Mancunian Matters e-edition - October 2016

SUPER LEAGUE GRAND FINAL Old Trafford ready to welcome Warriors and Wolves @MM_newsonline www.mancunianmatters.co.uk October 2016

LadyFest 2016 preview

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Olympian Sarah Storey talks to MM

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What’s on the box?

This week’s round-up

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Adult care faces £2m funding cuts EXCLUSIVE

By Jasmine Andersson

A single mum has been left fighting for Rochdale Council to honour her son’s “basic survival” after they proposed slashing the adult care funding budget by more than £2 million.

Tina Ellis, 52, is concerned that the Council’s removal of non-residential care caps, could force her to leave her job as a support worker in order to look after her severely autistic son Matthew, 25.

The changes, which would come into effect from April 2017, could see some adult care receivers paying more than £300 per week for their care.

Mrs Ellis said: “The reason he has the support is so I can go to work. Now, if we can’t afford the support and we have to cancel it, it means that I can’t go out to work.

It’s two-fold for us.

“I’m not even in a position to pay what I am charged at the moment. I work thirty hours a week on minimum wage.

“Somebody in their office has

sat at a keyboard and said ‘well, they can afford to pay this so we’ll charge them that.’

“But what they’ve not done is taken into consideration how much it costs to look after him, how much it costs to feed him.

“Part of his therapy is motion, so we have to keep the car filled up with petrol. There’s food bills, he soils his clothes and his bedding, so I have to buy new ones all the time, I have to do tons of washing every day.”

Tina is currently charged approximately £18 per week so that Matthew can receive external care.

“It’s his human right to be taken care of in the best way possible.

But somebody wants to charge him for that honour. For his basic needs and basic survival,” she said.

At the moment, the biggest charge a user faces is £300 a week. Subject to a financial assessment, adult services users could pay for the full cost of their care if they are deemed able to do so.

Sheila Downey, director of adult social care at Rochdale Borough Council said: “This is about ensuring fair, affordable and consistent policies for adult services based on government guidance and broadly in line with other Greater Manchester authorities.

"Unfortunately, the funding we receive from central government has significantly reduced since 2010, which means that more difficult decisions will have to be made, as we have no option but to set a balanced budget.

"No final decisions for any of our services have been made.

“We will continue to provide high quality services to everyone who needs them.

"The interests, equality, care needs and wellbeing of service users will always be our main priority.”

Anyone with concerns can respond to Rochdale Borough Council’s consultation by visiting www.rochdale.gov.uk/savings.

MP during a meeting in Strasbourg, Nigel Farage has said.

One witness told The Telegraph Woolfe fell through a window after being punched by a UKIP colleague.

Two hours after the fight, he is said to have had two epileptic fits and has lost the feeling down one

side of his body.

The MEP is said to have left a voting session early and collapsed outside of the hemicycle.

In his statement on Thursday Farage said: “"I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of UKIP MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe

Supersonic: Liam mad for it at Odeon

UKIP drama: North West MEP punched in Strasbourg fracas

By Sophie Norris

North-West UKIP MEP Steven Woolfe was rushed to hospital with a suspected bleed on the brain following a fight at the European Parliament yesterday.

The injury was sustained following an altercation with a fellow

subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital."

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Woolfe said: "The CT scan has shown that there is no blood clot in the brain.

“At the moment I am feeling brighter, happier, and smiling as ever.”

Mr Woolfe had been unable to take part in the previous UKIP leadership contest following Farage’s resignation as he missed the application deadline by 17 minutes.

The indicident will be filed as a ‘medical incident’ unless a police complaint is filed.

In response to the news, former UKIP leader Diane James tweeted: “My thoughts are with @Steven_Woolfe and his wife and daughter at this anxious time and I wish Steven a speedy and full recovery.”

He has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2014.

2 MANCHESTER & SALFORD

Market opening in new NQ premises

October 2016

www.mancunianmatters.co.uk

By Robert Jenkins

Ladyfest creative event returns to Northern Quarter

NEW MARKET: Historic building will be renovated under plans submitted by Market Operations

Game over for Space Invaders

A planning application to convert the front of Crescent House at the University of Salford into a Space Invaders arcade game has been refused.

The unusual proposal suggested covering the front of Crescent House in window vinyls to create a space invader game themed design.

The installation would also include a digital score board screen, displaying the high scores for people who played the game.

The proposal also said: “The vinyl lettering displaying the advertised course would be built up, internally illuminated and would change colour to create movement.”

The council’s decision to refuse planning permission was based on concerns that the design would pose a distraction to traffic and damage a Grade II listed building.

It also claimed the planned graphics would be “visually harmful due to their excessive scale which is not consistent with their surroundings”.

The refusal was based upon further concerns that the space invaders facade would “have an unacceptable detrimental impact upon the setting of the listed buildings and the character of the conservation area.”

The appeal status of the application is so far unknown.

The historic Mackie Mayor building in the Northern Quarter is set for a new lease of life as a food and drink hall, as revealed in plans submitted to Manchester City Council.

The grade II listed building, part of the old Smithfield Market, is set to become the ‘Manchester Market Hall’.

Market Operations, the team that established Altrincham’s award winning Market House development is behind the project.

The new 12,500 sq. ft. development will mirror the Market House project and feature a central communal dining area surrounded by independent food and drink vendors.

The new project is keen to support local businesses and will encourage the use of locally sourced produce.

According to the planning application, submitted by Muse Developments, there will be “strong philosophical propositions” behind the food and its sourcing; it will, as with Altrincham, be a celebration of the culture of England’s North West, sourcing,

wherever possible suppliers from the region and importantly all the businesses are independent businesses based in the North West.

Market Operations’ Altrincham market has been a great success, projected to generate a turnover of £5 million this year. The dilapidated Market House building saw a £175,000 overhaul, before reopening in 2014.

Market Operations is led by Nick Johnson, the former director of Urban Splash and head of Marketing Manchester.

The Market House project has won numerous awards, including 2015 Observer Market of The Year and was a finalist in this year’s BBC Food and Farming Awards.

The project has also been praised for its transformative effect on Altrincham’s town centre. Market House has more than 8,000 visitors a week and employs 60 staff.

Three years ago Altrincham topped the league tables for vacant high street shops however Market House has been credited with reversing this trend.

Several existing vendors of the Altrin-

By Josh Mines

The girls are back in town as Ladyfest comes to Northern Quarter. Artistic women in Manchester are gearing up for Ladyfest, the North’s biggest celebration of women in music, film and other creative industries, which starts this weekend.

Kicking off the weekend this Friday, October 7, the festival will take over the Northern Quarter, hosting club nights with female DJs, gigs featuring female musicians and many other events focused around gender equality and diversity over the weekend.

Speaking to Mancunian Matters, Carly Vandella, 32, who has been involved with organising the festival since 2015 spoke about the festival’s ethos.

She said: “Manchester is a really fertile ground for creativity and there are a lot of amazing creative women who are doing all sorts of amazing things in the music industry, in events, in community organising and in DJing.

“The aim is to bring in lots of different women who are involved

in creative areas within Manchester to give them the opportunity to support and promote each other and have a big party at the same time.”

The headline event of the weekend will be Ladyfest Live on Saturday, a mini-festival spread across venues in the Northern Quarter, and the line-up has a range of musicians for music fans to get excited about.

Manchester-based post-punk band Liines will join indie-pop two-piece Junk at Gullivers bar and influential American punk songwriter Honeychild Coleman will headline The Castle on Saturday.

Commenting on the lineup, Mrs Vandella said: “Liines are an allfemale Manchester band who are really on the edge of doing something big.

“They’ve got so much energy, they’re so raw and every time I see them they absolutely knock me sideways.

“Having Honeychild Coleman coming over from Brooklyn for a gig is also unbelievable- this is a woman who set up the first ever

black woman focussed punk scene in the 90s.

“She’s written music for movies that have won awards at the Sundance Film Festival and to have her on stage is really incredible.”

To coincide with Manchester being the city of science this year, Ladyfest will also give women the chance to learn tech-based skills such as coding and game design in workshops taking place on Saturday.

Vandella added: “Last year we did a few workshops that were popular like sound production and digital photography.

“We found participants were keen to try different tech and media based activities, but weren’t able to because of factors like childcare, cost, time and they didn’t have the confidence to try because of the gendered messages given out by those industries.

“This year, we thought why not put these activities on in a supportive and friendly environment?”

