A new community-lead art trail is set to line the streets and brighten up Old Trafford when it arrives next month.
The OT Art Trail – which has been organised by OT Creative Space and is funded by Arts Council England – sees a number of artists work together with members of the local Manchester community to create six individual large scale murals, which are soon to be painted onto walls and building gable ends around the area, including in Seymour Park and Ayres Road.
The new murals will add to murals and artwork already seen around Old Trafford.
The several new street art sites will be linked together via a downloadable audio tour, which is said to be suitable for people of all ages.
Five artists, all bringing an individual and different style to the mix, have been commissioned by OT Creative Space to paint the new murals, and they include Old Trafford artist and designer Robert Lomas, aerosol and graffiti art specialist Jamie Rennie, fine artist Sam Owen Hull, Russ Meehan, who is also known as Mural Life and graffiti artist, and photographer Martene Rouke.
ADVERTISEMENT
On top of that, Old Trafford-born spoken word artist and writer Isaiah Hull will also create a piece of spoken word to connect the murals as part of the audio tour.
Each mural on display will centre around the theme ‘community togetherness and diversity’.
Due to several lockdowns and ongoing restrictions amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the workshops that the art trail team had originally planned to hold in local schools, residential homes and other community settings had to be put on the back-burner, and they instead sent out 300 creative packs.
The team also involved the community through a number of activity sessions over Zoom and through social media, as well as with interactive displays in the window of OT Creative Space on Ayres Road.
Several local organisations also lent a hand in recruiting the community on board, and creative packs were even handed out to families in local parks.
ADVERTISEMENT
That’s not all either, as last month, the trail team ran a prize draw with local shops in the Old Trafford area to encourage residents to submit their ideas, and pupils from two local schools – St Alphonsus RC Primary and Old Trafford Community Academy – were also asked to get involved and share their thoughts on what Old Trafford means to them.
Speaking ahead of the arrival of the OT Art Trail, Lynda Sterling – from OT Creative Space – said: “We had to be very creative in order to maximise community participation at a time when we are being encouraged to stay apart rather than come together.
“Technology has played a part, but also good old fashioned paper and colouring pencils”.
She continued: “To find the locations, we walked around the local area and picked out key places [and] it was then a case of knocking on doors and putting notes through people’s doors if they were out.
“We found people extremely keen to have original artworks painted on their houses, [and] we estimate the murals will last between five and 10 years before they start to fade, so it’s quite a commitment”.
Michelle Griffith, one of the Old Trafford residents who has volunteered her home on Ayres Road as a blank canvas for a mural, has said that the trail is “just what Old Trafford needs”.
“It will bring some colour to an otherwise muted part of Old Trafford.” she continued.
“I’m really excited by the community engagement and getting to work with and alongside the artists.
“It’s bringing together factions of the community that are normally dormant”.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
You can find more information ahead of the launch of the OT Art Trail in early May via the OT creative SPACE website here.
What's On
A popular Manc streetwear brand is hosting a big festival to mark their fifth birthday
Danny Jones
Popular Manchester streetwear and footwear brand, CLINTS Inc., is hosting its first-ever festival to mark five whole years in fashion – and it’s going to be big.
The highly sought-after clothing and sneaker make started out from a bedroom in Moston and is now a premium label in British urban, skating, UK grime and hip-hop culture, having been worn by many famous names and welcoming even more through the door of their Deansgate shop.
Located in the ABC Buildings on Quay Street next to Spinningfields, the flagship CLINTS store opened back in 2022 and is much more than a place to buy some new drip: it’s a place that showcases art, music, and a whole sub-sect of shopping beyond just skate silhouettes and trendy trainers.
As hack as it might sound to some, wearing this brand comes along with immersing yourself in the wider style and scene; the very same scene being celebrated in tandem with their fifth birthday.
Not to tease you more than the company already has, but as you can see, details are scarce.
There is no lineup or even location for this festival… only a date.
CLINTS Fest (the inaugural one, at that) will take place on Saturday, 6 September – presumably at or around the 21-23 Quay Street site, but who knows?
