A row of historic cottages in Manchester have been transformed and “brought back to life” with a £1.1 million refurbishment.
Westwood Cottages in Moss Side laid empty for nearly a decade, but now they are enjoying a new lease on life as affordable homes for the community after a sympathetic £1.1 million refurbishment project by Salford-based contractors, MC Construction.
The six striking Grade II-listed terraced houses on Raby Street were built all the way back in 1876 as alms houses by industrialist John Robinson in memory of his sister, Edith Marianne Robinson.
They stand as individual dwellings in one block, and are built in Flemish Gothic style.
The cottages were left vacant almost a decade ago, and sadly, their condition subsequently started deteriorating, and they went on to become a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour – with many of their original features being removed.
But now, they’ve been given an impressive facelift.
The cottages are owned by One Manchester, and are in an area of Moss Side which has been chosen by Manchester City Council for regeneration – which includes the delivery of new and suitable housing – and after listed planning permission was granted, MC Construction’s team carried out “a comprehensive programme of internal and external repairs and refurbishments”.
The cottages have now been returned to use as two-bedroom homes for “affordable rent”.
Each cottage has not only had a complete internal refurbishment, including the installation of a new kitchen, bathroom, boiler and heating system, and a rewire, but additional living space has also been created – with a single-storey rear glazed extension to form a conservatory, which makes the homes more suitable for families.
Historical features like mosaic porch floor tiles and the front doors have also been retained.
When it comes to the external works, the roof of the cottages has been refurbished, new windows have been installed, and repairs to the brickwork, chimneys and stonework, and landscaping have also been carried out.
MC ConstructionMC Construction
“The refurbishment of Westwood Cottages has been a tremendously satisfying project,” said David Lowe – Managing Director at MC Construction.
“Working closely with a number of key stakeholders, we have successfully retained a part of the city’s heritage while giving a new lease of life to this historic building to provide affordable and energy-efficient homes for families in an area where there is a need for this type of accommodation.
“It has been a pleasure working with One Manchester, the city council, and the other parties involved to bring this scheme to a successful conclusion.”
A charity match is being held in memory of late footballer Joe Thompson
Danny Jones
A fundraising match is being held in memory of late footballer and charity champion, Joe Thompson, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
The former Manchester United academy product and Rochdale AFC legend famously faced a long battle with cancer, being sadly diagnosed with nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma for the first time back in 2013, being forced into a prolonged period off the pitch and, eventually, early retirement by 2019.
Bath-born Thompson, who also played for Bury at the end of his career, was tragically struck by the illness on three different occasions; after stage four lymphoma spread to his lungs, he sadly died this past April at the age of just 36.
Just the most heartbreaking story, but in honour of Joe’s life, the two clubs closest to his heart and which she shared the strongest connection to are now set to remember him in a special charity game next month.
Announcing the game via social media on 26 July, Rochdale AFC confirmed it will be hosting the fundraising friendly between the Greater Manchester National League outfit and Man United’s under-21s.
Writing on the club website, Rochdale said: “Both clubs will come together to remember Joe, who meant so much to both Dale and United, on Saturday, 2 August (3pm kick-off).
“A minute’s applause will take place before kick-off, whilst members of Joe’s family, who will be in attendance, are selecting some of his favourite music to be played in the build-up to the game.
“Shirts from the match will also be auctioned off post-match, with proceeds going to Joey T’s Foundation when integrated.”
Detailing how his boyhood club have recently introduced the official ‘Joe Thompson Award’, presented to players who have the traits of not just a United person but, more importantly, Joe: “resilience, honesty, integrity, humility, innovation and a relentless work ethic, with a focus on the community.”
He was a truly inspiring individual.
Even after hanging up his boots, he kept moving for a good cause.
With all this in mind, Rochdale will be a charity exhibition match against United’s U21s squad – a team of players who are around Joe’s age when he left The Cliff to join Rochdale.
The club went on to add that all future fixtures between the clubs from now on will include a special trophy, with the first being the National League Cup match, which is due to be staged at their Crown Oil Arena home ground on 21 October.
As for this touching and heartfelt fundraising fixture, once again, the game will take place on Saturday, 2 August, kicking off at 3pm.
You can find out more details about the ‘A Game For Joe’ charity match in aid of the Thompson family’s foundation and grab your tickets HERE.
Lidl is giving away £10 vouchers to celebrate the England Women’s Euro 2025 win
Thomas Melia
To celebrate England Women’s football team winning UEFA Euro 2025, Lidl is giving away £10 off vouchers to lucky customers.
The supermarket retailer is celebrating England women’s football team’s historic second-consecutive win by giving away £10 vouchers to members who sign up to the Lidl Plus app.
After securing their second Euro victory, the Lionesses have brought home the gold for England, and also scored us money off our next shopping trip – get in.
Titled ‘The Triumphant Tenner’, the German-founded supermarket has launched its latest campaign after the Euro 2025 result, exclusively on its Lidl Plus app.
Lidl has celebrated the Lionesses Euro 2025 victories before, as it gave away £2 off vouchers to 15,000 fans after our ladies scored two goals against Sweden in last Thursday’s match.
The retail giant even gave a free sweet treat to 50,000 Lidl plus app customers from its much-loved bakery after the Lionesses secured their place in the final.
Now, to celebrate the Euro 2025 win, Lidl is giving 100,000 football fans 25% off fruit, as well as 2,025 vouchers for £10 off your next shop.
This isn’t the first time that England Women’s football team have brought home the Euro trophy after beating Germany in the final back in 2022.
It’s also not the first time Forward player Chloe Kelly has led the Lionesses to victory scoring the winning goal at both Euro championships in 2022 and 2025.
The ex-Manchester City Women’s, now Arsenal, star is definitely proud of the team’s achievement, as in a post on the UEFA Women’s Euro account, she cheers: “The first time was so nice, we had to do it twice”.
If you fancy 25% off fruit and a chance to win £10 off your next shop, enter code ‘CHAMPS2025’ into your Lidl Plus app can find more information via their app and online HERE.
Featured Image – England Women’s / FA Communications via Supplied
Emily Sergeant -
20th July 2022 
