overwhelmed by “unprecedented levels of violence and criminality”.
Mobs broke into Manchester’s Arndale Centre and groups stormed shops like Footasylum, Bang & Olufsen and Swarovski in St Ann’s Square.
Miss Selfridge on Market Street was also engulfed in flames as the outnumbered police desperately battled the masked-up mobs rampaging through the city streets.
The Guardian said it turned into “a tale of two riots” – with Greater Manchester Police’s then-chief constable Peter Fahy suggesting the respective culprits in Salford and Manchester had responded in different ways.
“Certainly most of [the rioting] in Manchester was about getting goods, breaking into places and stealing things,” Fahy told The Guardian.
“Salford I think was slightly different. It was more about attacking us and the fire services.”
The trouble in Greater Manchester dissipated the next day – but the region remained severely shaken.
More than 370 people were arrested, 60 officers were injured, and the total police cost was reportedly more than £3 million.
After the rioting ended elsewhere in England on August 11, it was revealed that more than 200 people had been injured and over 3,000 arrested nationwide. Five people were also killed during the six days of violence.
But according to local Councillor Pat Karney, Greater Manchester’s role in the riots was not reflective of what the region was about. He says it was those next few days – where adults and children were seen flocking to fix the damage – that showed the real GM.
“The true Mancunian spirit has been shown in Manchester today,” the councillor stated, as locals swept away debris and stuffed rubbish into sacks.
“The community has come out to say enough is enough, and that they will not stand by and let thugs try to destroy our city.
“This was pure criminal behaviour from a minority of people who were intent on looting and rioting and these criminals are not fit to be called Mancunians.”
Featured image: Richard Hopkins / Flickr
Salford
Ian McKellen to play legendary Salford artist L.S. Lowry in new BBC documentary
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has landed himself an exciting new role, and he’s set to play one of Greater Manchester’s most iconic sons.
One of the most celebrated British actors of all time playing one of the most celebrated British artists of all time? It was meant to be. That’s right, Ian McKellen is set to portray Salford’s very-own L.S. Lowry in the new BBC documentary, L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes, produced by award-winning Wall to Wall Media and coming soon to BBC Two and iPlayer.
Marking 50 years since Lowry’s death, this immersive documentary film will focus on the touching and often surprising exchange between the enigmatic artist and Angela Barratt – a young fan whose interviews capture Lowry in his most intimate and reflective moments.
Recorded in the artist’s own living room, these tapes reveal Lowry’s authentic voice, which Burnley-born actor McKellen will lip-sync on screen.
Across these candid conversations, Lowry traces his journey from childhood right through to his final days, sharing the memories and experiences that shaped him both as an artist, and crucially, as a man.
Alongside this deeply personal account, the documentary is also set to explore the dramatic transformation of Salford and Greater Manchester, which Lowry, of course, depicted so prolifically in his work.
“To give play to Lowry through his own voice has been a unique privilege,” commented Ian McKellen as his casting was announced this week.
“These tapes reveal an intimate insight into the artist’s thoughts – his ambitions, regrets and his humour. Anyone like me, who admires his paintings and drawings, will be intrigued and delighted that the artist is brought back to life through his own words.”
Mark Bell, who is the Commissioning Editor at BBC Arts, added: “Marking 50 years since Lowry’s death, and celebrating Arena’s own 50-year tradition of ambitious, intelligent storytelling, this film comes at a very special moment.
“The inspired casting of Ian McKellen and Annabel Smith feels like life imitating art in the best possible way. But this film isn’t just about the life of the artist, it also provides an insight into the realities of urban life in Greater Manchester in the 20th century.”
Read more:
L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes is directed by James Kent, following his recent Emmy win for Lost Boys and Fairies, with executive producer Morgana Pugh, and producer Hannah Mirsky.
Further broadcast details will be announced in due course.
Featured Image – BBC / Wall to Wall Media Ltd / Connor Harris
Salford
Manc-born and bred rugby star Raffi Quirke is leaving Sale Sharks
Danny Jones
Manchester-born and bred rugby union star Raffi Quirke is leaving his boyhood club, Sale Sharks, this season and has already agreed to join a new Premiership Rugby team.
The end of an era, but the beginning of a big new chapter for the youngster.
Still just 24, Raffi Quirke from Chorlton has been with Sale since he was a kid, coming through the youth system at Broughton Park before making his proper Sharks debut back in February 2021.
Just a few short years later, and Quirke – the number nine who became Sharks Academy graduate number 333 – has gone on to become a promising first team squad member with a bright future ahead of him. However, the next part of his career won’t be at the CorpAcq Stadium.
Since playing his first senior game as a 19-year-old, he’s gone on to make 31 starts from 80 appearances for the club, as well as earning a couple of caps for England.
Despite being more of an option off the bench during the current campaign, Quirke has shown great resilience in bouncing back from numerous injuries, including everything from a broken jaw and broken wrist to ruptured ligaments, among other problems.
Speaking about his pending departure, Raffi said: “This has been the hardest decision of my life so far because Sale is the club that I grew up supporting and dreaming of playing for.
“Playing here since I was 15 has been an amazing experience and a privilege that has shaped me as a player and a person, and I will be forever grateful to Alex [Sanderson], the owners, the coaches, the players and the supporters for truly believing in me.
“It goes without saying that I will give everything I have for the rest of the season to bring success to Sale.” He has also gone on to share a lengthier farewell statement.
Quirke has since been confirmed as the Newcastle Red Bulls’ latest signing, joining the North East side on a two-year contract after multiple clubs showed interest.
Put simply, the still-developing scrum-half wants to search out new opportunities, adding: “I feel, for my rugby and personal development, that my story just needs a new challenge and a new setting.”
As for Sanderson, the Director of Rugby commented, “I’ve really enjoyed working with Raffi, and as a homegrown player who grew up supporting the club, we all would have loved for him to continue his career with us.
“He feels like he wants to try a new environment and a new challenge, and we respect his decision. He’ll leave with our blessing and thanks for everything that he’s given to the club while he’s been here.”
Are you sad to see him go, Sharks Family?
Read more:
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — FAB Rugby (screenshot via YouTube)/Sale Sharks Rugby
The Manc -
10th August 2021 