For more information go to https://ladyfestmanc.com/.

cham operation will seek to expand their operations to the Manchester development, including: Katie’s Cakes, Honest Crust, Bao House and Tender Cow and their fish shop Fin, Blackjack brewery and Reserve Wines, Kate Goodman of BBC Food and Drink programme fame’s wine store.

Two new vendors are set to be joining the development; rotisserie chicken vendor Nationale 7 and tea and coffee house Atkinsons of Lancaster.

Opened in 1858 as the Smithfield Meat Market, the building gained its colloquial name from Manchester’s then Mayor Ivie Mackie. The market was part of the now mostly demolished Smithfield Market which was at one point the largest market in Europe.

However, the market closed in 1972 after the wholesale goods market based there was moved to Oldfield.

The site underwent a brief reincarnation as a skate park but has lain empty since the early 1990’s and fell derelict until it became part of Muse Development’s wider Smithfield regeneration scheme.

HONEYCHILD COLEMAN: Prepared to bring the punk at Ladyfest

MANCHESTER & SALFORD 3

Stagecoach take on tutu

October 2016

By Kathy Giddins

PRETTY IN PINK: Prevent smashed the world record

Prevent Breast Cancer have teamed up with Stagecoach Manchester to smash the record for the world’s largest tutu.

On Tuesday September 27 Piccadilly Gardens played host to Prevent’s ‘Take On The Tutu’ campaign, which coincides with breast cancer awareness month in October.

Prevent Patron Gordon Burns told MM: “It’s absolutely fantastic to have

a world record. It’s all about attracting interest and publicity so that people become aware of the fight against breast cancer and what Prevent Breast Cancer charity does.”

Prevent, which is based in Manchester was founded in 1996 and is the only UK charity focused on preventing breast cancer rather than finding new drugs or cures.

Stagecoach has around 2,000 staff and has supported Prevent over the past

year as its nominated charity.

Stagecoach managing director Chris Bowles said: “Prevent Breast Cancer has a large established presence at Wythenshawe hospital and in the Manchester area and we feel it’s important to support those charities that give the most back to the communities where they’re based” “We’ve done a lot of things to raise funds for the charity but this has been one of the most interesting

and the most fun”.

An adjudicator from the Guinness World Records attended to verify the attempt and to present an official certificate.

More than 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK and 1 in 8 women will develop it at some point in their lifetime.

To get involved in the ‘Take On The Tutu’ campaign call 0161-291-4400 or register at www.genesisuk.org

MAD FOR IT: Chasing the Sun exhibition opens from October 14 at Old Granada Studios and documentary Supersonic goes on general release tomorrow.

Where did it all go wrong?

Film charts Supersonic rise

By Sam Wright

October 1996. Charles and Diana have just completed their four-yearlong divorce proceedings, Rupert Murdoch has just launched the Fox News Channel, and Alan Shearer is the most expensive footballer on the planet.

Oh, and a couple of brothers from Burnage are Britain’s most recognisable rock stars. The brothers are Gallagher, their band is Oasis, and they’re a Force of Nature.

Fast forward a couple of decades and the phenomenon has long since subsided. Noel and Liam’s fractious and highly publicised relationship came to a head before a gig in Paris in 2009; the band disbanded, an era ended.

Seven years since their no show in the French capital and the famously feuding brothers haven’t shared anything other than social media unpleasantness.

Nonetheless, their legacy is such that a film documenting their stratospheric success has been released to mark the 20th anniversary of their monstrous ‘Morning Glory’ tour.

From Whitley Bay to West LA, taking in Nantes, New York and Knebworth along the way, the tour cemented Oasis’ status as the biggest band on earth.

The story of how this came to be is the latest venture for the team behind highly acclaimed documentary films Amy and Senna.

Supersonic premiered at Printworks’ ODEON cinema on Sunday, with ex-members Liam Gallagher and Paul ‘Bonehead’Arthurs both in attendance.

Noel Gallagher was not present at the exclusive premiere, with his younger sibling claiming that the occasion wasn’t ‘A-list enough’ for his big brother.

The 44-year-old rocker was at his clichéd best on Sunday, lam-

basting Noel for “acting like Sting”.

It was back in 1991 that a threepiece of Arthurs, Tony McCarroll, and Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan sought a lead singer for their Oasis precursor, The Rain.

Two Gallaghers and a name change resulted in platinum masterpiece, Definitely Maybe.

The group’s ‘difficult second album’, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, managed to eclipse its predecessor, securing their status as Britpop’s key players.

Naturally, their immense achievements came as no surprise to their former front-man who, in a slightly hastier ‘interview’, told me he’d expected nothing less.

Gallagher said: “I joined a band that had no name, people might have got it mixed up with The Rain, but I’ve always been in Oasis and I always thought we’d be big.”

Guitarist, Bonehead, contests those views, telling MM that the band’s accomplishments exceed-

ed his wildest expectations.

“We had a massive belief in what we did,” he said. “We had a vision and we wanted to take this band as far as we could but even then, with Noel coming in and writing the songs, I’d be a liar if I said I believed it would ever get as big as it did.”

Despite global acclaim, Oasis always endorsed their home town, never shying away from their roots; making Manchester the perfect setting for the release of this feature length celebration.

“To do it [in London] and not come back here wouldn’t wash with me,” Liam told MM. Bonehead also averred his ‘pleasure’ at the premiere’s location.

“This is where we started, it’s where we’re all from,” he said. “I still live here and it’s where we put the really hard work in before we signed the deals. It’s nice to do the premiere here with the people of Manchester.”

Supersonic’s release signals a

month of serious nostalgia for Oasis enthusiasts with acclaimed exhibition Chasing The Sun finally making its long awaited arrival in Manchester next Friday.

Curator and photographer, Lawrence Watson, has expanded the free show, which attracted over 40,000 visitors to its London debut two years ago, for its homecoming, adding rare artefacts and unseen photos to an already bustling collection.

The exhibition includes a life size replica of Bonehead’s West Didsbury living room, setting for Definitely Maybe’s album front cover, giving fans the chance to recreate one of the 1990s most iconic images.

‘Chasing The Sun’ opens for 11 days from October 14 at Old Granada Studios, while Supersonic, along with a special edition of Be Here Now, goes on general release tomorrow.

wwww.mancunianmatters.co.uk

Pokémon hunters targeted by violent criminals

By Josh Mines

Pokémon Go has been the cause of a number of violent crimes committed in Greater Manchester over the last three months.

A Freedom of Information Request by MM revealed that nine crimes, including one threat to kill and five counts of personal robbery, were committed relating to the app between July and August 2016.

Four of the personal robberies took place in South Manchester while the threat to kill was carried out in Stockport.

In three of the counts of personal robbery, unsuspecting gamers were held up by criminals armed with knives and forced to hand over their phones.

The other crimes committed included common assault and battery, as well as a case of theft from a shop.

Greater Manchester Police have warned youngsters of the dangers of the augmented reality game when it first garnered popularity in Manchester after its release in July.

Detective Superintendent Joanne Rawlinson, from GMP’s public protection division, said: “We know that criminals move quickly to exploit the latest developments to target victims and Pokemon Go will already be in their sights.

“There have already been incidents in America where young people are thought to have been targeted through the app.

“I would urge parents to speak to their children about the app and the best ways to make sure they stay safe.

Talking to your child is one of the best ways to keep them safe.”

GMP also told citizens to be alert of using the app around roads, to play with friends rather than alone and to not play the game whilst driving.

The app, which encourages users to walk to real world places in hunt of virtual Pokémon on their phone.

It made the news upon release for being the cause for a number of incidents in the US where people had been mugged whilst playing the game.

4 MANCHESTER & SALFORD

October 2016

www.mancunianmatters.co.uk

Indy Man Beer Con celebrates the region’s award-winning craft beers

By Jasmine Andersson

Victoria Baths will be opening its doors to another liquid with the arrival of Indy Man Beer Con this week.

The celebration of the finest names in craft beer sees the event entering its fifth year of existence, with the fourday celebration seeing more than 40 breweries a day offering their tastiest ales for beer enthusiasts from Thursday to Sunday.

As the UK’s craft beer scene continues to take hold in the north of England, the IMBC will see the latest efforts from Magic Rock, Siren and Cloudwater make their way to the event’s tasting sessions.

Far away from the Pennines and even the straits of the UK, worldrenowned brews from the Scandinavian War Pigs and Texan Jester Kings will also feature in the festival.