Fans of the brand can sign up for the mailing list for the latest details, and pre-sale tickets are also available now, with a couple of clicks on the website revealing that the event is set to start at 12 noon and wrap up around 10:30pm.
If you’re interested, you can register your interest HERE.
Credit: The Manc Group
While you can expect the festival to be packed to the rafters with die-hard followers of all things CLINTS and streetwear, they’re not the only local indie holding a special one-off this month.
In fact, this weekend, a fellow trainer specialist who is still just starting out life in the fashion game but is already making waves reminiscent of their contemporaries.
Here’s hoping this is just the beginning of the journey and they’re the next Manc brand to become a national success story.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/CLINTS Inc (via Instagram)
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 2 – 8 June 2025
Emily Sergeant
June is here, and the kids have gone back to school after the final half term of the school year… but that doesn’t mean the fun’s over.
Sure, May has been in full bloom these past couple of weeks, but there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester now that June has arrived – we’re talking festivals, themed events, new foodie openings, and loads more on the horizon.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries.
We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
___
Stories – Brought To Life
MediaCityUK
Monday 2 June – onwards
Stories – Brought To Life / Credit: The Manc Group
A major new National Portrait Gallery exhibition has arrived in Salford.
The ground-breaking new experience by FRAMELESS Creative has opened at MediaCity, bringing some of the world’s most famous portraits to life like never before.
Stories – Brought to Life will explore the fascinating lives of these figures, who have shaped the UK’s history and culture all the way since the Tudor period, and will combine the highest quality digital projection, Hollywood-style visual effects, and the latest audio technology, along with specially created musical scores and creative narratives to shine a new light on each individual.
Visitors will be able to step inside iconic portraits including Grayson Perry, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Emmeline Pankhurst, Queen Elizabeth I, and William Shakespeare.
Balcony Greening Workshops / Credit: National Trust
Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester this spring to help people create their own ‘mini wildlife havens’.
The National Trust is on a mission to help city dwellers create their own green spaces through its ‘Sky Gardening Challenge’, with the conservation charity encouraging people with balconies to ‘grow and green’ the town or city they live in from skyline spaces in the hopes that it’ll enhance their connection to nature and improve their wellbeing, all while helping wildlife thrive at the same time.
City dwellers can get a free balcony gardening guide, free seeds, and free workshops in collaboration with lots of brilliant community organisations across the region.
Classes are happening across the borough on selected dates up until 7 June, and you can find out more and book here.
___
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You
Science and Industry Museum
Monday 2 June – onwards
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
An award-winning play about the England men’s national football team is playing outside of London for the first time ever, and Greater Manchester has been chosen as the lucky location.
ADVERTISEMENT
The National Theatre’s smash-hit production of writer James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play, Dear England, has started its four-week run at the legendary The Lowry in Salford, and audiences have a chance to catch it up until 29 June.
Directed by the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director, Rupert Goold, Dear England tells the story of the England men’s football team under former manager, Gareth Southgate.
NEW OPENING – Circolo Popolare / Credit: The Manc Group
Get ready to say Ciao to Circolo Popolare, Manchester’s newest Italian restaurant opening over in Gary Neville’s fancy St Michael’s development early next month, because we got to have a little look around and can confirm it’s an absolute feast for the senses.
From the jasmine-covered ceiling to the windows full of vintage booze bottles, all the way down to the hand-painted crockery, she’s certainly a looker.
On the menus you’ll find authentic Neapolitan pizzas, huge pasta bowls, authentic plates, and a gigantic wibbly-wobbly tower of a lemon meringue pie – plus cocktails poured from animal-shaped jugs.
It’s officially opening on 6 June and this is one you want to get straight in your calendar.
L.S. Lowry’s iconic masterpiece ‘Going to the Match’ is being brought to life right before your eyes in this brand-new exhibition now open at The Lowry.
Lowry 360 is an immersive experience forming part of the legendary The Lowry theatre’s 25th anniversary programme, and it means that, for the first time ever, you can see one of Manchester’s most famous paintings by, arguably, the city’s most famous artist come to life through sight and sound.
