Positive and realistic images of older people in Greater Manchester are to be celebrated through a newly-launched photography competition.
The competition was launched on back on 1st October, which was International Day of Older Persons.
The Old Frame New Picture competition will challenge the negative and stereotyped ways that older people are represented as vulnerable or frail, which is something that has become even more prevalent during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Instead, the competition will celebrate the diversity of older people’s lives and their contributions to society.
Six winning entries will be featured in a digital billboard campaign across Greater Manchester next year, as well as appearing in an online exhibition, and featuring in a set of printed postcards.
The best images will also form a new bank of photographs for use by local charities and other third-sector organisations in their marketing and communications, which will provide a positive alternative to stereotyped images often used.
There are also cash prizes up for grabs too.
Professional and amateur photographers can take part by submitting their photograph of at least one person aged over 50, under one of six themes:
Activism
Supporting My Community
Old and proud
Friends and Family
Taking part
Self-Portraits (including selfies)
The judges for the competition include leading photographer Alex Rotas – who specialises in challenging ageing stereotypes through photography – Virginia Tandy, Director of CADA – the Creative Ageing Development Agency – Helen Wewiora – Director of the Castlefield Gallery – Mike Sweeney – BBC Radio Manchester broadcaster – and Jai Chuhan, who is a visual artist, winner of the bolder prize at the Manchester Open, and a member of the Greater Manchester Older People’s Network.
Old Frame New Picture is funded by the Arts Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Ambition for Ageing as part of a series of projects harnessing the arts and creativity to support Greater Manchester’s ambitions to be the best place in the UK to grow old.
The competition was planned before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and organisers have taken measures to make it safe by, for example, encouraging selfies, ensuring photographs are taken at least two metres away from the subject, and encouraging the submission of photographs taken before social distancing measures began.
The competition is being organised by Greater Manchester Ageing Hub, voluntary and community sector support organisation MACC, and Greater Manchester Older People’s Network.
Brenda Warrington – Greater Manchester’s lead for age-friendly and equalities – said: “We want Greater Manchester to be the best place in the UK to grow old, but the last six months have been particularly difficult for older people. Many have struggled because of the disruption to their normal social and work lives have been disrupted. However, older people have also led volunteering efforts in their neighbourhoods, have remained active and resilient, and they have contributed so much to our communities.
“We want to celebrate the contribution of older people to our society and I hope this competition will show that in a positive and realistic way.”
Unsplash / Johnny Cohen
Greater Manchester Older People’s Network member Pauline Smith – aged 72, from Bury – said: “Older people contribute greatly to society and their communities, whether they are still paid to work or if they are retired and are volunteering.
“Yet they are often presented in stereotyped way – with wrinkly hands, or doddering around on a stick or a Zimmer frame. Of course some people need aids, but this lumps all older people together and it is not a fair representation.
“I hope this competition will produce a series of photographs that shows what older people are capable of, that we are still enjoying life and that we are active in so many ways.”
The deadline to enter by is Friday 13th November 2020, with a cash prize of £50 for third place, £100 for second place and a grand prize of £250 for the winner.
You can find more information about how to enter via the MACC website here.
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Jason Manford has final word on ‘naughty’ rule that sparked unexpected Village Hotel experience
Danny Jones
Local comedian Jason Manford has shared “the last I’ll say on the matter between The People vs The Village Hotel”, after expressing his disappointment over a rule that saw him have a somewhat unexpected experience at one of their locations.
The Salford-born and Stockport-based stand-up was forced to share his room with another individual at The Village in Bournemouth after being told the hotel was fully booked.
Manford‘s room had essentially been resold, which led him to stay in a double with his friend and colleague; however, as explained in multiple videos, not everyone was fortunate enough to secure a last-minute solution.
Still, on the upside, at least they didn’t have to share a bed…
As detailed in the first of three posts seen above, Manford and co. arrived at the hotel late (as is typically the case with any touring comedian, especially a headliner) following his gig at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Sunday, 29 June.
