Feature
Mother describes the night she frantically searched for her daughter during the Manchester Arena attack
‘It was the worst fear you could ever imagine’
Published
10 months agoon
A mother has spoken of how she frantically searched for her daughter on the night of the Manchester Arena attack.
It was just like any other summer evening in the city, six years ago, when groups of young Ariana Grande fans flocked to the Manchester Arena, to enjoy an evening watching their favourite pop star perform live.
Parents dropped their excited kids off at the steps as they joined their friends to sing along to songs, dance and have a good time.
Watching on as their young ones were growing into young adults and telling them to ‘have fun’ but ‘be safe’ too — no one expected the horrific events that would unfold.
Lisa, a mother of two daughters, waved her youngest off as she went to the concert with her friend — she was 14 at the time — and worried just as any mother would, knowing her daughter was about to go to her first concert without her.
She said: “The concert itself was the first that she could go to on her own. I’d been to every other Ariana Grande concert with her. They got dropped off by her friend’s mum, and then we [Lisa and her eldest daughter] were picking them both up.
“Me and my eldest daughter sat in the car waiting for her. And my eldest was going to meet my youngest daughter on the steps as they came out.”
Lisa waited in the car as her eldest daughter went over to wait for her younger sister and her friend on the steps near the main entrance. Lisa was sitting in the car wearing her pyjamas after just having a bath, and was listening to music.
Her eldest daughter was on the phone to her friend but she couldn’t hear anything so she moved away from the entrance and down the steps just moments before the explosion — close to where the bomb went off.
“And the next thing, my eldest phones me, ‘mum, a bomb’s gone off!’, and then her phone died,” Lisa said.
She frantically tried to call her daughter back but there was no signal and her eldest daughter’s phone was completely dead. She tried to call her youngest daughter and her friend — who were both still inside the arena — but calls wouldn’t go through. Panic set in.
Lisa continued: “ At this point, I’m thinking the worst. I’m thinking they’re all dead. I started running towards the arena as everyone was coming out. Crowds of people were coming out; some were injured, some were crying.
“Parents collapsed when they saw their kids and were just hugging them in relief on the floor.
“I still tried to call the kids but couldn’t get anything so I phoned my daughter’s friend’s mum and explained what had happened, and she said, ‘right, I’ll track them and see where they are’.
“Luckily, she tracked her daughter to be running towards one of the hotels, so she told me [where they were]. At that point, I bumped into my eldest daughter and we both ran together to try to find them.
“It was only five or 10 minutes that I couldn’t find my kids. But, in those five or 10 minutes, I thought they were dead. Those five or 10 minutes felt like hours, running around the place crying, looking for my kids. It was absolutely horrific.”
Lisa found her daughter and her friend — who had both ran to safety at a nearby hotel.
“You can imagine the relief when I found my daughter and she was scratch-free. I managed to get the girls to the car.” They then went home and put the news on to find out about what had just happened.
Lisa’s daughter and friend were at on the opposite side of the arena when the bomb went off. She still feels guilty about letting her daughter go to the concert without her. She went on to describe that even though her youngest daughter did not suffer any physical injuries, she has suffered greatly mentally from the ordeal.
She said: “Her telling me what she had to run past to get out — that would have been avoided if I’d have been there. As a mother, that’s how I felt.
“My daughter unfortunately developed an eating disorder after it. She was scared of crowds, loud bangs and a lot of things. She became very withdrawn.”
Lisa described that night as ‘the worst fear you could ever imagine’, adding: “I can’t remember anything other than just pure panic and thinking, ‘I just need to find my girls’.” Despite the trauma of that horrific night and the effects it has had on her youngest in particular, Lisa went on to talk about the bravery and determination her daughter has shown since.
After that dreadful night, her daughter went on to set up a support group to help survivors of the attack and allow them to talk with one other. She also helped set up a small group of 22 people who meet up every anniversary to remember and honour the 22 victims. Each year, they light candles, release 22 balloons and be just be there for each other.
Her daughter is also now finishing her second year at university, where she is training to become a paramedic. She was inspired after the events of that night and now wants to go on and help others.