If the breweries listed simply evoke

Councillor slams city’s record for taking refugees Craft beers from over 40 brewerieswill be served over the four-day festival

By Camila Modena

A Lib Dem councillor has branded Manchester’s attitude towards the Syrian crisis as “sickeningly shallow” as the city is yet to accept a single refugee.

Former MPJohn Leech has demanded the council commit to housing 50 Syrian refugee families.

It was uncovered during Manchester’s full council meeting, as Cllr Leech questioned the Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Sue Murphy, on how many accompanied children had been housed by the city since the conflict began.

Cllr Murphy was forced to admit that the city had only taken on a single digit number of unaccompanied asylumseeking children from around the world. Mr Leech described these numbers as “depressingly low”, adding that there is an estimated 88,000 lone Syrian refugee children in Europe at risk of being trafficked or abused.

The council’s refusal to house refugees has been in spite of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme announced in 2015.

“I want the world to know that these council leaders do not speak for me when they refuse to take on these vulnerable children,” said Mr Leech.

“We have a responsibility to them as if they were our own children.”

Manchester Council is refusing to take on refugees following a disagreement over a government programme that contained a “dispersal” policy.

This meant asylum-seekers would be moved to areas with lower housing costs.

Greater Manchester has maintained a good record of accepting asylum seekers, but will only accept Syrian refugees once the policy changes.

Cllr Leech said it is a “moral duty” for him and his party to support any bid for Manchester to house 50 Syrian families and as many unaccompanied minors as possible.

Rethink Rebuild Society (RRS) is a community organisation that has dedicated itself to improving the lives of Syrians in Manchester and helped establish them within British society since March 2011.

“I love England,” said Ahmed, a 36-year-old refugee and volunteer at RRS. “Syria is like a cake, and the politicians cashing in on the war are trying to take the largest slice. Politics plays with people.”

Another refugee, Mohammed, arrived in the country in January 2015 having travelled from Syria on foot via Northern Africa and Europe. He remained in Calais for 10 months, sleeping in parks without shelter as the jungle refugee camp did not yet exist.

In Syria, Mohammed was a business owner and respected electrician, but in England he has not been employed as he speaks little English.

Syria has endured a five-year civil war, which has created more than 4.5 million refugees across the nation. The UN has warned that a whole generation of Syrian children is at risk. For this reason, refugees need support now more than ever as the situation intensifies. RRS is always accepting volunteers or donations to the organisation.

Manchester City Council confirmed that it had taken in more than 100 children in the last five years.

confusion, talks from the craft beer scene’s top brewers will enlighten novice craft drinkers.

Social media manager of IMBC, David Bailey said: “Breweries bring things that they've been ageing in barrels for a special occasion.

“Free tastings are happening. Pop up tastings happen. Keep an eye, ear, and tongue out.”

Breweries bring things that they've been ageing in barrels for a special occasion

For those that think that an IPA sounds like a disconcerting style of energy drink, IMBC will also play host to a range of ciders and a food village, with the likes of Beavertown, Northern Monk and Cloudwater breweries boasting culinary delights to match their best beverages.

Aspiring aficionados might also find a home in the convention’s Thirsty Games, a new incentive which sees aspiring micro brewers offer out their shortlisted beers to win the competition’s title.

David said: “The Thirsty Games is intended as a leg up into the craft beer industry for competitors as well as offering more beer that punters may not have tried.”

Although IMBC may be a boozeup to remember, many of us won’t.

Just remember not to try and swim in the pool when your brain enters its beer-induced abyss.

At the time of publication, all tasting sessions apart from Thursday have sold out. Resale tickets that are made known to IMBC will be announced on the event’s Twitter handle IndyManBeerCon.

ALEPPO BOMBING DAMAGE: Syrian refugees have fled their war-torn home in search of peace

BOLTON & BURY 5

October 2016

Costa for Westhoughton

By Sophie Norris

Former police station for proposed Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee is set to open its first café in Westhoughton if plans are approved by Bolton Council.

The coffee shop will be located in the old Lancashire Police Station building set just off Marsden Street.

A planning application was submitted on September 13 by commercial property consultants Lamb and Swift.

If plans are approved, the new coffee shop will employ five full-time staff and open

every day from 7am to 9pm.

Tracy Atherley, manager of Choco-la-te, a cafe on Market Street, said: “It will affect our business but there are also several other businesses on the street that it will affect.

“It will affect about nine businesses.

“The majority of them are small independent traders whose money goes into the local economy.

“While it could be a threat, our clients like to be treated like a person and not a number.”

Costa will be the first chain coffee shop to open in Westhoughton.

Chris Buckley, a representative from Westhoughton Community Network, said: “I think it probably offers more choice and it’s not a bad location.

“It’s a different offering.

“The more things you have going on in the town centre, the more footfall you’re going to get and that should be a plus for the town centre generally.”

This application comes as

Costa opened their fifth coffee shop in neighbouring Bolton, with plans to open a drivethrough Costa being approved last month.

Westhoughton’s Pavilion Square is home to small local businesses, including GeeTee’s, Westhoughton Hardware and Chinese Pavilion, as well as wider known chains such as Domino’s Pizza.

Several cafes in the local area have closed down recently, including one just across the road from the site.

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Youth club host CADS

NEWS IN BRIEF

Children’s Able and Disabled Sports (CADS) events are now taking place at Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

The events, which have been developed by charity Seashell Trust, consist of unique sport, health and leisure activities organised by the club.

Youngsters will have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of inclusive sports and creative activities that have been structured to fit their needs.

The CADS events take place every Saturday and Sunday from 2.00-5.00pm and cost only 50p per session.

They are designed with children aged 8- 12 in mind.

Poll for statue pose

The Light cinema opens in transforming Market Place

NEW OPENING: Inside Walsall Light Cinema (left) which opened last year and a sneak-peak of Bolton’s Green Room bar (right) which will open on Friday October 7

By Sophie Norris

THE Light Cinema in Bolton Town Centre will open tomorrow, Friday October 7, after over nine months of delays.

An investment of £15m by Moorgarth, who run the Market Place Shopping Centre, has contributed to the development which will be the latest newcomer in a transformation of the building.

The cinema has 1,248 seats, nine screens and will employ 19 staff, with the view of expanding In its first year, bosses expect a footfall of 400,000 people, who will be attracted by the range of films and events on offer.

The company is eager to banish their label as an independent cinema as they will open 20 further cinemas in the next three years.

However, their plans for customers suggest they will be keen to tailor the experience to each individual.

Phil Dove, UK brand and HR

manager said: “We’re convenient, we’re local. Everybody else is around here.

“The night time economy, in particular, will really benefit from us.”

The company will open cinemas in Preston, Stockport and Sheffield in the next 18 months.

“People should be leaving [the cinema] saying it was an experience” “We don’t charge extra for 3D, particular seats or booking online” The cinema will have fullylicensed screens and the Green Room bar which will be open to vis-

“

You should leave saying the staff are lovely, it’s great value, there are comfortable seats and great screens.

”

itors even if they do not wish to see a film.

Local resident Kathryn Kelly said: “It’s a nine-screen cinema and it will be good for the town.

“Hopefully it will bring people into the town more.

“I would probably try it because it’s new but I don’t know if I would continually go because I would rather go somewhere where it is free parking.”

Bolton welcomes The Light Cinema as part of a wider development of the Market Place Shopping Centre, which has already seen the opening of The Vaults, in the historic underground structures of the Victorian premises.

Investment has seen national chains Prezzo and Nando’s opening their doors, as well as a real ale bar and children’s adventure golf course and play area.

Moorgarth’s purchase of the centre has also seen Costa, New Look, Smiggle and Pep & Co open,

“

”

The night-time economy, in particular, will really benefit from us as well as Topshop, which returned after an absense of more than eight years.

The Light Cinema will show a variety of films, alongside mainstream global and national box office classics, including The Girl on the Train, Miss Peregrine’s Home of Peculiar Children and Free State of Jones.

However, it is keen to set itself apart from competitors by adapting its screenings to the needs of the local community.

For example, in Bolton, it has been suggested that Bollywood films may be screened.

Jamie Atherton, general manager at cinema, said: “If the audience is there, there is nothing we can’t show on these screens.

“Playstation, Xbox, computer, laptop; if there’s a demand, we’ll show anything.

“Asian, mainstream, educational; if there’s a market for it.

“We want to work with the community as closely as we can.

“I think we do a lot of the things other cinemas say they do, but a bit better.

