Hello
It seems like every town worth its salt has a food hall these days. Manchester city centre has more than a dozen.
Oldham, Bolton, Stockport and Radcliffe have all opened food markets of one form or another in recent months and years. And, with multi-million pound plans already in place, Prestwich, Denton, Hyde and Wigan are also looking to get in on the act.
To get an idea of why everyone’s so keen to jump on this particular bandwagon we need to look to Altrincham. Just over a decade Alty was in the doldrums, with shoppers deserting the tired town centre.
Altrincham Market
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
But then in 2014 came the revival of Altrincham Market. The grand Victorian market hall was transformed into a trendy food destination.
And as diners flocked there, soaking up the atmosphere as they chowed down woodfired pizzas and bao buns, the retail sector followed suit. Restaurants, cafes and shops all started popping up in the empty commercial units on the high street.
It was so successful it became known as the ‘Altrincham model’. And with town centres across the UK struggling to adapt to the 21st Century, council chiefs across the country began to take notice.
“People are copying the Altrincham model. It works,” Altrincham-raised Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, said.
“I remember when they were planning to open the Alty market food hall and people said ‘it’s never going to happen’ or ‘Altrincham has had its day’, but look at it now. There was huge skepticism. It can reinvigorate the high street and make a difference.”
George Lythgoe has more here…
Beating the January blues
As we heard in yesterday’s Mancunian Way, the first month of the year is always tough for the hospitality industry. But it can also be a brilliant time to eat out.
That’s because loads of places do some cracking discounts and offers. So if you’ve got any money left after Christmas, why not check out Adam Maidment’s guide to the best January restaurant offers in Manchester.
Nowhere else to go
David Howarth, a resident in Meadow Mill in Stockport. Picture by local democracy reporter Declan Carey. Free to use for LDRS partners.
More than a week after floods swept through the Stockport mill they call home, desperate residents are moving back in – despite having no power or running water. Meadow Mill, next to the big Tesco off Portwood roundabout, was evacuated on New Year’s Day after being submerged in water.
Building managers CERT said the flats are ‘not recommended for habitation’. But many residents say they have nowhere else to go.
“I’ve run out of options.” said David Howarth who has moved back after spending a week in a Travelodge. “It’s freezing cold inside, I’ve just come back today because I’m running out of funds to spend on a hotel.” Declan Carey reports
‘There’s an exit block’
(Image: PA)
Thousands of patients are staying in hospital for longer than necessary – as Greater Manchester hospitals struggle with ‘extreme overcrowding’ because of a scarcity of beds, writes health reporter Helena Vesty.
A total of 859 patients in Greater Manchester hospital beds were deemed well enough to go home on December 29. But only 189 were discharged (22%), meaning that 78% of people deemed well enough to go home were left to take up hospital beds.
“We’re back to corridor medicine,” one consultant said. “There’s such overcrowding for so long it’s hard to say that it’s suddenly got worse, it’s been there all year because of the lack of beds. But there’s now the additional burden of Covid and flu, and everything seems to be falling down.”
Roadworks
Freyah Grace doing yoga on the A555 Airport relief road
(Image: @healingthroughself/Instagram)
James Holt has tracked down the fitness instructor who caused a stir by doing yoga on the A555 Airport Relief Road as it was closed due to flooding. Freyah Grace, 31, described the unusual move as a ‘spur of the moment decision’.
“I just grabbed my mat, a bottle of water, and walked there, not expecting much more than a memorable yoga session,” she said. “What I didn’t anticipate was the buzz it would generate, leading to photos being shared and eventually landing in the local papers.”
Weather etc
Tuesday: Greater Manchester is still in the midst of a cold snap – and temperatures could plunge even further tonight. Stephen Topping has the latest forecast here.
Roadworks: Speaking of the A555, it remains closed due to flooding, with cars still submerged. Chris Slater reports
Manchester headlines
Weather watch: Roads and schools have remained closed today as the freezing conditions continue. Stephen Topping has been live blogging the disruption here
Drop-off zone: Manchester Airport has responded after its drop off-zone rules were slammed as ‘senseless’ after a row involving a driver was shared by a furious taxi firm online. The driver, who works for the Nolan Airport Service, became embroiled in the disagreement with car park marshals at the Terminal 3 drop off point on Sunday night. The incident was then filmed and posted on social media. Read more
Counterfeit Street: A trader on Manchester’s infamous ‘counterfeit street’ narrowly avoided jail after more than 19,000 fake designer goods were seized from a unit in Cheetham Hill. Saeed Iqbal, 68, has previously been jailed for selling fake goods. A judge described his decision to return to the same crime as ‘astonishing’, especially given that he has a young family. More here
Worth a read
Deep snow near Burnley, Lancashire, January 1963
(Image: By Richard Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6589770)
It’s been a pretty chilly start to 2025, but it’s nothing compared to the infamous winter of 1962/63. Nostalgia writer Lee Grimsditch looks back at the ‘Big Freeze’, as it became known, which saw temperatures plummeting to a bone-chilling -20C at times.