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Feature
The legendary nightclubs that Mancunians would most like to bring back
Remember any of these?
Published
1 week agoon
March 8, 2024We asked our readers which nightclubs that no longer exist they would choose to bring back – and we got some great answers.
If you could choose just one, which would it be?
Here’s a list of former nightclubs that people would love to see return, as chosen by Proper Manchester readers.
The Boardwalk
The Boardwalk was a nightclub based on Little Peter Street in Manchester which was open from 1986 to 1999. It was a multi-floor nightclub, gig venue and rehearsal complex all in one.
It’s where Oasis played their first ever gig in 1992 and saw many notable bands that were a part of the Madchester music scene, including the likes of Inspiral Carpets, Doves, Happy Mondays, James and more. These days, it’s used as an office space.
There’s a blue plaque bolted to the wall which reads: “Remember me. I was something once.” It has a yellow smiley face in a nod to the Madchester acid house era.
Club Phoenix
Located on University Precinct, on Oxford Road, this sweatbox of a student dive would have music blaring on different nights, playing everything from indie bangers to dance classics and everything in between.
It was a scream club filled with young students looking for cheap drinks and cheap thrills too. There were plenty of messy drunken shenanigans. Being close to the Academy, it would be a great place for the young ‘uns to go for pre-gig bevvies.
The New Continental Club
The New Continental Club was on Harter Street, Manchester and opened in 1967. It was affectionately known as The Conti. It closed in 2001 and became The Tube nightclub, which has also since closed.
Many nurses and frontline emergency services workers frequented The Conti and many say they experienced some of the best nights out of their lives.
The narrow staircase would lead down to the basement club, food would be served through a hatch and the queues to the toilets could be as long as your arm – they were pretty minging too.
Discotheque Royales
Built in 1845, the building was originally made to be an amphitheatre. But in 1921 it was changed into a cinema after facing stiff competition from the Palace Theatre and Opera House.
After being used as a bingo hall, the historic landmark then became one of Manchester’s most iconic nightclubs known by most as ‘Royales’, since 1989. In later years it went on to become Infinity and M-Two but Royales was legendary throughout the ‘90s.
Inside, it had many levels and a huge dance floor that was meant to look like it was lit up under a huge chandelier. With long draped velvet curtains, lights and reflective mirrors everywhere, it was party central.
DJ Brutus Gold held Love Train nights there until the show moved to the Ritz in 2000.
Fifth Avenue
This club started out as Legend, which became known as Manchester’s ‘other club’ during the ‘80s and the height of the Hacienda era, and saw top DJs who also played nights at Wigan Pier.
When it became Fifth Ave it was transformed into an indie music haven. As revellers walked down into the dingy basement and the whiff of cheap bleach in the air would hit them in the face, some of the best tunes from Manchester bands would be blasting, as partygoers walked straight across the sticky floor to the bar where they’d order a drink served in a plastic cup.
Club-goers soon got to know that if you went up to request a song from the DJ, it wouldn’t get played. In later years, it became known simply as Fifth, after owners tried a bit of a refresh.
But as the pandemic hit, the club sat empty and shuttered, and sadly never to return as it closed for good in 2021.
Twisted Wheel Club
It quickly became a Manchester institution after opening in the ‘60s, attracting mods across the North looking for somewhere to dance all night to rhythm and blues.
Before Twisted Wheel, clubs would play mainstream popular music. This Manchester establishment was groundbreaking and paved the way for how nightclubs would play different music genres to suit various tastes in the future.
Twisted Wheel, based on Swan Street, was a legendary haven for Northern Soul enthusiasts. It closed for a while in 1971, being renamed Placemate 7, then Follies. The club closed for good in 2021.
Thunderdome
If the Hacienda was too pretentious for you, or you got turned away at the door, there was another legendary Madchester club playing all the great acid house music buzzing dancers wanted to rave the night away to – it was called the Thunderdome.
Located at 255 Oldham Road, this club was all about the music. It was edgier, full of all walks of life and was even home to some of Manchester’s criminal underworld. Many fondly referred to it as the ‘Dome.
