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Anyone shopping in Manchester today will see some big changes to the city centre
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Manchester city centre is set to look very different as the non-essential shops reopen today.
Non-essential shops are back open for business today, and Manchester City Council has introduced a series of measures and changes to ensure the safety of staff and shoppers.
There has been extra signage installed across the city centre to help people keep their distance and control the spread of coronavirus.
There will be eight uniformed and highly visible street marshals working in the city centre, who are experienced in crowd management and can deal with any crowd-related issues quickly, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Many pavements in the city centre have been widened around transport hubs to help people socially distance, as more people return to work.
To help people with walking and cycling more safely around the city centre, part of Deansgate has been closed and Thomas Street will be closed to traffic seven days a week.
The Council has also submitted a £600k Active Travel bid to the Department of Transport to fund schemes that will make more space for people travelling across the city on foot or bike.
Pat Karney, Manchester City Council’s city centre spokesperson, said: “We have to take a safety-first approach as people begin to return to the city. For the foreseeable future we have to balance our residents’ health and the economic recovery of the city – and tens of thousands of city centre jobs depend on getting this right.
“If you do need to be in the city centre in the coming weeks, you will see some small changes – such as new signs and uniformed street marshals – that have been installed to keep us safe and to remind us that although there have been some changes to lockdown, the pandemic is not over and we must remain cautious.
“I will be in the city centre on Monday and I will wear a mask when going into shops as both a precaution and a reassurance. We all have a responsibility to look after our health – and we all still have a role to play in limiting the spread of the virus.”
If you are shopping today, here’s a list of all the shops open in the Arndale and Trafford Centre.
We’re pleased to announce that Proper Manchester is rebranding as Finest City Guides.
As part of this change, the Proper Manchester brand, including its social media channels, will transition to the Finest City Guides name.
This is a rebrand of the existing platform rather than a new or unrelated business. The same team behind Proper Manchester will continue to operate Finest City Guides as we develop the platform under its new identity.
Previous name: Proper Manchester
New name: Finest City Guides
Our social channels and other brand assets will be updated to reflect the Finest City Guides name as part of this transition.
More from Finest City Guides coming soon.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
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