“I don’t think people necessarily expect an experience anymore and that’s what we’re trying to deliver.

“You should leave saying the staff are lovely, it’s great value, there are comfortable seats and great screens.”

In the past, Light has held charity events, and for the opening of the cinema they have nominated Bolton Hospice for their support.

For further information, visit www.lightcinemas.co.uk.

A poll to decide which pose should be chosen for the Victoria Wood statue in Prestwich is underway.

After a crowd funding campain by fans and Bury residents, Library Gardens in Silver Street has been named as the site for the new £20,000 statue.

Cllr Shori told said: “Victoria was a national treasure and a major talent in a variety of areas – actor, writer, and singer-songwriter.

“We feel it’s only right that there should be a fitting tribute to her in the borough in which she was born.”

The poll can be found on www.bury.gov.uk and closes on Monday, October 17.

Tory club strip party

Horwich Conservative club has been criticised for organising a “Gentlemen’s Evening” with strippers set to take place on October 28.

According to the event’s poster, the evening will feature a “comedian, strippers, waitresses and food” and tickets are priced at £15.

According to the club’s Facebook page the evening will be “a night of fun and laughter” with “cheeky ladies and good food.”

Call to Men UK tweeted “This sexist rubbish shouldn't happen in 2016” and called for Chris Green, Conservative MP for Bolton West to intervene.

Steward of the Horwich Conservative Club, Simon Denton, defended the planned event and claimed such entertainment was still valid despite the party being led by a woman, Theresa May.

6 TRAFFORD & TAMESIDE

October 2016

Grammar schools debate hits Trafford

www.mancunianmatters.co.uk

By Josh Steele

CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND: Professor Ainscow says comprehensive schools are failing kids

ASHES HERO PRAISES TEAM SPIRIT

A leading academic has slammed Theresa May’s grammar school policy and suggested she should look to Trafford for a model schooling system.

Professor Mel Ainscow, co-director of the Centre for Equity in Education at the University of Manchester, has highlighted the borough's outstanding exam results, which make up some of the best in the country, and puts the success of the area down to the central role of local government.

On September 9, Mrs. May announced that a 20 year ban on the creation of new grammar schools would be lifted, meaning that effectively any school in England could apply to become a grammar.

Though Professor Ainscow notes the merits of certain grammar schools, he expressed concerns over the measures.

“Trafford has the greatest proportion of children in grammar schools, and has traditionally been one of the most successful local authorities in

the country in terms of exam results and those results include good performances of the secondary modern schools,” he said.

“My argument would be that a feature of Trafford going back over ten years has been that the local authority has encouraged a great deal of collaboration between secondary modern and grammar schools.”

In this country we do pretty well for a large number of students

The professor has warned that by reverting to a grammar school system the government risks leaving a generation of children behind: He added: “The problem in this country is we do pretty well for a large number of students, but traditionally we have left a large trail of children who don’t do well and get left behind.”

CRICKET HERO: Former England captain Michael Vaughan at the awards

By James Mutch

Ashes-winning cricket captain Michael Vaughan has praised the power of community spirit at the Pride of Tameside Sports Awards 2016.

Vaughan was speaking at the event’s 18th year at Dukinfield Town Hall on Friday September 23 to celebrate the sporting achievements as well as the dedication of individuals in Tameside.

The accolades are designed to illustrate the hard work being done by sports organisations in the area and recognising the individuals responsible for it.

Salford-born Vaughan, who was awarded an OBE in 2005, told MM: “You can see and smell the passion of sport in the room.

“It’s great that people are getting rewarded for hard work. Life’s about working hard and being driven.

“The awards will also inspire nominees who maybe haven’t won the awards tonight and have a target to win one in the following years.”

The former England captain told of his own experience breaking into the game as a youngster, and recalled other important moments in his career.

Vaughan spoke of his rejection as a footballer from his childhood team Sheffield Wednesday, mentioned his encounters with the Neville brothers on the cricket pitch and entertained the audience with stories from the historic Ashes victory in 2005.

Over the course of the night, Vaughan handed trophies for seven categories alongside Mayor of Tameside Cllr Philip Fitzpatrick and the event was hosted by Tameside Radio’s Louise Croombs.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said: “The finalists are just a snapshot of the many committed men, women and children who dedicate so much of their lives to sport in Tameside – be it individually, as part of a team or to helping others get involved and achieve their best.

“They make a huge contribution to their local community as well as raising the profile of the borough and keeping active and healthy.

“They richly deserve this recognition”.

The Alex Williams Volunteer of the Year was won by swimming coach Mark Clough.

Linda Denidni won the Changing Lifestyle Recognition Award and Peter

Brocklehurst won Unsung Hero of the Year for his 60 years of service to cycling.

Coach of the Year was awarded to football coach Jason Craven and Team of the Year was awarded to Curzon Ashton Football Club.

Sports Achiever of the Year was won by 11-year-old kickboxing champion Eve Loughman, Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year was given to cricket player

Jordan Williams.

Winners of each award will also go forward to the Greater Manchester Sports Awards, taking place on Friday November 24 at Lancashire County Cricket Club.

Proceeds from the raffle at the end of the night went to the Believe and Achieve Trust, a meningitis awareness charity.

For more information visit www.believeandachieve.org.uk.

Between 2008 and 2011, Professor Ainscow was the Government’s chief advisor on the Greater Manchester Challenge, an initiative aimed at improving comprehensive schools across Manchester.

He expressed his concern that the revival of grammar schools would undo the positive changes made during this period: “We had a comprehensive program that was working well in Greater Manchester.

“We took the thinking of London and applied it to 1150 schools as part of the Greater Manchester project.

“Unfortunately the arrival of the coalition government brought an end to the scheme as City Academies were introduced, but the independent evaluation demonstrated that there had been remarkable progress over those three years.

“What it needed was taking forward to allow such a system to take root in the way it did in London.”

At the time of publication Trafford Borough Council were unavailable for comment.

THE APPRENTICE

An Altrincham woman is looking to bargain, barter and pitch her way to a £250,000 business investment, when she makes her debut appearance in the latest series of The Apprentice.

Rebecca ‘Becs’ Jeffrey, 31, is amongst the 18 hopefuls looking to become Lord Sugar’s business partner with the BBC show returns to the nation’s screens tonight.

Becs has a good deal of faith in her capabilities, and says that her sunny disposition is a big part of her style.

“People often foolishly mistake my enthusiasm for silliness or positivity for naivety. I’m proof that you can get things done without whinging,” she said.

Ms Jeffrey is the co-owner of Fi and Becs Designer Marketing; a creative company which she runs alongside her sister Fiona, and operates out of offices in Altrincham and Halifax.

The company has a 120 strong client portfolio and Ms Jeffrey has plenty of entrepreneurial experience to help her through the 12 week long process.

The show’s victor stands to benefit from a £250,000 investment in their chosen business venture, and will become the business partner of Lord Sugar.

Ms Jeffrey makes her small screen bow in tonight’s opening episode, which sees the candidates head to Wimbledon Car Boot Sale as they attempt to flog collectible items.

She will be hoping to impress Lord Sugar’s ever present aides, Karen Brady and Claude Littner, and become a regular fixture on the Thursday night show for weeks to come.

Man charged for helping imam ‘killer’ flee to Turkey

OLDHAM & ROCHDALE 7

October 2016

CHARGED: Mohammed Syadul Hussain (left) has been charged with assisting in the murder of Jalal Uddin (right) a respected Rochdale imam

By Robert Jenkins

A man has been charged with assisting in the murder of a respected imam in February.

Mohammed Syadul Hussain, 24, has been charged with assisting an offender with the brutal murder of 71-year-old Jalal Uddin.

The Islamic leader was murdered by Mohammed Syeedy and an accomplice, thought to be Mohammed Kadir, last February.

Mohammed Syeedy, 21, was recently jailed for a minimum of 24 years for his role in the killing of Uddin.

Hussain, who was charged on September 26, is accused of helping Mohammed Kadir, described by a judge as Uddin’s other killer,

flee the UK three days after the imam was killed.

Kadir is now the target of a global manhunt by counter-terrorism police. Authorities fear that, after landing in Turkey, Kadir may have crossed into Syria to join the Islamic State.

The court was told how Kadir emptied his bank account three days after the killing and flew to Istanbul via Copenhagen with Hussain’s assistance.

Syeedy, a former Manchester United steward, was convicted of helping Kadir stalk and kill Uddin and being the getaway driver for the killers.