Initially, although it felt a bit dangerous, nobody wanted any trouble, they just wanted to get off their trolley and enjoy the music. But over the years there were police raids and even helicopters circling the club as well as undercover officers wearing yellow smiley face T-shirts mingling in amongst the hooligans, gang members and just generally dodgy people.
Unfortunately, its rough reputation has stuck with it to this day, while the Hacienda is remembered most as the epicentre of the Madchester acid house scene. The Thunderdome was demolished in 2010 but its legend lives on in the memories of retired ravers and on tribute Facebook groups.
Feature
Travel back in time through Manchester in the ‘90s with these 30 photos
Fashion shows, bombings, Maine Road, buses, cars, the Metrolink and the Hacienda…
Published
1 month agoon
February 9, 2024Here’s 30 nostalgic photographs of what Manchester looked like in the 1990s.
The city centre has changed a lot over the decades, which probably comes as no surprise with the amount of construction going on – it’s changing by the day.
But as the years go by and buildings you once knew are torn down and replaced with new apartments or office blocks, it’s left to your grainy memory of how places used to look and the times you may have once had there.
The nineties was a great era for music in Manchester and saw the birth of bands including Oasis, The Doves and Take That. It was the decade of hope after the recession of the 1980s, but there were ups and downs also.
On April 1st 1990 prisoners in Strangeways (now HMP Manchester) took control of its chapel, and quickly spread throughout most of the prison to begin a riot which lasted 25 days.
Hundreds of inmates got up onto the roof, with the incident claiming the life of one prisoner and injuring 147 prison officers and 47 prisoners.
The riot was followed by similar disturbances at other prisons across the country and sparked a conversation about reform for prison conditions.
The decade was also blighted by the IRA bomb of 1996. The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a 1,500-kilogram lorry bomb on Corporation Street on June 15th.
It was the biggest bomb detonated in Great Britain since the Second World War, injuring 212 innocent people and causing £700 million worth of damage to the city centre.
The event kick-started the regeneration and modernisation of the city which has evolved into the Manchester we know and love today.
The city already began planning on improvements as part of its campaign to hold the 2000 Olympics and Paralympics. However, the bid was ultimately unsuccessful and Manchester was beaten to it by Sydney, with Beijing coming in as runner-up.
But Manchester did go on to hold the 2002 Commonwealth Games, with The Commonwealth Games Stadium becoming the new home of Manchester City after the club vacated Maine Road – which was then demolished and turned into new homes.
The Hacienda, which opened in 1982, became the nightclub at the forefront of the acid house scene. The club was owned by record label Factory Records and was famous for playing a major part in the Madchester movement.
Unfortunately, the club gained a reputation for drug use and after enjoying its heyday throughout the best part of the ‘90s, it fell victim to crime issues and financial troubles which eventually led to its closure in 1997.
The club was subsequently demolished and replaced by apartments.
The newly built Trafford Centre opened in 1998, the year after the film Titanic was released, which its themed food court paid homage to. Since then, Trafford Park has transformed from the derelict marshlands it once was and into a centre of retail, leisure and entertainment.
Manchester United were the most successful football team of the city during this era, and the club won numerous domestic and international titles under manager Alex Ferguson.
David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes were just some of the players who played for United during the club’s golden era – playing in the newly formed Premier League, which was founded in 1992.
For the first time in English football history the Reds secured the Treble in 1999 – the League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Meanwhile, the Blue side of Manchester – Man City – went through many ups and downs. In 1998 City were relegated to the third tier of the English Football League. The club regained promotion to the top tier in 2001-02 and have remain in the Premier League since.
Manchester was once home to the iconic Strangeways Boddingtons Brewery, which owned pubs throughout the North West.
The brand was best known for its ‘Boddies’ – a straw-golden, hoppy bitter which was one of the first beers to be packaged in cans containing a widget, giving it a creamy draught-style head.
In the 1990s, the beer was promoted as The Cream of Manchester in a popular advertising campaign credited with raising Manchester’s profile. Model and actress Melanie Sykes was the Boddington’s girl star of the ads, which saw her take a swig of a pint and say ‘by ‘eck’, with a creamy moustache.
