Social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC is inviting locals to an exciting ‘Sunday Social’ this weekend ahead of the site’s upcoming £60m restoration.
The boutique food and music event, held in conjunction with Stockport stalwart Foodie Friday, will take place underneath the iconic arches of Stockport Viaduct.
CAPITAL&CENTRIC are planning to create 250 new homes at the historic Weir Mill – as well as a shiny new river frontage with café-bars, delis and independent shops.
The surrounding courtyard and green space will all be open to both residents and wider public.
Foodie Friday regulars I Knead Pizza, ArtiSam and Somtam Street will be plating up the food alongside a fully-stocked bar.
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The afternoon will also be packed with live music performances from local band Fuzzy Sun, DJ Clint Boon, Duncan Wallis from Dutch Uncles, Neil Summers from Manchester’s Proper Magazine and The Vinyl Frontier.
Tim Heatley, co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC who recently appeared in BBC documentary Manctopia, said: “The site’s been neglected for years but we’re bringing it back to life. This is a great chance to get people down to Weir Mill so they can get a feel for the community we’re looking to create.
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“With the viaduct in the background and sat alongside the River Mersey, it really is an incredible location. We want this to be the first of many events we host as we transform the site into a thriving new neighbourhood with homes, bars and restaurants.
“The Sunday Social is exactly the sort of vibe we’re going to be creating at Weir Mill with independent food and drink and a chilled place for families and friends to hang out.”
Under current local lockdown rules in Stockport, people are permitted meet in groups of up to six from multiple households providing they are outside.
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The event will take place in two sessions from 12pm-3pm and 3pm-6pm; with table bookings required in advance.
Visitors will be provided with a free drink on arrival and table service throughout – with the option to order grub directly via the Dines app.
Joe Barratt, Foodie Friday founder and organiser, added: “As many people will be aware, we can’t currently run Foodie Friday at Stockport Market due to the restrictions in place as a result of the coronavirus crisis, so we’re delighted that we’re able to partner with Capital & Centric on the delivery of a smaller, more controlled street food event at Weir Mill.
“We hope this will provide the people of Stockport with a taste of the much-missed Foodie Friday experience and give people an opportunity to see how the area around Weir Mill could be creatively animated with street food and live music in the future.”
Tickets are £5 each person and sold in table bundles and include a free arrival drink. All ticket proceeds will go to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s homelessness charity.
For more information and tickets, visit Eventbrite.
What's On
Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
Chester Zoo is offering £1 tickets to families who ‘struggle to afford’ a festive day out
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is offering £1 tickets this Christmas to families who may otherwise struggle to afford a festive day out.
Christmas is a time when many of us feel strapped for cash more than ever before, especially for those families on Universal Credit, which is why Chester Zoo is embracing the season of giving by offering thousands of locals the chance to visit the UK’s largest charity zoo for a fraction of the price of normal entry tickets.
The discounted tickets will be available for anyone claiming Universal Credit on visits from today (18 December) right up until New Year’s Eve (31 December), and they’ll need to be booked online in advance.
This brilliant initiative is a new addition to the zoo’s long-running Community Connections Scheme, which aims to reduce financial barriers to visiting for households and community groups.
Chester Zoo is offering £1 tickets to families on Universal Credit this festive season / Credit: Chester Zoo
Tickets priced at £1 will be available to people receiving Universal Credit, including claimants of Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Housing Benefit.
Chester Zoo said the scheme is designed to help families on lower incomes enjoy the zoo during the festive period and connect with nature.
“We know that spending time outdoors and around wildlife can have a really positive impact on people, and we hope this helps more families enjoy a special day out together over the festive period, especially when this time of year can be difficult for many,” commented Charlotte Smith, who is Chester Zoo’s Director of Conservation Education.
“We hope this brightens the season for many more households.”
The Manc -
8th September 2020 