Syeedy and Kadir followed the 71-yearold as he left evening prayers at his local mosque in Wardleworth.

The pair then bludgeoned Uddin to death with a hammer in a children’s playground.

The imam was left with head and facial fractures so severe that his skull was pushed into his brain.

Detectives arrested Syeedy five days after the murder and found gruesome footage of Uddin’s death on his mobile phone. Syeedy’s phone also held reams of Isis propaganda.

At Syeedy’s trial the jury was told that Syeedy played an ‘absolutely integral’ role in the murder, which the judge described as ‘carefully planned’ and ‘premeditated’.

The jury saw photos of Syeedy holding an Isis style flag outside the Jalalia mosque. Another photo showed Syeedy and two other people hold a jihadi flag over

a road sign in Rochdale that had been changed to read ‘war zone’.

It is thought that the pair killed the 71year-old imam because he practiced a form of Islamic healing that is considered heretical by some sections of the Islamic faith.

The judge described the killing as ‘brutal’ and Uddin as ‘gentle’ and ‘well respected’.

Judge Maddison said that the killing was a hate crime but did not match the sentencing threshold of a religiously motivated murder that carries a minimum term of 30 years imprisonment.

The judge said: “It seems to me that this was a case of two members of the Muslim faith killing another member of the Muslim faith solely because of a particular practice carried out by that person.”

from the Labour Party a month before the allegation emerged, when he admitted to sending inappropriate text messages to a teenage girl.

The 49-year-old voluntarily attended a police station when he was interviewed over the rape claim.

In a statement Danczuk said: “I am grateful for the decision made by the CPS and I am relieved that the investigation has now come to an end.

“Even though I maintained my innocence throughout, this has been

an immensely stressful period for me and my family. I thank them for their continuing support.

“I now expect the Labour Party to conclude their investigation into these matters and lift my suspension as soon as possible.”

In a statement, the CPS said: "It has been decided that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.”

Lancashire Police said it entirely respected the decision of the CPS.

"While these allegations were made against a public figure, we have been committed throughout to investigating this matter in the same professional and victim-focused way that we would all such allegations."

The force said it "remained committed to investigating allegations of this nature, no matter how long ago or what the role, position and status of the alleged offender.”

Labour said the MP remains suspended from the party.

Rape allegations against Danczuk dropped

By Kathy Giddins

Simon Danczuk will face no further action over a historic rape allegation dating back to 2006, prosecutors have said.

The Rochdale MP was interviewed

by Lancashire Police over the allegation on January 4 but the Crown Prosecution Service said no further action should be taken due to "insufficient evidence".

Danczuk had been suspended

wwww.mancunianmatters.co.uk

Tom out of Bake Off

Wednesday was a sad day for Rochdale as Tom Gilliford was sent home from the Great British Bake Off. The 26 year-old began Dessert Week with a big gamble, scrapping his first sponge.

“This is week seven of Bake Off, he pointed out.

“Good enough is not good enough anymore.”

He went on to revolutionise the concept of the classic roulade by merging it with the millionaire shortbread. Unfortunately, it was met with mixed reviews.

In the technical challenge, the texture and layering of his marjolaine was poor, and the result too chewy for Mary.

Tom’s signature bake was doomed from the moment he announced he would be piping his mousse – an impossible feat. When Paul said: “I think you’re going to struggle”, Tom agreed.

In the end, both Paul and Mary concluded that “the mixture that you’ve piped is not a mousse”, deeming it heavy, stodgy and thick.

Tom made peace with the decision, commenting: “it had to be me this week. There is no one else it could have been.”

Hornets win promotion

Rochdale Hornets RLFC seized promotion to the Championship against all odds after beating Toulouse Olympique away in a tense final.

Rochdale went into the game as underdogs, with Toulouse going into the promotion final as favourites following an undefeated season in League One. Rochdale found themselves down 16-0 after 20 minutes but managed to reduce the deficit to 16-8 going into half-time.

The away side found themselves with more work to do in the second half. After having an early try chalked off for a forward pass, Rochdale scored a try and conversion through Lewis Galbraith to bring the score to 18-14 in the second half.

Continuing to press hard Rochdale got their rewards in the final minutes through a cross kick which fell to David Cookson to score in the corner giving Hornets the lead.

Chris Riley completed the scoring with five minutes remaining, and Paul Crook added the extras to equal the club’s all time leading points scoring record.

Toulouse scored late on to ensure a nail biting finish but they could do nothing to prevent a Hornets victory to take the trophy back to Rochdale. A 24-22 victory to cap off a fine debut season for coach Alan Kilshaw.

Jailed: Life for Stockport wife killer 8 STOCKPORT & WIGAN

October 2016

www.mancunianmatters.co.uk

By Josh Steele

A Stockport man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife.

Imran Khan, 38, admitted to stabbing his wife Nasreen, 38, to death with a kitchen knife at their home in Cheadle Hulme last April, having allegedly fallen out with his wife over her work as a care worker.

Five children were present in the house at the time of the attack, with the couple’s eldest daughter forced to make the emergency call to report her mother’s injuries.

Mr. Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court by Judge Patrick Field QC, who ordered the defendant to serve a minimum of 20 years before parole would be considered.

Mr. Kahn had been angered by his wife’s work for a firm called Homecare Services, and was particularly enraged by her home visits to male clients.

The court heard that on the day Nasreen was killed she received a series of threatening texts from her husband that foreshadowed the violent events of that evening: “I have told you 10 times there

Golden girl Storey: ‘My debt to Metro’ JAILED: Imran Khan pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife of 17 years Nasreen

By Eleanor Simmons

With 14 gold medals and the title of the U.K’s most decorated Paralympian to her name, Dame Sarah Storey truly is Stockport’s golden girl.

The 38-year-old’s highlight of the Games was having her three-year-old daughter, Louisa, with her in Rio. She described her favourite memory: “I think it would be being congratulated by my family and having Louisa jump over the fence for pictures with me after the Road events! The whole Games was really special now our family has got bigger.

“Rio was different being a Mum because I had responsibilities to her as well as to the team, but I also think that was a big advantage because I was always busy, when lots of athletes complain it is hard to fill their time as there is so much resting to do!”

When it came to the competition itself, Storey remembers the point she realised she was going to win each of her races.

“For the pursuit, that was when I could see my opponent inside the first kilometre of the final and then in the road race when I got inside the final 500m, and realised I could have run with my bike if I had ended up falling off for any reason!”

Sarah’s paralympic success is unprecedented, but it hasn’t come easy. She first dipped her toe into the world of para-sport in 1993 at Stockport’s Metro swimming pool.

Looking back, the Paralympian has nothing but praise for the town that nurtured her talent from the very beginning.

The Metro was one of the first 50m pools in the country and when Storey’s dad took over the running of the North West Para-Swimming team, he transformed the regional squad from one of the worst in the country to one of the best.

Sarah had always dreamed of training and competing full time, but growing up the prospect of becoming a professional para-athlete was impossible.

“In 1992 there were no para-sport athletes training full-time because noone had sufficient sponsorship to be able to afford it.”

Moving away from Stockport to university in Leeds was even more of a struggle.

She said: “The coach refused to coach me because I was a Paralympian and so I was trying to coach myself and commute home to train in Stockport in between.

“To add to the issues the man in charge of the swim team didn’t believe me and tried to drop me the following year when I missed the funding time by only 0.25 of a second!”

Storey worked herself in to the ground as a result, and ended up pushing herself too hard.

At the 1998 World Swimming Championships in New Zealand, Storey said she was “very over-

trained” and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

“I was told I would end up with the virus in my heart if I didn’t stop punishing my body with too much training,” she said.

Storey emerged from these setbacks stronger than ever, swimming in her first Paralympics in 1992 at the age of just 14.

For athletes competing now, the Paralympic outlook is totally transformed.

“Opportunities for athletes of all kinds have improved dramatically thanks to the ongoing investment of Lottery Funding in to facilities, sports medicine, athlete funding, and development programmes.

“More athletes than ever before are now full-time and the biggest benefactor in this have been para-sport athletes.

“The north-west has some incredible facilities, many of which were built for and are a legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

“We have moved away from the idea that para-sport athletes need to be segregated and all of those facilities are available for any athlete through the National Governing Bodies or English Institute of Sport.

For the moment, she is enjoying being a mum to Louisa.

