And sadly it wasn’t long before the consequences of that decision began to surface.
October and November brought with it the news that over 127 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) were confirmed in connection with both the Birley campus and Cambridge halls of residence at Manchester Metropolitan University – which saw around 1,700 students instructed to self-isolate in their accommodations for 14 days – along with several student protests at the University of Manchester, campaigning for a number of issues to be addressed, and the subsequent responses from both institutions as a result.
This all made for widespread headlines and national coverage.
But it was the hidden side of the student experience that friends and filmmakers Gabriel Paul, 22, and Joseph Hunt, 23, were keen to focus on.
Unsatisfied with the portrayal of students in the media, and both sharing a strong passion for “making documentaries and films with social impact”, the two South London lads – who have been friends since their early school years and had recently graduated from university themselves – decided to travel up to Manchester to get a grasp on the bigger picture.
The documentary was shot in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.
Filmed over two days at the start of October 2020, the documentary features first and second year students, both in halls and privately rented houses, at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University.
But despite its short 13 minute run-time, the documentary still manages to cover a lot of ground.
It touches upon everything from the students’ concerns over personal finances, living situations and rental prices, the level of education they are receiving, and difficulties making friends, to how safe they feel studying on campus, their mental health struggles, the empathy they have for students in even trickier situations to them, their apprehensions about returning home for Christmas, and even their opinions on the government’s handling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as a whole.
Fundamentally, it shines a light on just how much the student experience has be affected.
“As the summer of 2020 was ending, we couldn’t help but notice that talk of students returning to university was a subject the media was covering extensively” Gabriel told us.
“We felt that the media’s portrayal of students was unfair and one sided, with the finger being pointed at them for the growth in cases and a blasé attitude towards national health, [and] having recently graduated ourselves, we wanted to contribute to the narrative that students are not just the nations scapegoat,
“We felt it was important to document the lifestyle of a student in 2020 in the most real and authentic way possible, and to enable student’s voices to be heard.
“We decided to focus on students in Manchester, because it felt like the epicentre of media coverage on that issue”.
He continued: “We were keen to document the experience of students at both Man Met and the University of Manchester to gain a more full understanding of the situation [and] fortunately, we had individual links at both, through friends and family.
“[So] we asked these individuals to rally together groups of people who were willing to give their insight and were happy to feature in our documentary.”
Standing up for students and providing them a voice was a core goal for Gabriel and Joseph.
“During this pandemic, we noticed that society seemed to be searching for someone to blame for the situation”. Gabriel continued.
“More and more, the finger seemed to be pointed at students.
“We therefore felt it extremely important to shine a light on the experiences of these individuals who were receiving an unfair amount of blame.
“[And] as we were interviewing the students, the importance of shining this light on their experience became more and more obvious [and] vital issues such as mental health, students being owed compensation, and the lack of support from the establishment, illustrate the gravity of the situation.
“We believe it’s vital that we nurture a conscious awareness of what each member of society is going through and promote stories that unite, rather than divide us.
“The story we’re telling is really important, and we’d love as much support as possible to spread the word.”
Review | Snow Patrol roll back the years at Co-op Live for a mini-Manc’s first gig
Danny Jones
This weekend we enjoyed a new kind of live music experience: rediscovering the joy of listening to a childhood favourite by watching it through the eyes of the next generation – that was how we witnessed a fully-fledged arena return to Manchester for Snow Patrol at Co-op Live.
And it was special for lots of reasons.
Taking a little one to their first gig is something you’ll never forget and sharing a new-found connection with a band that you loved when you were their age is one of those magical things about music that we’re eternally grateful for.
You might assume the Snow Patrol crowd one skews a little older for the most part but we were pleased to see there were more than a few kids and teenagers donning tour tees, looking wide-eyed at the sheer size of the Co-op Live arena, and singing the words back better than Gary Lightbody at times.
Sees the sign: ‘Race you there!’ (Credit: Audio North)
Yes, the Belfast-born frontman made a few mistakes on the night, but it did add a rather laid-back quality to what many acts might have found a daunting performance: playing a sell-out night to around 23,500 fans inside the enormous state-of-the-art venue.
But, obviously, there wasn’t even a whiff of nerves from these lads.
You don’t get to have been around for this long and become as successful as they are without being able to relax on stage and lean into those idiosyncratic perfections that feel more like private moments shared between the artist and the crowd.
The young lad sat watching it with us certainly got a kick out of it and though we might not have been able to cover his ears in time to censor some light but ever-charming swear words (it always sounds better in Irish, don’t you think?), it made for some nice banter between him and the crowd.
Big props must go to Johnny McDaid on the keys too, who besides having written for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys, Biffy Clyro and countless others over the years, also managed to impress by playing the majority of this entire tour after having trapped his hand in a train door. OUCH.
Credit: The Manc Group
Not only was that little interlude up there with one of the most applause-worthy parts of the entire show, but we were always pretty blown away by what we saw, as we all as what we heard.
Be it watching a digital tree come to life, shed its leaves and then fall as petal confetti, two sheer semi-opaque paper-thin screens swirl to create the album cover art for their latest album, or kicking the gig off with ‘Take Back The City’ as a multicoloured skyline appeared behind them, it was all pretty incredible.
We even got to hear a personal favourite of ours, ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar’, complete with a virtual performance from the voice that truly makes the song: Martha Wainwright.
It was in moments like this when we turned to see a 10-year-old’s face not quite sure of what it was seeing but an open-mouthed expression confirming they were finding it as stunning as we were.
We thoroughly enjoyed going through the back catalogue and working our way right up to plenty of the songs from The Forest Is The Path – which Gary himself firmly believes is their best work yet when we interviewed him – but it was as visually stunning as it was to the gorgeous sonically.
Both proved to be a brilliant way to see the contemporary rock, indie and alternative veterans, but there’s something about giving them a stage as big as this that reminds you of just how much they deserve it.
Up there with one of the prettiest gig snapshots in our memory.Not quite a hologram but very cool nonetheless.The production levels are always top-tier at Co-op Live but the Snow Patrol set was much more impressive than we expected.
Last but not least, thanks to Co-op Live not just for having but for creating a little boy’s memory that he’ll never forget.
Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
Emily Sergeant -
27th January 2021 
