Residents in Urmston and the surrounding areas are being encouraged to help local traders get back on their feet by continuing to support a series of fully COVID-compliant community pop up markets.
The markets are taking place on the Market 41 site, on Railway Road in Urmston, throughout August.
The first pop-up market event took place last Saturday and was met with huge success. Showcasing a total of 15 local traders selling a mix of cakes and bakes, gifts, flowers, crafts, home décor and jewellery and complemented by a fully-licensed bar, it attracted more than 1,000 people from the local community coming out to show their support.
Further markets will follow the same format and take place from 10am-4pm on Saturday 15th, Saturday 22nd and Saturday 29th August.
Gemma Marshall, from Gems Delicious Treats, and Mark Rackham, from The Barking Dog, are the driving force pair behind the initiative. Both felt that Urmstonians would welcome the chance to support their local traders and reignite the retail and hospitality sector by attending a well organised, socially distanced and COVID-compliant market to enjoy a bite to eat and drink, and a bit of shopping during the summer months.
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Designed to provide a much-needed boost to the local economy and encourage people back out to shop and socialise in a safe, open air environment, the pop-up markets are being held in association with the Urmston Partnership, Love Urmston and Market 41.
Urmston Community Pop-Up Markets
Gemma said: “We had originally planned to host a pop up market on the Market 41 site earlier this year, but it was cancelled due to lockdown. I always have such a great response to pop up markets, both from local traders, many of whom do not have a shop front, and local residents.
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“Saturday was a huge success and it was super to see so many people enjoying the event [so] we really hope more people will come out and show their support over the next three weeks.”
Mark added: “We followed government guidelines closely in the development of the market and are confident that the format works well to ensure everyone can enjoy the event fully without any concerns about overcrowding or personal space.
“We really hope that these events enable local traders to get back up and running again in safe and well managed open air environment.”
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Urmston Commuity Pop-Up Markets
Working closely with Trafford Council, organisers have ensured that pop-ups comply fully with current COVID-19 guidelines. This means that trader stalls and gazebos are carefully positioned two metres apart, there is a two-metre distance between dining and seating areas, and a one-way system with two-metre floor markers is in operation to ensure appropriate social distancing.
Numbers in and out of the markets were also carefully managed to ensure the designated maximum capacity for the site was never exceeded and everyone had enough space to enjoy the event safely.
The McGoff Group was also happy to support the initiative by providing the Market 41 site free of charge for the events.
Paul Danks – Business Development Director at McGoff Group – said: “We are pleased to be able to provide the Market 41 site for the pop up community markets and wish the events every success. As an Urmston resident myself, I’m looking forward to dropping in.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDvxJ1CD-fS/
Come on Urmston – Make sure you show up in style this weekend.
Are you a local trader interested in a stall at one of the forthcoming Urmston Community Pop-Up Markets? You can contact Gemma Marshall on 07873 297590 to discuss more.
What's On
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Enter Shikari announce SUPER intimate show in Manchester
Danny Jones
Much-loved British alternative band Enter Shikari have just announced a very, VERY intimate gig in Manchester city centre, and it’s happening rather soon.
It doesn’t matter how die-hard or casual a fan you are, you are simply not ready for this one…
Almost a full 20 years from what they still covet as a watershed breakout gig here in Greater Manchester, Enter Shikari are set to play none other than grassroots rock bar and nightclub, Satan’s Hollow, right in the heart of the city centre.
Pretty much the life and soul of the heavier music scene here in 0161 for decades now, it remains not only a treasured small-cap venue but arguably still among thego-to post-gig spots after any hard gig; you could say Enter Shikari are simply cutting out the middle man.
It’s fair to say that a group of their size very rarely get to play rooms as tiny as this one these days, so it’s sure to be quite a rowdy one for the electronically influenced post-hardcore outfit.
Formed way back in 1999 (if you can believe that), they’re more used to selling out arena tours all over the world, including their upcoming Co-op Live gig this winter.
It’s also worth mentioning that this will be their single biggest domestic headline show to date.
But not before they go back to where it all started for them in this city, booking a certain-to-sell-out Shikari show at Satan’s Hollow – a Manchester venue they first played in 2006.
In fact, they’ve actually shared footage from that fateful night, and yes, the quality is as bad as you’d expect, but it gives you an idea of what the atmosphere was like then, let alone now their fan base has grown so much over the years.
Here’s us, almost 20 years ago, playing ‘OK Time For Plan B’ at our first ever Manchester show in @satanshollow on April 10th 2006.
Funny to think that in November, Manchester will host our biggest ever UK headline show at the @TheCoopLive. Both shows with the same promoter. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/uHKVOwZbM2
Speaking on this milestone moment, the band wrote in a statement: “Manchester’s a city that means a lot to us. The Satan’s Hollow show back in April ’06 was the first sense we got that ‘something’ was ‘happening’. A queue around the block and total chaos inside.
We’ve had a lot of memorable shows in Manchester since then (and in November we’ll play our biggest ever UK headline show there!), but for some reason that night at Satan’s Hollow kept coming up in conversation, so the anniversary show was just too tempting.”
Tickets for this unmissable show will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for those who register HERE up until 9:30am tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 March.
The gig itself is happening on 9 April, with support from Liverpool’s very own East Exchange as support. Best of luck to all those trying to cop tickets, and hopefully we’ll see you at Satan’s.
Emily Sergeant -
12th August 2020 
