More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the pandemic are to go on display as part of a new exhibition opening in Manchester.
Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum is preparing to open its doors to a major new exhibition that examines the global and local response to the COVID-19 pandemic that changed the world as we know it.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, will explore the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
The exhibition comes to Manchester as part of a national and international tour, following its inaugural run at the Science Museum in London back in 2022.
The race for a COVID vaccine will be explored in a new Science and Industry Museum exhibition / Credit: Science Museum Group
Opening at the city centre-based museum next Friday (19 July), and set to run right through until mid-November this year, the free-to-attend exhibition will also look at the unique experiences and responses to the pandemic from communities in Manchester.
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It’ll do this through showcasing a wide range of fascinating objects and stories that’ll be on public display in our city for the first time ever.
Some of the objects curious Mancs will get to see with their own eyes at the new exhibition include one of the 750 innovative flat-pack beds used in the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West, the vial of the first COVID-19 vaccine ever to be administered worldwide, and tokens taken from Manchester’s Rates Hall vaccine centre.
Personal items belonging to those at the heart of the vaccine’s development, and breathtaking artwork pieces by Angela Palmer and Junko Mori to help visitors visualise the virus, will also be on display.
But, what is expected to the star of the show for many Mancunians, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s navy worker’s jacket – which has been loaned from People’s History Museum – that he often wore as he addressed the region directly to discuss the tough restrictions we were placed under as COVID-19 cases increased, will be displayed for the first time at the exhibition.
The now-iconic jacket became a symbol of the hardships experienced during the pandemic, as well as the unity of the North West.
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More than 100 objects and stories will be on display to the Manchester public for the first time / Credit: Science Museum Group
Museum bosses say Injecting Hope “builds on the fascinating and important work” the Science Museum Group – which the Science and Industry Museum belongs to – has undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past four years.
Andrea Lathrop, who is the Associate Curator of Exhibitions at the Science and Industry Museum, explains that the new Manchester-focused content introduced as part of the exhibition’s run in our city offers a “poignant opportunity for joint reflection”, as well as “moments to celebrate the ingenuity, resilience, and selflessness” of local people.
She continued: “Injecting Hope is a people-centred exhibition that shines a light on those behind the headlines who innovated vaccine science, sat in bed on their laptops, volunteered in vaccine centres, and exposed themselves to the virus day after day to keep us safe.”
Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine will open at the Science and Industry Museum on Friday 19 July, and will run until Sunday 17 November.
Free tickets are now available to book on the museum’s website here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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Manchester’s popular pop-up cafe full of hundreds of sausage dogs is back this bank holiday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s popular pop-up cafe full of hundreds of sausage dogs is making a big return this bank holiday.
Are you a big dachshund fan? Love seeing lots of little sausage dogs in the same place? Looking for your little pup to make some sausage friends? Don’t even have a sausage dog but want to join in on the fun anyway? Well you’re in luck, as the Dachshund Pup Up Cafe is back in our city for its second time this year… and what better day than bank holiday Monday.
Having already proved to be a smash-hit success in the years it’s visited Manchester since 2018, the dachshund pop up cafe – or we should say ‘pup up cafe’ – will be filling another popular city centre venue with so many sausage dogs.
Organisers are expecting more than 250 dachshunds to join in on the fun this time around, and there’s loads for them to look forward to.
Manchester’s popular pop-up cafe full of hundreds of sausage dogs is back this bank holiday / Credit: Supplied
Sausage dogs and their owners are all invited to descend on Revolution Parsonage Gardens in the city centre from 10am, with several other timed sessions throughout the day to book onto – as organisers Pup Up Cafe have managed to secure the whole venue the dogs to roam free and enjoy some wholesome fun in a safe space.
Whether you own a sausage dog yourself or you’re simply just a dachshund fan, you’ll get the chance to mingle with many furry little friends, take part in a range of activities, and stock up on dachshund-related goodies.
The pups themselves will get to enjoy unlimited dog treats and free puppuccinos, and play to their heart’s content with other sausages.
It sounds like it’s going to be a jam-packed day to remember, so luckily, there’ll be plenty of photo opportunities throughout.
Organisers are expecting more than 250 dachshunds to join in on the fun / Credit: Supplied
The Dachshund Pup Up Cafe will arrive in Manchester on Monday 26 May from 10am-3:30pm, with different morning and afternoon sessions during the day, and numbers limited to 50 sausage dogs allowed per session.
Fancy ‘a sausage mad day’ then? Tickets will set you back £10 if you’re a sausage dog owner, and £15 if you’re just a dachshund fan who’s keen to go along for the fun anyway, and you can get yourself some tickets here.
Don’t have a sausage dog, but do have another four-legged furry friend instead? Not to worry, as Pup Up Cafe has a session open to all friendly dogs on the day too, which you can get tickets for here.
And if you miss out on Manchester, there’s also events in Nottingham and Southampton this bank holiday too.
Featured Image – Supplied
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RADAR Festival returns to Manchester with huge lineup this summer and you can still get tickets
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s best festivals for discovering new genre-busting music talent is back this summer, and you can still get tickets.
The award-winning RADAR Festival is set to return to one of the city’s best-loved indoor venues this July, and it’ll be bringing a ‘breathtaking’ selection of modern and progressive music to the stage – with the full lineup announced, including headlining acts Carpenter Brut, Bob Vylan, and UNDERØATH, as well as performances by Zeal & Ardor, Vukovi, Normandie, and so many more.
If you’re unfamiliar with RADAR Festival, it’s a musical celebration that launched back in 2019 but moved to Manchester in 2023, and has been calling our city its home ever since.
The festival is all about pushing boundaries and introducing fresh new music genres to its stages.
With its mixture of international talent and confirmed homegrown success, RADAR Festival – which is taking over O2 Victoria Warehouse when it arrives in the city this summer – has already positioned itself as a champion of forward-thinking, guitar-led progressive music.
But that’s not all what it’s about.
Beyond the music, the event features a daily series of intimate masterclasses, live podcast recordings, and loads more.
Organisers say RADAR is ‘more than just a music festival’, as it offers attendees a unique experience that merges the festival’s mutual love of contemporary progressive music, gaming, and musical instruments, all in one place.
RADAR Festival is returning to Manchester with a huge lineup this summer / Credit: Claire Alaxandra (via Supplied)
So as well as getting to the chance to discover what could potentially be your next favourite music artist, you’ll also have the opportunity to play some of the finest instruments by cutting-edge brands and independent builders alike, compete head-to-head in some of the latest game releases on state-of-the-art gaming PCs, indulge your addiction to painting miniatures, and even participate in a screaming competition… if you feel like it.
Each day of the festival will continue long into the night too, as there’s also the addition of incredible afterparty acts on each of the three nights of the event.
With rave reviews from both the press and attendees in the years gone by, it definitely sounds like this year’s RADAR Festival is shaping up to be a must-attend event for music lovers seeking unique and innovative sounds, and luckily there’s still tickets available.
Tickets for this genre-busting festival are still available / Credit: @moshmallows (via Supplied)
RADAR Festival will return to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse from Friday 4 – Sunday 6 July 2025, and tickets are now on sale – with both day tickets, and weekend-long ‘Tier 3’ tickets with 10% discounts available to get your hands on.
Also demonstrating its commitment to new bands, RADAR will continue to donate a portion of ticket sales proceeds to Music Venue Trust and Save Our Scene’s Liveline Fund, in order to support grassroots music venues across the UK.
Emily Sergeant -
10th July 2024 