But whatever the future holds for Sarah and wherever her career may lead, the Stockport Metro will always be the place where it all began.

are three people whose prayers will not be accepted by Allah. A fleeing slave until he returns to his master, a woman whose husband is angry with her, until he is pleased with her, and a drunkard until he becomes conscious. If you don’t listen to me I get angry. If you go to men’s houses and lie to me I get angry. If you play games I get angry,” one text said.

The court also heard that Mr. Kahn had spoken with his Father about killing his wife prior to the attack: “Everyone including my children is against me. I have got no choice - I’m going to kill her and kill myself,” Khan said to his father.

The Khans married in Stockport in 1999 after the couple met following Imran’s visit to Pakistan earlier that year.

Prosecutor Mark Kellet told the court that the couple had endured a volatile relationship, and Mr. Kahn’s off-hand remark to an arresting officer exposed his contempt for his wife: "Never get an arranged marriage bro," the father of three said.

Anthony Metzer QC claimed the attack was not pre-meditated and implored Judge Field to show leniency on account of his client’s remorse. However Judge Field said: “Your actions on that day

were simply those of a man intending on killing his wife. And kill her you did, slaughtering her in the presence of her children who heard her screams.

“You stabbed her repeatedly with considerable force - it was, on any view, a merciless act,” he said.

Senior Investigating Officer, Duncan Thorpe, from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Major Incident Support Unit noted the individual nature of Mr. Kahn’s crime but was eager to encourage witnesses and victims of domestic abuse to speak out.

"Imran Khan is a controlling individual. His actions on that fateful night have left his and Nasreen's family and friends devastated,” he said.

"If you're a friend, family member or neighbour who witnesses signs of domestic abuse, please report it to police.

"Domestic abuse is not acceptable under any circumstances and there are support services available for victims and families from the report to conviction."

If you are in an abusive relationship or know someone that is you can seek help by contacting the Women's Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0161 636 7525 or visit endthefear.co.uk.

GOLDEN GIRL: Dame Sarah Storey scooped up three gold medals at the Rio Paralympics

Zoe Lyons on touring, trolls WO NH AGTU’ SI D E and the state of the world ENTERTAINMENT 9

October 2016

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LITTLE MISFIT: Lowry Theatre launch for Zoe Lyons’ new UK stand-up tour

Her first date, The Lowry in Salford was on October 5, and she recalls fond memoZoe Lyons is not someone with a lot of time ries performing there in the past. on her hands. Speaking to me a week before “I like The Lowry. It’s a lovely venue. I’ve her tour kicks off, it’s clear that preparations done two shows there twice before and both are now in full swing. times really enjoyed it. It’s got a great com“Can you hear me properly? I’m just sort edy-savvy audience.” of hanging out of a window at the moment!”

Though she’s already had a chance to Zoe tells me, desperately trying to pick up test out her material at the Edinburgh Fringe phone signal at her home.

Festival back in August, she also explains With technical difficulties soon navigated, how her performances, perhaps inevitably, we get on to talking about her upcoming develop. tour.

“It’s the show I did in Edinburgh this year

By Josh Mines

for the festival so I’m looking forward to taking it on the road.

“The show will change over the course of a few months, stuff happens that you incorporate in, things in the news for example.

Comedy always changes and shifts a bit, it’s like a living breathing thing.”

By now it’s to be expected that Zoe is a dab hand at life on the road.

Since 2004 she’s toured the UK stand-up circuit, and has also found time in between to be a regular at the Fringe and appear on BBC panel show Mock The Week.

I wondered whether her busy schedule ever became too much, even doing something that she has such a passion for.

She told MM: “The travelling does get a bit tiring. But you get used to it and you get used to being on your own a lot. I’m very comfortable at eating in restaurants on my own now.”

As for the tour’s name, ‘Little Misfit’, where did this come from, and what does it say about Zoe’s personality as a comic?

“It’s very loosely connected to the idea that as a comedian you never really fitted in.

As a comedian I fit in, but as a human being I certainly don’t.”

Throughout her career, Zoe has been a comic who doesn’t feel pressure to be anyone but herself. In 2009, she made it onto The Independent’s ‘Pink List’, which recognised the most influential lesbian and gay people in Britain that year.

But, this hasn’t stopped some people targeting the alternative part of her persona.

“I got heckled at a gig last year which has made it into the show, a guy said ‘you only get on telly because of tokenism’ which I thought was quite a cutting heckle.

“It’s one level above ‘get your tits out’.”

She told MM, chuckling rather exasperatedly.

In the digital age, it’s becoming increasingly hard for comics to avoid would-be hecklers. Twitter has opened the door to a new kind of nuisance, trolling, for comedians to deal with.

“Usually I’m so good at ignoring them. But

when you’re tired and you’re cranky, they’re like a mosquito in the room and you can ignore it but then sometimes you just think, ‘oh I’m going to beat the shit out of this’.

“Do you know what the Internet has proven to me? Before Twitter, these people would bark at the moon and shout at passing cars. An intelligent person just wouldn’t get involved.”

“99.9% of the time I totally ignore it but occasionally I just want to say ‘oh f**k off’!”

When I moved the conversation on to the increasingly comedic state of British politics, it was clear that there’s a paradox at work in the comedian’s perspective on it.”

“

We’ve got Donald Trump who looks like a cross between an orange and a maniacal squirrel, possibly with his finger on the nuclear button.

”

Turmoil seems to provoke both despair and inspiration in equal measure.

“It’s not fun to see the world fall apart, but it’s fun to see it shaken up a bit.” Zoe tells me.

“We have an unelected Prime Minister who looks like a lizard, we’ve got Corbyn who’s taking us back to the 70s and we’ve got Donald Trump who looks like a cross between an orange and a maniacal squirrel, possibly with his finger on the nuclear button.”

However, adversity breeds creativity, and comedy has always been an outfit for discontentment.

“A lot of the backlash against Thatcher provided a creative outlet. She shut down the mines but she certainly opened up a lot of comedy clubs - because at least people had something to shout against.”

Few would disagree with saying that there’s plenty to shout about in 2016. What speaking to Zoe shows me is that we will always need the misfits to keep us laughing.

Review: The Emperor, HOME, Manchester

By Kathy Giddins & Sophie Norris

Genius of reinvention actor Kathryn Hunter brings a story of corruption, loyalty and avarice alive in this onewoman show.

On a minimalist stage, Olivier awardwinning Hunter and Ethiopian musician Temesgen Zeleke tell the story of the mesmerising and heart-breaking reality of Emperor Haile Selassie’s rule.

Hunter embodies the emperor’s 11 servants as she seamlessly moves from each one and reaffirms her position as the master of gender-fluid acting.

Often attracted to traditionally-male acting roles she was the first professional female actor to play King Lear in Britain.

As a shape-shifting mastermind she flows from devotion of a pillow bearer to

the flamboyant comic figure of another loyal courtier in a matter of seconds.

Adapted for the stage by Colin Teevan, from Ryszard Kapuściński’s book of the same name, The Emperor sees the audience adopt the role of Kapuściński himself.

In turn, each servant tells their personal tale of life working under Selassie with unrelenting adoration shining through every sentence.

The spectrum of emotion channelled

by Hunter is successful in portraying the heart-breaking betrayal felt by some of Selassie’s loyal supporters.

“I think the point of Kapuściński telling the story from the point of view of the servants is that sometimes the big power struggles have a huge fallout on the so-called little people who have a fullness of life themselves.

“The task is to not make them anonymous but to give them as much detail as possible” Hunter told MM. While Hunter never embodies the figure of Selassie, his ghostly presence is firmly in the room.

The contrast between the insiders the courtiers - and the audience who are looking at the testimonies from the privileged position of knowing the ‘truth’ plays into Hunter’s portrayal of Selassie as a dictator with both strengths and weaknesses.

The emperor’s work as the driving force behind making Ethiopia’s first constitution and the first independent African country and efforts to establish the country on the international stage, made him unable to perceive the suffering of his own people.

Hunter said: “There is the larger polit-

ical truth that there was a huge famine to which the emperor did not attend.

“However there’s also the truth that he was a great father figure for many African nations, he was a great reformer and moderniser, he had his blind spots like many other world leaders.”

Even today, more than 40 years after Jonathan Dimbleby’s documentary The Unknown Famine, this play has chilling links to the modern world.

Hunter said: “It’s not something that exists just in the past.

“It’s about our leaders and also our responsibility for what leaders we elect which in the end results in the kind of world we live in.

“I think although it’s a story that seems remote about a faraway place it’s actually about us.”

What’s on ‘the box’?

