Manchester's best underground bars and my favourite Mill photos of 2022

Jack rounds off his first year in journalism with a writer's edition

Dear members — it’s Jack here, with a writer’s edition. Sure, you just had an earful of me over the weekend, but the publishing schedule yields to no man. So, on we go with the final writer’s edition of 2022.

And what a year it has been! We’ve investigated some of Greater Manchester’s biggest institutions and ne'er-do-wells; we’ve explored the cultural and emotional fabric of the city and shone a light on the stories of people usually lost in the gyre of the news cycle. 

It’s also been a pretty big year for me personally: my first full year as a working journalist. I joined the Mill’s staff in January, having contributed a few stories while working freelance in the months before.

Me (right) and Dan, who runs our sister site The Tribune in Sheffield, packing up copies of North Country to send to new subscribers. Photo: Joshi Herrmann/The Mill.

During the last 12 months, I’ve been able to write the kinds of longform journalism — each requiring months of reporting — that, when I was at uni,…