News
Piccadilly Gardens’ concrete pavilion set for makeover
Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay
The concrete pavilion featured in Piccadilly Gardens will stay, but it is getting a glow-up.
The huge grey slab, dubbed as the ‘Berlin Wall’ by some, has been a feature in the city since it was built in 2002.
Created for the Commonwealth Games, it was designed by respected Japanese architect Tadao Ando and is located opposite the bus depot and tram stop – you can’t miss it.
Its location means it is owned privately by Legal and General’s Investment Management firm (LGIM) and therefore the council does not possess the power to make changes to it and can’t demolish it.
The firm doesn’t want to knock the wall down as they say it has become ‘part of the city’s history’.
“Despite what people think about the concrete ‘wall’, it is already part of the history and heritage of Manchester,” it said.
“Why not make it into something we are proud of? Like we are proud of our music, our culture, our history,” LGIM added.
The firm also said the wall served another purpose. It said: “The primary function of the existing Pavilion was to form a barrier both visually and acoustically from the bus and tram interchanges.”
However the area – which has looked a little ‘sad’ since its lush green garden days and has become known as a hotspot for drug use and crime – is set to be given a new lease of life.
As part of a huge £25 million overhaul, Piccadilly Gardens will get a more modern and softer look, as the council work towards a re-design of the area.
The wall will remain but LGIM have agreed to remove the roof, which will allow natural light to pour in over the grounds around it.
There will also be a new light installation added to the wall to add extra light, a softer glow and brighten the place up especially on grey and murky days. Materials including metal and glass will also give it a more sophisticated appearance.
Greater Manchester Police also support the planned move who said observations made by officers ‘state that the area is used as a gathering point, sheltered from the elements and natural surveillance’.
The new light and airy look will help with the safety and security of people visiting the city centre.
As reported in the Manchester Evening News, GMP said: “LGIM’s proposal to remove the roof of the Pavilion, to allow natural light and create a more open thoroughfare, will reduce the opportunity and means to commit crime and anti-social behaviour.
“GMP fully support LGIM’s proposal to remove the roof and invest further in making Piccadilly Gardens high quality place for all… [as] the pavilion in Piccadilly Gardens has been identified as a specific hotspot with the wider Piccadilly Gardens area.”
The force continued: “It is an ideal place for substance misuse and anti-social behaviour which is demonstrated through incident data at a micro-beat level and observations from officers who state that the area is used as a gathering point, sheltered from the elements and natural surveillance.”
Images show illuminated weaves of lights along the wall with additional lights hanging beneath. These weaved lights will be created making use of the existing tie holes in the concrete wall. These will be switched on during the daytime, according to the planning application.
Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire won the Rose d‘Or Award for her portrayal of Catherine Cawood in the BBC drama.
The Rose d’Or Awards is a prestigious ceremony celebrating international excellence in entertainment programming. The 62nd event was held in London and hosted by comedian and writer David Baddiel.
Collecting her performance of the year award, Lancashire said: “This is thrilling, [I want to] thank those who are responsible for bringing this amazing series to screen.”
Happy Valley is an award-winning British crime drama set in the Calder Valley area of West Yorkshire, written by Sally Wainwright.
The series, which aired on BBC One, follows Lancashire in the role of no-nonsense copper Sergeant Catherine Cawood who comes up against James Norton’s character; evil criminal Tommy Lee Royce – who Sergeant Cawood holds responsible for her daughter’s suicide.
The gripping series concluded earlier this year and has been receiving a raft of nods for performances, as well as for the show itself, ever since.
The BBC also scooped best documentary for The Man Who Played With Fire while ITV’s The 1% Club, hosted by comedian Lee Mack, picked up the award for studio entertainment.
British series A Whole Lifetime With Jamie Demetriou also took home the best comedy entertainment award on the night.
In his acceptance speech, Demetriou said: “What a lovely looking award this is. It needs to be said, David’s opening monologue is honestly one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.”
Lancashire, Dayan and Edebiri join previous recipients of Rose d’Or special awards, including Sir David Attenborough, Brian Cox, Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, James Corden, John Cleese and the late Dame Angela Lansbury.
The Rose d’Or Awards has defined the gold standard for excellence and achievement in International TV and Audio programme making since 1961.