Better yet, after you’ve immersed yourself in this incredible experience, then you can then see the actual painting in the full gallery – Modern Life: The LS Lowry Exhibition.
Kargo on the Docks / Credit: Supplied | Mark Waugh
Kargo on the Docks is back for the summer.
MediaCity’s al fresco dining pop-up has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
A handful of Greater Manchester’s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.
Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.
Did you see that Manchester Museum has been named European Museum of the Year for 2025?
Talk about a prestigious title.
Yes that’s right, congratulations are in order, because Manchester Museum – which is part of The University of Manchester (UoM) – has received one of the most prestigious museum awards in the world, the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA).
Not only that, but it’s made history in doing so too, as it’s the first university museum to ever receive the annual prize.
Manchester Museum has been named the European Museum of the Year for 2025 / Credit: Manchester Museum
It beat out 41 other cultural hubs across the continent to claim the coveted prize.
ADVERTISEMENT
Operated by the European Museum Forum (EMF), EMYA recognises new or redeveloped museums that showcase the best in excellence and innovation in their field.
NEW OPENING – Baby Mayhem / Credit: The Manc Group
This new doughnut hatch in Anocats is already causing mayhem… but the best kind.
ADVERTISEMENT
Baby Mayhem has been open for two weeks and is already taking Manchester by storm, with fresh doughnuts baked daily, filled with mascarpone cream or cheesecake, and topped with a range of fillings like spaghetti ice cream, Dubai pistachio kunafa, raspberry ripple, and loads more.
It may not be for everyone, but we say be sure to try one of their fresh doughnuts dunked in coffee as well, it’s the perfect hangover cure on a Saturday morning.
___
Free Sausage Rolls for ‘Gregs’
Tariff & Dale
Thursday 5 June
Tariff & Dale sausage roll / Credit: Supplied
One of Manchester’s much-loved restaurant bars is doing a free sausage roll giveaway this week… but there’s a catch.
The catch being you have to have a certain name in particular.
In case you didn’t know, this Thursday (5 June) is the day dedicated to all things sausage roll, so what better way to mark the occasion than with free portions of Tariff & Dale’s legendary 15-inch honey glazed meaty treat? Only the thing is, you can only get a freebie if your name happens to Greg.
Okay, that’s a slight lie, you can also tuck into the pork pastry goodness if your surname is Gregory or Gregson, or something similar.
Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet will be celebrating its 30th anniversary with a huge free concert that’ll hark back to the 2000s.
The hugely-popular shopping destination will be inviting customers to a totally free summer gig on a stage built on site as part of the wider 30th anniversary celebrations – which will include a headline performance from a top-secret 2000s music act.
All they’ve revealed about the headliner so far is that they have a catalogue of number one singles and beloved hits.
Taking place in the evening of Friday 6 June, the Cheshire Oaks 30th anniversary party will be free to shoppers and visitors, and a select group of VIPs from the local community will have the opportunity to meet the mystery headliner in person.
Read everything you need to know about the event here.
___
Stock Party 2025
Stockport
Saturday 7 June
Stock Party 2025 / Credit: Supplied
Stockport’s big summer block party returns this Saturday for its second edition.
Building on that already-winning formula from last year, Stock Party 2025 is set to make its sophomore outing the biggest yet, bringing together local food and drink vendors, independent traders, entertainment and lots more.
Set up in collaboration with Stockport’s Business Improvement District (BID), Totally Stockport and Stockport Council, the iconic Underbank district will be filled with tables and chairs enabling festival-goers to welcome summer in true Stockport style.
IRONMAN 70.3 / Credit: IRONMAN England (via Facebook)
IRONMAN 70.3 returns to Bolton once again this weekend.
With Bolton – and more recently, also Wigan – having been the UK-based home to the world-renowned triathlon event for the past several years now, IRONMAN UK has become known for its iconic spectator support, incredible bike course scenery, and impressive finish line that’s in the heart of the town centre
The Greater Manchester public is always encouraged to line the streets to cheer the athletes on.
A number of temporary road closures will be in place across Bolton on race day to ensure the safety of athletes and the public.
Emily Sergeant -
8th April 2021 
