Manchester gets as cold as Siberia (almost)

Dear readers — welcome to this very blue Monday. Our lips are blue, our hearts are blue and even Ruben Amorim, until this morning a Red, is now feeling blue. 

On the weather app on Jack’s phone, which is blue, it said the temperature this morning in Salford was -6°C. It said below that this is misleading, because it feels like -7°C. For reference, in Irkutsk, Siberia, today’s temperature reads -8°C. A school in Wigan has closed down for the day after a heating failure left the temperature “way below the legal requirement.” Five flights have been cancelled at Manchester Airport this morning. Yellow weather warnings have been issued across Greater Manchester. It appears everyone is in total agreement: it’s really cold.

But allow us to proffer an outstretched arm of hope into the denuded cave (or is it an igloo?) of your soul. We’re back! After the most successful two months in Mill history (thanks to our big end of year campaign) we join you this morning as a more powerful force than ever before. We now have more than 4,000 paying Millers on our books. Our newest writer, Lucy, today contributes to her first ever Monday briefing. What’s more, behind the scenes plans and preparations can now begin to put our six campaign pledges into action — more details on that to come very soon. See, look, your icy heart is thawing already. 

As temperatures plummet, Castlefield rough sleeper village sets to open

The long-awaited Embassy Village will open the doors to its first residents next month. The community is set to transform the site beneath 22 railway arches in Castlefield, and will consist of 40 self-contained homes housing rough sleepers. Itr’s been under construction since 2024. Laighton Walters, who works at Embassy and will run the village, told the BBC the cost of furnishing each one is around £850 (they’re currently doing a final appeal for things like bedding and cutlery). Once open, the community will have a village hall, social spaces, computers, a kitchen and support workers to help residents with life skills. Embassy Village’s appeal comes as the dangers of sleeping rough through winter were seen on Manchester’s streets over Christmas, with the body of 47-year-old homeless man Anthony Horn discovered near the Bridgewater Hall on Boxing Day. Unfortunately, the scenes aren’t new; in 2023, Jack wrote about how those experiencing homelessness survive Manchester’s streets as temperatures plummet. Jane Caroll, a trustee at LifeShare, told him about the huge increase in demand the charity had seen for warm clothing. “People need warm clothes, socks, shoes, coats, particularly hoodies, and they’re going out immediately. We’ve never been giving away that many clothes,” she said. 

Manchester United sack their manager, again

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim becomes the seventh scalp of the club’s twelve-year slump following his sacking this morning. In a statement the club thanked Amorim and wished him well for the future, but said the decision would give United the “best opportunity of the highest possible finish” in the league. Amorim will be remembered fondly for his style, most notably his mean collection of Paul Smith quarter-zips and Moncler puffer jackets, but perhaps less fondly for his style of play, and the strange suicide pact he made with his beloved 3-4-3 formation. Quite how much the decision has to do with results, which have been underwhelming but still a notable improvement on last season, and how much it has to do with the breakdown of Amorim’s relationship with the club’s senior staff, isn’t fully clear. Following United’s 1-1 draw away at Leeds on Sunday, Amorim complained that he wasn’t being fully backed by the club, asking the recruitment department to “do their job”. Instead, the United board did theirs, and sacked him.

Quick hits

🧱 A mysterious Reddit post appeared over the week and then promptly disappeared, speculating on who’s behind some new graffiti that went up near Cheetham Hill Road. The graffiti in question:

Confusingly written, but you get the gist. The poster actually saw the vandal in action, describing them as “some young looking lad with a balaclava” who spray painted the slogan onto the wall “sheepishly”. Who could be behind it? We spoke to our graffiti experts, who told us that the lines and colours used looked “studenty”. As for the meaning behind the message, we’ll update you as soon as we know more.

📉 Cygnet Kenney House, a mental healthcare unit in Oldham has been given a warning by the Care Quality Commission for failing to provide safe care. Inspectors found patients were given out of date medication, did not feel safe, and at times of distress were told by staff to “stop crying”. "The safety of our patients is our highest priority, and we take the delivery of safe care extremely seriously," the unit’s manager told the BBC.

🏠 Finally, we’ve been hanging around Soho House since its opening in November for a story we’re publishing next week. If you are a member, or know anyone that is, and want to get in touch to contribute thoughts, gossip or petty complaints, email Jack.

This week’s weather

Here’s our forecast from local weatherman Martin Miles, you can see all his forecasts at Manchester Weather, on Facebook.

Tuesday 🌨️ Icy with patchy sleet and snow, which will ease to bright spells later. Max 4°c.

Wednesday 🌦️ Rain and sleet showers early on, then mostly dry with sunny spells. Max 5°c.

Thursday ⛅ Mostly dry and cloudy during the daytime, but turning wintry overnight with a mix of rain, sleet, and snow. Max 5°c.

Friday 🌦️ Breezy with showery periods of rain, which will be wintry on the hills. Max 5°c.

Outlook 🌦️ Remaining unsettled, although temperatures will recover to average for the time of year, and precipitation will be rain away from the hills.

Home of the week

This three-bed in Swinton has the holy Period Property Pentad: exposed brick, unfinished floors, bay windows, seemingly functional but possibly decorative fireplaces, and of course, a claw foot bath. £320,000.

What we’re reading this week

We’re an audio tapestry: at the radio station where all voices matter — The Times

The Times spent the Christmas holidays over at Levenshulme Old Library, home to the community radio station All FM, and they said it was “like travelling through space and time.” The station is often manned by volunteers, often catering to diaspora communities in Manchester, from Irish expats to Ukrainian refugees. Ed Connole, the station’s director, explains that the station is a way of raising self-confidence. “If you can make someone believe their voice matters, the next stage is that they matter,” he says.

Brian Smith Obituary — The Guardian

Tributes poured in for Brian Smith over the weekend, the legendary music photographer who documented the UK’s booming 1960s blues and R&B scene. Smith was born in Wythenshawe in 1943 and went to Chorlton Grammar School. When he saw Lonnie Donegan’s folk-jazz group play at the Manchester Free Trade hall, it sparked a lifetime love of blues music. He later went on to boast the title of “unofficial-in-house photographer” at The Twisted Wheel nightclub.

What our writers are doing this week

🍷 While the rest of the country bunkers down with their new year’s resolutions, or prepares for Dry Jan, Jack Dulhanty says: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That’s why he’s got his eye on New Year, Same Me: New Wines, Same Great Vibes this week in Prestwich. He’s especially excited about the Poggio San Polo, a Tuscan Red. 

🔥Lucy is escaping from the cold — and saving on this week’s heating bill — by heading down to Aviva Studios, where she’ll experience “the warm glow and flicker of fire translated into dreamlike digital artwork”. The free exhibition, which runs until 11 January, was created by Romanian Manchester-based artist Corina Bibere, also known as hippiezilla.

🍽️ And Jack W and Ophira are intent on making the most of this year’s January deals by taking incredibly extended lunch hours and discussing important Mill matters over discounted tapas. Maricarmen (who exist in both the Northern Quarter and Ancoats) are doing £3 plates for the duration of the month, as well as two for one glasses of Sangria for that perfect lunchtime creativity boost.

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