The Mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region called on the Transport Secretary to terminate Northern’s rail franchise as soon as possible.Speaking on behalf of the 4.3m people they represent, Mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram made the call 12 months on from last May’s rail timetable chaos.
Meanwhile rail industry partners launched a competition offering community groups the opportunity to put forward their plans to convert the soon to be scrapped Pacer train into a new public space.
A new study of UK lake sediment records stretching back over several centuries has found that the floods that hit Northern England in 2009 and 2015 (‘Storm Desmond’) were the largest in 600 years, pointing to the impact of climate changes on the frequency and magnitude of these extreme events.
The report out this month drew comparisons between the scale of the UK’s regional disparities and German reunification in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War. The report by the UK2070 Commission which is chaired by the former head of the British civil service, Lord Bob Kerslake asked whether the North South divide was the new Berlin Wall.
A search to find designers for the memorial for the 22 May 2017 Manchester Arena attack was launched .
The tender process is inviting suitably qualified design and creative teams to set out their approach to the memorial, which remembers the 22 people killed in the attack and those who were injured or otherwise affected.
Inspectors found a “widespread deterioration” of Trafford council’s children’s services.A March inspection by OFSTED concluded that “Trafford Council senior leaders believed that their Children’s Care services remained good or outstanding,had no awareness of the decline in services and no accurate understanding of the current quality of practice.”
A new campaign launched to encourage people in Greater Manchester to talk about suicide, the biggest killer of men under 49 and women aged between 20 to 34 in the region.
More than 200 people a year take their own life in Greater Manchester and leaders across the city region have today said “enough is enough” and that “it’s time to break the stigma of talking about suicide, suicidal thoughts and suicide bereavement”.
Salfordian Fred Done’s Betfred announced its biggest ever Super League deal which would see the current three-year partnership extended until the end of the 2021 season.
It was a Happy Birthday to the City Centre’s Arndale Centre, officially opened in 1979 and local poet Mike Garry released a new poem dedicated to the shopping centre and Mancunians’ fond memories of it.
The heart of the city since ‘79
Tiles that go for miles
Palm trees fountains and an Aviary
Birds and Bees buzzing
Inner city living before Tony Wilson invented it
Johnny Marr sweeping up in Stolen from Ivor
Everything imaginable within an indoor market
And all the shops that we loved along the way
Warner Bros, Woolworths and C&A
Exit down a concrete helter skelter drop
Bus station, pedestrianisation then a tram stop
Pop star smiles in HMV and Rowntrees Café for a Chippy Tea
Washed down with a pint in John Willie Lees
Then, we built new bridges to new worlds
The Next Chapter, The New Looks with a nod to the past
40 years and standing strong through sunshine snow and rain
And looking forward to serving you for another 40 years again
Another anniversary was also coming up and the programme features over 150 events spanning Greater Manchester and beyond, and has been created by the cultural organisations and communities represented by Peterloo 2019, a project led by Manchester Histories and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, cultural partners and event hosts.
As the Cricket World Cup began,a rare painting by LS Lowry went on display in Salford ahead of its auction next month at Sotheby’s.A Cricket Match, had only seen the light of day twice since the Salford artist had painted it and its showing coincided with the start of the cricket World Cup.
It was announced that a garden specially designed in memory of BBC North West Tonight weather presenter Dianne Oxberry is to be built at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park this summer.
A life-size bronze statue of Prestwich-born comedy icon Victoria Wood was unveiled in Bury town centre