The 44-year-old is currently on his ‘A Manford All Seasons’ tour, which saw a flurry of new dates added back in November, and got underway back in February.
Although he assured that the staff did their job and were “lovely” through the whole ordeal, he reiterated that he found the little-known rule “very naughty” and “not on”.
He also mentioned that a doctor who arrived shortly after them at the hotel reception, sadly, had to be turned away from the Bournemouth branch.
Manford went on to add that the hotel manager did apologise for the situation, but as he notes in the clips, the worry is that it could cause even bigger dilemmas if it were a wedding, someone with kids, “or a million different situations that you could have been in which are much more serious than [his].”
Essentially, the duo were just lucky they turned up when they did and said as much.
Despite noting that he’d heard of airlines opting for similar policies in the past, he confessed he’d never come across such a rule in more than “25 years of touring” as a comic.
Echoing his frustration, surprise and concern, musician Georgina Jackson said in the comments: “That is so bad! As a touring lone female musician who uses hotels a lot, what are we expected to do? But the fact is… they don’t really care…
“Thanks for highlighting it, as they might actually start caring when the bookings drop off! And, I imagine the hotel/town was busy with your audience!! How blinking ironic!!”
The hotel group has since asked the Salfordian funny man to take the very public complaints down, but Manford has refused despite them requesting quite “politely”, insisting that he believes more people need to know about obscure and largely unknown rules like these.
You can see the most recent and final statement on the whole Jason Manford-Village Hotel situation in full down below.
Featured Images — University of Salford (via Flickr)/Jason Manford (screenshot via Facebook)
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Pep Guardiola aims not-so-subtle dig at ‘destructive’ FIFA Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the latest to voice his concerns surrounding the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, delivering a not-so-subtle dig at the competition.
Ahead of Man City‘s round of 16 match against Al Hilal in this year’s Club World Cup, of which they won all their group stage games, the Catalan head coach has once again come out to criticise the increasingly congested fixture calendar.
His comments come after former Liverpool manager and now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, Jürgen Klopp, labelled the current off-season summer run of matches “the worst idea ever.”
Somewhat echoing his statement – or at the very least aligning with it (albeit indirectly) – Pep Guardiola gave his two cents also, claiming that the now extended, 32-team tournament could “destroy” his squad and their fortunes in the next campaign.
Clearly, Pep is far from the biggest of fan of the recently refreshed format, even despite having won the thing on four occasions in the past – the most recent being with Manchester City back in 2023.
Reflecting on what impact he fears the Club World Cup may have on his team next season, Guardiola said: “I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious. We will rest [for as much time as] the Premier League allows us to.
“And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our [lives] that that’s happened [a 32-team CWC]. So we will see…”
Unpredictable weather in the United States, where the action is being hosted, has also been the subject of outrage in some cases, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stating, “It’s a joke! It’s not football”, after a major storm delay mid-game pushed meant that one of their games took five hours to finish.
The 54-year-old also insisted that those who were against the tweaked concept “fought a lot” here in England, in UEFA meetings and so on, as was the case with the revision of the new layout of the Champions League, but to no avail.
Jurgen Klopp: "NBA player earns a lot of money & has 4 months of rest per year. Van Dijk didn't even have that in his entire career. Tournaments such as the Club World Cup cannot take place at the expense of players" [Die Welt]
Regarding Klopp, who set this latest chain of criticism, he claims that whoever wins the 2025 Club World Cup is ultimately “pointless” and will be “the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league.”
In his eyes, the decisions are being made by people who have “never been involved” with the pressure of day-to-day life in professional football and the physical toll of multiple competitions, in particular.
As for who might win the 2025 CWC, it could very well be Man City for a second time, as the Blues are the only team remaining that has a 100% win ratio this year, having most recently thrashed Juventus 5-2 in their last game.
Nevertheless, it seems that the stance of Klopp, Guardiola, Maresca and more is pretty plain: this particular tournament will go down in the record books for the wrong reasons, and they won’t be happy until the format is revisited.
Do you agree with Pep and co. on the Club World Cup controversy?
Emily Sergeant -
9th October 2020 
