The final sections have now been installed to Manchester city centre’s brand new 40m high Tower of Light, but what exactly is the feature for?
The finishing touches to the feature were added overnight to minimise local disruption.
The Tower of Light was officially revealed to the public last week, generating widespread conversation and being met with mixed reactions from Mancunians – particularly with reference to its visual appearance as a new contribution to the city’s ever-changing skyline – but this feature has a much greater significance than may be initially realised.
The finalisation of the Tower of Light is said to mark a significant milestone in the Manchester Civic Quarter Heat Network project.
The tower is made up of nine sections called ‘drums’, each one measuring 4m wide, 6m long and 4m high, and there is 1.8m crown section. Once the Civic Quarter Heat Network project is complete, the Tower of Light will act as the chimney for the low-carbon energy centre. The network will generate low-carbon heat and power for the city to help Manchester reach its ambition of becoming zero-carbon by 2038 at the latest.
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The scheme is projected to save an initial 1,600 tonnes of carbon emissions per year and the energy centre will become even more efficient as additional buildings are connected.
According to architects Tonkin Liu and Manchester City Council, the Tower of Light will initially serve seven iconic city centre buildings and has the potential to grow by connecting further buildings across the city centre in the future.
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The first buildings to be connected to the network will be Manchester Town Hall and Town Hall Extension, Central Library, Manchester Central Convention Centre, The Bridgewater Hall, Heron House and the Manchester Art Gallery.
Containing a 3.3MWe CHP engine and two 12MW gas boilers, the Tower of Light’s energy centre is projected to generate electricity and harness the recovered heat from this process for distribution via a 2km district heating network, which will supply heat for the buildings.
The scheme has been part-funded by a £2.87m grant from the government’s Heat Network Investment Project (HNIP), with Manchester City Council being one of the first local authorities to receive this funding.
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Tonkin Liu
Councillor Angeliki Stogia – Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport – said: “The Tower of Light is an impressive new landmark for Manchester and a symbol of Manchester’s aim of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038 at the latest.
“On completion, the Civic Quarter Heat Network project will realise significant carbon savings, supporting the council’s current plan to halve its own emissions by 2025, which will be an important milestone on the road to the city meeting its ambitious goal.”
Anthony Shawcross – Senior Construction Manager for Vital Energi – said: “This project is much more intricate than a standard flue due to its complex geometry, but will hopefully become an iconic part of Manchester’s skyline.
“We’re delighted with how smoothly the installation went and we hope the people of Manchester will now enjoy it for many years.”
All work on the Civic Quarter Heat Network project is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2020.
You can find out more via the Manchester City Council website here.
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Two Greater Manchester towns among 16 UK locations set to get new Aldi stores this year
Emily Sergeant
Aldi is set to open 16 new stores over the coming months as part of its continued expansion across the UK, it has been confirmed.
For thousands of residents in two Greater Manchester towns, they could be about to get themselves a new local supermarket, as Aldi – which currently has 1,080 stores nationwide – has revealed the locations where its new stores will be opening up before the end of the year, and our region is well represented.
Aldi says it has a long-term ambition to operate 1,500 stores across the UK, helping more communities access its award-winning quality products at ‘unbeatable’ prices.
And these 16 new stores are set to work towards that ambition.
Watford and Hoxton in London, Balsall Common and Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, Malton in North Yorkshire, and even the Isle of Wight are just some of the locations across the country where new Aldi stores will be opening up, alongside the two Greater Manchester stores.
Two Greater Manchester towns are set to get new Aldi stores this year / Credit: Aldi UK
Here in Greater Manchester, it’s been confirmed that Hattersley and Wigan are the two areas chosen by Aldi for new stores.
The announcement of the 16 new store locations follows the opening of Aldi’s new Salford Quays store last month, and also forms part of the budget retailer’s planned £370 million investment into new stores during 2026.
It also comes after Aldi increased pay rates for store colleagues earlier this year following a £42 million investment in pay during 2026.
Full list of new Aldi stores opening in 2026
Hattersley, Greater Manchester
Newport, Isle of Wight
Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham
Newport, South Wales
Orpington, London
Hoxton, London
Ashford, Kent
Watford, London
Rayleigh, Essex
Balsall Common, West Midlands
Marble Arch, London
Malton, North Yorkshire
Port Talbot, Wales
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Wigan, Greater Manchester
Sudbury, Suffolk
“At Aldi, we’re committed to making high-quality, affordable food accessible to everyone, which is why we continue to invest in expanding our store network across the UK,” commented Jonathan Neale, who is the Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK.
“Our £370 million investment in new stores this year will help us bring Aldi’s unbeatable value to even more communities, supporting local economies through our industry-leading pay for colleagues.”
Featured Image – Aldi
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Manchester United set to release two classic remake kits, including a ‘blackout’ shirt
Danny Jones
Manchester United are reportedly planning to release not just one, but another two classic remake kits, based on one of their most recognisable shirts of all time.
As many other teams have done for special anniversaries and limited edition strips, one of them is set to be a ‘blackout’ version of the iconic design, too.
Having already dropped a re-release of the 1990-92 ‘snowflake’ away kit this past April, along with various other bits of lifestyle/casualwear, the success of their retro range needs no explanation.
With that in mind, supporters who remember the initial Adidas era, football fashionistas and collectors alike will no doubt be clamouring to get their hands on either or both of these shirts.
The right-hand side is an educated prediction by the outlet. (Credit: Footy Headlines)
Based on the same adidas Originals template initially used for the 1986-88- home kit, according to the ever-reliable Footy Headlines, a similar faithful recreation is scheduled to go on sale later this year.
We’ve already heard rumblings of a Man United fourth kit expected to be added to their rotation for the upcoming campaign, but this is thought to be separate from the match-worn 2026/27 alternate.
As you can see, the rumoured ’86 remake by United will mark 30 years since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson first took charge of the club, before going on to spend the best of three decades there himself.
Featuring the traditional ‘adi trefoil’ logo and the famous Sharp Electronics sponsor on the front, as well as the sublimated old school pattern – just as seen with the aforementioned modern edition of the ’90-92 jersey – the second version will be exactly the same, only, you guessed it: all black.
With the INEOS ownership group clearly looking to double down on nostalgia and the improving mood around the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ now that they’re back in the Champions League, revenues already look to be on the rise.
Ruben Amorim famously turned this down – but not Michael Carrick…
The retro range has become just the latest of several new money spinners for the Red Devils as they look to get their finances back on track, as well as their performances on the pitch.
This summer transfer window is also now open, and with one deal already said to be done and at least a couple more in the pipeline, the income from merchandising will no doubt help to fund at least part of their various lots of these deals this year.
It isn’t just new players they have to pay for either, as it’s also costing them north of £1 million to returf the pitch inside the ground – and they still have the prospect of a new stadium to replace Old Trafford, let’s not forget.
Emily Sergeant -
17th August 2020 