News
Mum opens accessible chippy so autistic son ‘has a job for life’
She opened the chippy after a stranger made a comment about her son online
A mum from Lancashire has opened up a chippy so that her autistic son ‘has a job for life’, after a stranger’s comment online.
Gillian Jervis opened Oliver’s Chippy in Warton, near Blackpool, after a stranger’s comments on a forum online – calling her son Oliver ‘a burden on the state’ – prompted her to prove them wrong.
About the comment, Gillian told ITV News: “I sometimes think I dreamt the comment and that I made it all up, because why would you say something like that?
“Have I read it wrong? I went through all of those emotions – it knocked me sideways.”
The mum-of-four decided to start a business in her son’s name and opened Oliver’s Chippy in 2021 – where Gillian is already training the 12-year-old so that he can take over when he grows up.
On why she chose to open a chip shop business for Oliver she said: “It gives him his structure, it’s a bit like school; his daily routine that he has to have.
“What you end up doing everyday – prepping the food, serving the food, making up the food, stocking the fridges… he’ll learn all that before he starts at sixteen.”
Oliver’s autism means he has some communication difficulties though he is able to express himself in other ways.
The chippy is built with facilities to help people with communication and accessibility issues by using visual screens on the tills instead of words and phrases.
As Gillian explains: “You’ve got people with a stutter, so I’ve looked at it this way. Before people start to speak, they look at pictures don’t they?
“It’s better to see a picture of what you want, it gives you the confidence to come into my shop and order what you want without saying it.”
Not only do these images help Oliver, they also help customers who may communicate better with visual aids. Not only this, the chippy also offers services to help make it easier for all neurodivergent people to place their orders.
Gillian said: “We do have a disability point access, we do have a ramp, we do have a visual menu.
“If you came in and you want your order all separate and you said ‘jigsaw’ we know that it means everything’s separate.” The chippy can make sure different food isn’t touching others by offering cartons with separated sections.
Since opening, the chip shop has fed more than 1,300 children and supported other families across the Fylde Coast. This includes giving away a family holiday, an iPad, air fryer and over 100 competition meals.
She continued: “We had the cost of living crisis, fuel shortages, the after effects of Covid and people not working as they were, with people losing their jobs due to Covid as well.
“So I just said to Arran, ‘shall we feed the kids for free?’ He said ‘yes – but how are we going to do it?’ I said ‘I don’t know, but we’ll find a way of doing it’.”
Opening in 2021 during the pandemic, the first Easter holidays saw the chip shop take a financial hit as it gave out free meals for children in the area.
But during the summer holidays later that same year, the business was supported by Bryning with Warton Parish Council as a Go Fund Me was started to raise the funds.
An 82-year-old woman has sadly died after being hit by a vehicle on a main road in Tameside yesterday.
The elderly woman was critically injured in the collision which happened on Manchester Road, in Audenshaw, at around 5.55pm on Monday, November 20th.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, close to the Snipe Retail Park, and an ambulance took her to hospital.
The driver of the vehicle, a 31-year-old woman, remained at the scene and has continued to assist police with enquiries.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed the woman has now died from her injuries and are appealing for witnesses of the collision to come forward to help them with their investigations.
Confirming the tragic update in a statement, the force said: “At around 5.55pm on Monday November 20th, Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian on Manchester Road, Audenshaw.
“An 82-year-old woman who was taken to hospital in a serious condition has since sadly died from her injuries.
“The driver of the vehicle, a 31-year-old woman, remained at the scene and is continuing to assist police with enquiries.
“Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision – and are continuing to appeal for anyone with relevant mobile, dashcam or CCTV footage to please come forward.”
Members of the public can submit information and footage by calling 0161 856 4741 quoting log 2797 of 20/11/23. You can also report information online using the LiveChat function on the website: www.gmp.police.uk.
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Happy Valley actress Sarah Lancashire wins performance of the year award
The UK’s largest vintage pop-up market is coming to Manchester this weekend
Avril Lavigne announces huge outdoor gig in Manchester next summer
Mum opens accessible chippy so autistic son ‘has a job for life’
Full-size one litre bottles of Baileys are now just £10 in Tesco