The brewery shut down in February 2005 and its workers clocked off their final ever shift, never to return, following its 227-year history.
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Feature
Man who worked draining Manchester’s canals reveals grimmest things he found
Inflatable penises, designer handbags, guns, dead bodies and a pet puppy
Published
2 months agoon
January 26, 2024We spoke with a man who worked draining our city’s canals, as he shared some interesting photos and stories about his work.
Mike Sheldon lives in East Manchester and is retired now, but he used to work for British Waterways where he said he had the time of his life – and would even call it the best job he has ever had.
“There was something to do every day,” he told Proper Manchester.
He worked for the company for 15 years, where he maintained the canals along with his brother Shaun.
As you can expect, Mike and Shaun discovered many strange and unusual things lurking at the bottom of our inner city canals, including some pretty grim and sad discoveries.
Shaun sadly passed away from throat cancer five years ago, as Mike spoke of the great fun they had working together maintaining the canals and how he misses their time together.
Here’s what he said…
About the work he carried out, Mike explained: “It was just general maintenance. Everything really; painting, replacing lock gates, anything and everything.”
He continued: “When we would work, especially Deansgate Locks and Canal Street, we’d find all sorts like handbags, designer bags, keys, bank cards, phones, driving licences, laptops – you name it we found it.”
When Mike and Shaun would drain the canals, a lot of the time they would often find tables and chairs and ‘all sorts of scrap’.
“I think at the end of the night, after a few drinks, customers would think ‘what can I throw over these fences?’ And they’d be throwing over tables and chairs,” he said.
In one picture (at the top of the page) the pair set up a table and tea party scene out of some of their finds, as they waded through the murky silt and laughed at the assortment of items they would come across.
About the photograph, Mike went on: “That is a picture of my brother who was working with me.
“We put it on Facebook because we thought it was quite funny but [work] called us in the office to say they didn’t want it on there, they didn’t want anyone to see it.
“But it was a bit too late by then because everyone would have already seen it.”
Other things the brothers would find were designer handbags, jewellery and even engagement rings, as Mike joked about couples having a row.
But the brothers also sometimes stumbled across guns that had been slung into the canals.
“We’d hand them in at the police station,” Mike said. “But we didn’t like going because whenever we handed one in we felt like they’d treat us like a criminal.”
One time, the pair even came across an inflatable penis, which they tied to their boat and got many laughs and cheers from revellers outside the rows of bars as they passed by.
As Mike puts it, ‘we found a massive big cock and balls’ – they also found plenty of other funny phallic objects and adult toys over the years too.
But the worst discoveries the brothers made while draining the canals were dead bodies. Mike said he discovered a few bodies lying at the bottom of the water in the 15 years he worked maintaining the waterways.
Mike said: “There was a thing about a pusher; someone pushing people into the canals, but I think it’s all rubbish.”
He said he thinks a number of people fall in the canals in central Manchester because they are lined with bars where lots of people will have been on a night out and drinking, then hanging around outside or using the canal paths to walk home.
“Sometimes people were captured on CCTV walking along and stumbling,” he added, saying that all the bodies were identified ‘straight away’.
“There was one lad from Newcastle and he was only young, god bless. I think it was the coldest day I ever worked and we were working alongside police divers.
“I had to drain it [the canal] for them because it was too cold for them to dive in that. I drained it down so far for them and they were linking each other as they walked through the sludge.”
Mike and Shaun each took something home from their time cleaning up our waterways. Mike found a Casio watch that he kept, as he said: “I mean, I’ve got a watch – which was still working when I found it after being under the water.
“I love it, it still works now. It’s a Casio and one of the best watches I’ve ever had. I’ve only had to take it to replace a battery. When the guy replaced it he said ‘it’s soaking wet’.
“I said, ‘believe it or not, I got this out of a canal’ and he just couldn’t believe it.”
Meanwhile, Shaun found a puppy which he brought home and named Willow. “We drained a lock and there was a puppy dog in a bag, but it was alive. Someone had thrown it in. We pulled it out and my brother kept that dog.”
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