News

Chancellor announces retrospective grants for businesses affected by Tier 2 restrictions

Greater Manchester businesses will qualify for the grants - which will be worth up to £2,100 every month that Tier 2 restrictions apply.

The Manc The Manc - 22nd October 2020
Number 10

Rishi Sunak has announced that grants of up to £2,100 will be made available to companies hit by Tier 2 restrictions.

Businesses that are currently in ‘high’ coronavirus alert level areas will be able to apply for the funding – which has been offered to support the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors.

Grants will also be available to firms in regions previously under Tier 2 restrictions – such as Greater Manchester (which moves to Tier 3 at 00.01 Friday).

https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1319228939307536384?s=20

The Chancellor tweeted on Thursday to announce the new scheme, stating: “I’m providing enough funding to give every business in hospitality, leisure & accommodation a grant worth up to £2,100 every month Tier 2 restrictions apply.

“These are additional to the grants of up to £3,000 available for businesses who have been legally required to close.”

He added: “They’ll also be retrospective grants. So businesses can backdate them to August, if they’ve been operating in areas with enhanced restrictions since then.”

https://twitter.com/PickardJE/status/1319229675072331776?s=20

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who has spent the past two weeks embroiled in discussions with the government in an attempt to get improved support, said he could “barely believe” what he was reading.

“Why on earth was this not put on the table on Tuesday to reach an agreement with us?” asked the Mayor.

“I said directly to the PM that a deal was there to be done if it took into account the effects on GM businesses of three months in Tier 2.”

https://twitter.com/AndyBurnhamGM/status/1319232492428316672?s=20

The Chancellor will discuss the grants in more detail during an address in the House of Commons later today.

News

Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Street Eat Rochdale

Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.

Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.

Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.

More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.

Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.

Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.

The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.

As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.

Street Eat Rochdale
The Great Staircase at Rochdale Town Hall
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council

In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.

This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.

You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.

Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council

“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.

“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.

Read more:

“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”

Featured Image – Rochdale Council

News

The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant

Danny Jones Danny Jones The Lowry Theatre Quays Theatre refurb

The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.

Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.

As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.

The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:

theatres in greater manchester
the lowry quays theatre
lowry theatre salford renovations
Credit: @jlcwalker (via Flickr)/The Lowry (supplied)

Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.

After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.

The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.

Crucially, this was strategically planned around the theatre’s ever-wonderful and varied programme to minimise disruption to audiences.

This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.

The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.

the lowry theatre refurb

The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update: “It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.

“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.

“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.

As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”

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As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.

“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”

Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.

We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.

Kinky Boots’ message transcends the music at the Palace Theatre in Manchester | Review

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Featured Images — Skip88 (via Wikimedia Commons)/@jlcwalker (via Flickr)/The Lowry (supplied)

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