The new series of The Apprentice began on BBC1 at 9pm last night as Lord Sugar’s search for his next business partner begins.

BBC2 have a historical reality TV show starting at 9pm on Monday called The Victorian Slum which places a group of people into an East End Victorian house.

More 4 have a new six-part drama called Hitler: The Rise and Fall at 8pm on Saturday about The Fuhrer’s ascendency in Nazi Germany.

The third series of The Fall also continues at 9pm on BBC2 this evening with serial killer Paul Spector fighting for his life. The first episode aired last week and returned with the exhilarating pace that has made it so popular.

In the wake of the Sam Allardyce undercover scandal, England resume their World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday Evening at home to Malta with former Under 21s Manager Gareth Southgate being given temporary charge of the side.

ITV have coverage from 5pm.

Filmed in Manchester

When people think of Manchester they might imagine the red-brick terraces of Coronation Street, or Shameless scenes from the Chatswoth Estate.

With Cold Feet back on our screens, let’s take a look at what other shows have been filmed in Manchester over the years...

BBC1 series Life on Mars transformed Victoria Baths, Chorlton-on-Medlock, into the mortuary that appears in the second series, and it also became the Irish Community Centre.

The student digs from Fresh Meat can be found at Mayfield Road in Whalley Range. While you’re there you can grab a beer at the King’s Arms pub in Salford, owned by singer Paul Heaton, which served as the local pub on the show.

Channel 4’s comedy-drama No Offence follows a fictionalised version of Greater Manchester Police around many iconic city centre locations. Among these were some of Ancoats’ streets, with Salford Quays making an appearance as well.

Manchester hasn’t just appealed to the British film industry.

Dale Street in the Northern Quarter morphed into 1940s New York for scenes in Hollywood blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger, making it the first location outside of the USA to appear in a Marvel film.

10 SPORT

October 2016

www.mancunianmatters.co.uk

How can we clean up f ootbal l?

A l l a r d yc e f i a s c o p r o m p t s tr a n s p a r e n c y c a l l s As the dust settles from the damage caused by Sam Allardyce to the English game, attention now turns to the FA as they decide if any further action should be taken against him, and of course, who should replace him long term.

The Daily Telegraph’s campaign against corruption in football started emphatically last week as Allardyce was exposed for a meeting in London with an organisation he thought would be paying him £400,000 to provide advice of how to get around rules in English football, including signing footballers owned by third parties.

It has been widely assumed by the majority of people that corruption in football only exists in the headquarters of FIFA and UEFA with Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini taking most of the blame in recent

C O M M E N T & A NA LYS I S

years.

The news that dodgy deals are being made within the top division of our own domestic league proves a humbling and harsh reality and one that should be dealt with appropriately.

The FA reacted to the revelation quickly by removing the veteran, top league manager from his position on Tuesday September 27 which was decisive but also worked to appease the media.

Subsequent editions from the Telegraph that have uncovered corruption involving Eric Black and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink have also highlighted this problem in English football too.

Although Allardyce has lost his job, there has been debate about whether the police should be called in to investigate the case.

England legend and Match of the Day presenter, Gary Lineker, has expressed this opinion which would hold the ex-Bolton Wanderers manager up as an example to what would happen to someone who was tempted to divulge their knowledge to line their pockets.

If the FA really want to cut corruption out of the game and begin to restore what little faith football fans have in the system, they surely need to take this matter further.

Gareth Southgate has moved up from the Under 21s to take charge of the national team for this Saturday’s game at Wembley against Malta and away at Slovenia next Tuesday.

The two fixtures are expected to yield six points which will no doubt lead to calls for Southgate to be given the job full time and send us to the 2018 World Cup. His squeaky clean image is just what the FA need at the moment to bring some stability to the team after the trough that the Euros exit shambles and Allardyce’s departure has left them in.

He has also worked with players that such as Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, John Stones, Michael Keane and Dele Alli which will help him to stamp his own identity on the squad.

Manchester giants suffer poor results as players head off on international break

Pep Guardiola suffered his first defeat at City on Sunday as Spurs beat them comfortably at White Hart Lane.

An early own goal from Kolorov followed by one from Dele Alli gave the home side a deserved 2-0 victory to close the gap on City in the Premier League to one point.

It was only eight minutes when Aleksandar Kolarov sliced a Danny Rose cross past Claudio Bravo to put the hosts ahead.

With 37 minutes on the clock, Spurs pressure culminated in Heung-Min Son sliding a clever through ball into Alli’s path who then side-footed neatly into the bottom corner. The performances of Kevin De Bruyne lately would be missed by any team in the World and without the Belgium, there was no supply for City’s talisman Aguero.

Victor Wanyama was awarded man of the match for his masterful performance in anchoring the Londoner’s midfield.

The only downside for Spurs was the missed penalty in the second half. After Alli was fouled by Fernandinho in the area, Lamela argued with Son before watching his effort being saved by Bravo.

City will be hoping the international break will

allow them to regroup and refresh before their next league game.

Across the city, Manchester United were denied three points against lowly Stoke City on Sunday by the gloves of Potters’ keeper Lee Grant.

Anthony Martial eventually broke Mark Hughes’ side on 69 minutes but the visitors struck back late on through Joe Allen to rescue a point.

United dominated possession and created chances but were denied by the 33-year-old loanee keeper.

He made a total of eight saves in a game in which United arguably played better that when they demolished the champions Leicester City 41 the week before.

Substitute Martial scored within two minutes of his introduction when he fired in from the edge of the area on 69 minutes which send United to victory.

Stoke would not be denied though, and on 82 minutes Allen latched onto Jonathan Walters’ shot to restore parity and earn themselves a precious point.

Stockport near FA Cup proper

Stockport County have beaten local rivals Salford City to set up an FA Cup fourth round qualifier with Bishops Auckland on Saturday October 15.

The Hatters won 2-0 with goals from Danny Lloyd and Michael Clarke on Saturday in a closely contended match in which the home side’s prowess in front of goal made the difference.

Bishops Auckland are currently three tiers below County in the Northern League Division One. Manager James Gannon will be hoping that the motivation of getting into the first round proper of the Emirates FA Cup will spur his side on to victory.

The last time County qualified for the first round was six years ago when Peterborough knocked them out in a replay after they were held 11 at Edgeley Park.

SPORT

October 2016

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Ma n c h e s te r w a n ts t o c re a t e a S t o r m

New signing talks Ice Hockey’s growth in the area

By Josh Steele

proved massively recently.”

The Storm endured a tough weekend, The Elite Ice Hockey League is back in town falling to defeats at the hands of reigning for a second year, and Manchester Storm league champions Nottingham Panthers and are ready to take on the league’s finest as fierce rivals Sheffield Storm. they look to build on last year’s maiden seaBut Johnson remains buoyant and beson. lieves the signs of progress are there: “It was Already seven games into the season, the a huge weekend for us and we were coming Altrincham based side have had a mixed up against two of the best teams in the start with three wins and four losses in all league,” he said. competitions, but for a fledgling franchise “I think we’re playing good hockey now there are signs of rapid growth. and I think we’re going to really show who There is no doubt that the Storm are a difwe are this season.” ferent beast from last year’s outfit, having Johnson has been impressed by his new added considerable strength and size to team-mates and the quality of the league, their line-up, foremost among whom is new but evidently the biggest surprise to him has skipper Trevor “TJ” Johnson. been at the dedication of the Storm’s growDefenseman TJ already loves life at the ing fan base: “Our fans are not at all fairStorm and is impressed by the quality on weather. When we lose they are so show in the EIHL: “I saw what the Elite supportive, there are people immediately League was doing and saw it was getting posting on social media saying, ‘You guys better and better,” he said. did us proud’,” he said.

“The League is getting really strong. With “I’ve played a lot of professional hockey every team we’ve played so far it’s been a and that’s not what you get in normal cities one goal game so you can see that it has im-

where there is always somebody with a neg- chise: “When you come to the rink it's a real family atmosphere,” he said. ative comment.” “ While on the ice it’s rough and tough the kids are always welcome, and I think it's pretty affordable for a family to come to a game, which isn’t the case in most professional sports.”

“I hope we can appeal to families who can enjoy a great night of sport without spending a fortune.”

The Storm face another serious challenge this weekend, as they face-off against Fife Flyers on Saturday, before a Challenge Cup clash with Nottingham this Sunday at the Silver Blades Arena. Tickets for the Nottingham game are available on line and at the door.

