A new hotel has opened in Manchester city centre, taking proud inspiration from the city’s industrial heritage.
The Reach at Piccadilly is a beautiful new hotel in an enviable location.
Standing at 11 storeys tall, the building towers over the Rochdale Canal and is a mere 90-second walk from Manchester Piccadilly.
In the present day, that means you’re a short stroll from several iconic music venues, loads of great bars and restaurants, and plenty of transport links, but The Reach at Piccadilly has taken its inspiration from a little further back in time.
It’s been designed to celebrate Manchester’s pioneering history, which is fitting given that it stands on a canal that was vital to the city’s Industrial Revolution.
The hotel, situated on Ducie Street, has made nods to the area’s history with little touches like nautical interiors, activated charcoal toiletries, and a twist on the ‘fourpenny’ drink that was historically used by workers to toast the end of the day.
The Reach at Piccadilly is Manchester’s new canalside hotel with proudly Mancunian inspirations / Credit: The Manc Group
The hotel itself, which is dog-friendly, has 215 guest rooms, eight suites, and the ground floor restaurant and bar, Lock 84.
In Lock 84, you’ll find all-day dining crafted around sustainable, seasonal, and local ingredients.
The inspiration for the menu comes from across the globe, but is based on British dishes with lots of small plates, including the stand-out Manchester Scotch Egg, and a range of larger courses, sides, snacks, and more.
The Reach at Piccadilly is part of Tribute Portfolio, a collection of characterful, independent hotels from Marriott Bonvoy, which all strive to create social scenes for guests and locals alike, and each one has its own unique vibe.
For The Reach at Piccadilly, it’s all about its Manchester-led authenticity and collaboration with local partners, promising guests a ‘warm Northern welcome’.
In Lock 84, you’ll find all-day dining crafted around sustainable, seasonal, and local ingredients / Credit: The Manc Group
Peter Nye, general manager at The Reach at Piccadilly, said: “We are delighted to unveil this new and exciting addition to the city’s thriving hospitality scene. When creating the concept for the hotel, we have been conscious to create an authentic Manchester experience for guests to fully encompass, and our teams have worked tirelessly over the past few months to ensure our guests experience the very best of the city’s supply network.
“They’ll be able to enjoy produce grown only a few miles away, drink a great cup of coffee which has been roasted around the corner, and sip on unique, locally brewed beer.
“We really are very excited to welcome guests from around the world.”
The Reach at Piccadilly is now open, and bookings can be made over on the hotel’s website – https://thereachmcr.com/
Featured Image – Supplied
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Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff
Daisy Jackson
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
There are even workshops to help you put flat-pack furniture together.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
Events throughout the week (and beyond) will be hosted by community groups, businesses and plenty more.
You can sharpen knives, fix zips, and un-wobble chairs with a little hand from local repair heroes.
JillyGDesign Jewellery in Heaton Moor will fix up your sentimental and special jewellery items, while Rag Revival will help you turn unusable textiles into new creations with basic sewing skills.
There are repair cafes popping up all over Greater Manchester where you can take your belongings.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
Repair Week will highlight schemes like the Manchester Library of Things, where you can borrow the tools and equipment you need for those repair jobs at home.
During the week you’ll also be able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the incredible Renew Hub, the UK’s biggest reuse hub, where donated items are brought back to life.
Similarly, you’ll be able to get inside the textile recycling centre run by homelessness charity Emmaus Bolton, where you can choose your own fabric from the scrap store and turn it into a very handy draught excluder to keep costs down and your heat in.
Recycle for Greater Manchester’s Repair Week will take place between 3 and 9 March, with workshops, events and resources to help you revive your belongings.
Daisy Jackson -
31st July 2024 