For online tickets and information, visit www.manchesterstorm.com.

NEW SIGNING: Trevor ‘TJ’ Johnson

The Storm skipper was also keen to encourage new punters to come down and cheer on their local Hockey team, and stressed the welcoming nature of the fran-

Manchester City Women celebrate historic double

By Emilia Bona

Manchester City Women’s manager Nick Cushing had to cut short the celebrations after his team’s cup win in order to make it to the birth of his child.

The City squad bagged the double by beating Birmingham City Ladies 1-0 in extra time to claim the Continental Tyres Cup on October 2 at the Academy Stadium.

Lucy Bronze scored the winner in the 104th minute when Birmingham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger came for Toni Duggan’s corner from the left but failed to gather.

After Steph Houghton had a touch it was left for her fellow defender Bronze to head into an unguarded goal from 10 yards.

After the match, Cushing told BT Sport that he would be rushing to his wife’s side. “I think I’ll be in the hospital all night,” the Manchester City manager said.

“I haven’t spoken to my wife but there’s no message on my phone. So I’ll get the medal and then it’s straight off to the hospital.”

The Continental Tyres Cup is Manchester City’s second trophy win in a week after being crowned Women’s Super League champions with a 2-0 win over reigning champions Chelsea ladies on September 25.

Nick Cushing’s unbeaten side made history winning their first ever WSL title. They needed just a point against Chelsea to guarantee the top spot with a game to spare.

But after conceding only three goals in 15 league games City managed to take the title in style with a penalty in the 50th minute from striker Toni Duggan.

City’s Continental Tyres Cup victory was watched by a home crowd of more than 4,000 – setting a new record for attendance at the Academy Stadium.

The 4000 strong crowd for City’s WSL victory represents the climax of an ever-increasing appetite for the women’s game.

Last season the Football Association announced that Women’s Super League One crowds saw a dramatic increase from 2014.

Manchester City had the highest average attendance of 2015 with 1,500.

They also claimed the season's single highest attendance with 3,180 supporters turning out to watch City beat Notts County on the final day of the 2015 WSL 1 campaign.

England's astounding success at last summer's World Cup appears to have had a major impact on women's football, with attendances increasing dramatically compared to matches before the tournament.

An incredible 12 members of the City squad are also current England internationals, including Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton.

11

SportCity set for Squash

December will see 200 of squash’s biggest names descend on Manchester’s SportCity for the biggest competition in the sport’s calendar.

England is the birthplace of squash, and Manchester will host the World Championships where the men and women’s tournaments will both be awarded $45,000 in prize money Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Rosa Battle, told UK Sport: “We're committed to continuing to showcase the city as a hub of world class sporting activity adding to a calendar including athletics, netball, basketball, cycling and football events” England Squash Chief Executive Keir Worth said: "We feel this will be a great move for squash not just in England but globally as well.”

The Lowry will welcome King Eric Cantona back to his beloved Salford next February. Tickets for the two exclusive shows are available at visitmanchester.com

Rio helping numbers rise Manchester Rugby Club ladies team has seen a boom in numbers following the success of the rugby 7s team at the Rio Olympics.

One of the team’s oldest members, Amber Smith, said: “When I started on the girls team there was probably about five or six girls coming, whereas now you are getting numbers in the twenties and thirties.”

Bryan Fisher, the women’s lead coach, has been pleasantly surprised at the rise in numbers.

“I find that coaching women is so much easier than men.

The thing with women is that you can coach them and they grasp it very quickly. Women and young girls play the game at lesser speed.”

Fern Loh moved from Singapore to Manchester to become a teacher, and puts the newfound popularity of the game down to it's public profile.

With teams in Broughton Park, Altrincham, and Didsbury, women’s rugby in Manchester is on the up, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Sport

By Sebastian Ellis

Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves are set for a repeat of 2013 in this Saturday’s Super League Grand Final.

Warrington will be hoping to win their first Grand Final, building on their recent success of the 2016 League Leaders Shield, but the Super League title has eluded Warrington for many years.

Warrington were most recently runners up in 2013’s final, against this weekend’s opponents Wigan, who scored 24 secondhalf points to pip Warrington to the title, despite the Wolves leading 16-6 at the interval.

Warrington will be hoping to amend past mistakes, the very basis of which is that despite typically strong finishing positions in the Super League table, they have never been able to capitalise fully on their success and win the Grand Final.

Even this year, they faced adversity.

After a strong start to the season and a Challenge Cup Final appearance, Warrington succumbed to defeat against Hull at Wembley and only weeks later suffered at the hands of 12-man Wigan to lose 35-28 and keep Warrington hands off the League Leaders Shield for another week.

Warrington overcame their demons the following week to finish the season in 1st place, but the capitulation to lose after being 14 points up against 12 men will be something that plays on Warrington minds

throughout the final, and it’ll be interesting to see whether they have the mental strength to overcome that.

Despite all this, they have shown throughout the season that they have more than enough in their squad to become Super League champions. Chris Hill has been a revelation ever since his introduction to top flight rugby league and has continued to grow this year and will be a key player on the weekend.

Furthermore, Warrington will be buoyed by the return of Chris Sandow.

The half-back has been injured since the Challenge Cup Final, but was instrumental to Warrington’s attack previously and could prove the difference should he play.

Wigan Warriors, coming off the back of an injury-stricken season, enter Saturday’s Grand Final as the in-form team, winning five of their last six games and only going down to a strong Hull FC, who they eventually defeated in last week’s semi-final.

The Warriors will be without talismanic full-back Sam Tomkins and captain Sean O’Loughlin after tearing his calf muscle two weeks ago.

These injuries feature as part of a long list which includes the absences of Dominic Manfredi, Tony Clubb, Joel Tomkins and Michael McIlorum.

This has forced the Warriors outfit to have faith in it’s youth for the majority of

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There’s a STORM brewing in Altrincham Page 11

Warriors expect fi na l to g o to The W ire

the season, with Lewis Tierney impressing most throughout the season, and capping that off with two tries in Wigan’s semifinal win.

However, it will be a test of their character if this youthful side can overcome a strong Warrington team. Especially with Wigan coming off the back of three previous Grand Final losses, another one would be a cause for concern and it shows that both sides have a lot to lose in equal measure.

Wigan’s game changers come in the picture of in-form centre Anthony Gelling who, on his day, has controlled games on his own for the Warriors. And if they create the space to free up expert finisher Josh Charnley, on his last game in a Wigan shirt, they will not be far off a victory on the weekend.

Wigan Warriors Head Coach, Shaun Wane, said: “It’s a great team spirit. We’ve had some real close to the heart team meetings this week and the will they’ve got to fight for each other is strong.”

“Tony’s smart, and the Warrington Wolves players are smart. And we’ll get burned if we play like we did against Hull” Warrington Wolves Head Coach, Tony Smith, said: “At the start of the season we set out to win trophies and just as we did at Wembley [when Warrington reached the Challenge Cup Final], we’ve given ourselves a chance.”

Addison eyes Bath upset

By Josh Steele

Sale Sharks face a tough test in the Aviva Premiership this Friday as they face Bath at the Rec, and in-form centre, Will Addison, is predicting a close encounter.

The Sharks have made a solid start to their premiership campaign and currently sit fifth in the table having accrued 13 points, but Addison is under no illusions over the quality of Friday’s opposition: “We know that Bath are hitting the straps at the moment, and their new coach has come in and has really settled the situation down there,” he said.

“They have some top talent. You look at probably the best finisher in the league right now (Semesa) Rokoduguni and he is unreal. They’ve got quality across the board; I think their whole back line is probably near enough international quality. Banahan, Joseph, you name it they’re all threats.”

Addison is certain however that Sale have enough quality in their ranks to

cause Todd Blackadder’s men problems, and believes they could bring Bath’s longstanding unbeaten home record to an abrupt end: “The Rec is a great place to go and play on a Friday night and we’ll go down there with a lot of confidence having played probably our best rugby of the season,” he said.

“We are going to need the same attitude we showed against Leicester.”

Addison heads into Friday’s clash off the back of a man-of- the-match performance against Leicester Tigers last Saturday (in which he notched 14 points from the boot) and will be looking to continue his excellent run of form.

“I’m not someone who looks for personal glory, getting lots of tries or lots of kicks.” He said. “I’m just interested in whatever contributes the most to the team.”

After five years, Sale have also confirmed the return of Printerland.co.uk as a sponsor at the at the AJ Bell stadium.