Dear readers — we open this newsletter with exciting news: we stand on the precipice of the next milestone in our 1000 member push. We are currently just shy of 250 new members, an amazing result just a few days in. But we need to keep going!
We’re committing to six pledges to improve Manchester if we hit that target. They include our mentorship scheme for young journalists who want to be trained in deeply-reported, non-clickbait journalism and talks on misinformation at Manchester schools (see the full list here).
“If you haven’t yet enjoyed the exceptional journalism of @ManchesterMill, this is your opportunity and you will supporting these six brilliant pledges decided by subscribers,” tweeted Sue Ayres sagely this weekend.
If you sign up during the campaign you can also pay whatever you like for your first two months. If you aren’t a fan, you can duck out at any time and lose nothing. But if you are and choose to stay, you’ll be joining an amazing community and bolstering our mission to make Manchester a better place.
We have all our new Millers, plus all the long-serving ones who have shared our campaign and spread the word, to thank for this start, but perhaps no one more so than Niall Power. When Niall showed up at our office on launch day, two newly purchased M&S suitcases in tow, ready to fill with copies of our print edition to be dispatched around town, we already knew we had a seriously dedicated Miller on our hands. But everyday since Niall has kept the effort up, taking copies to libraries, visitor centres, cafes, Waterstones’, the works. A huge and heartfelt thank you from The Mill team to Niall, who popped in again today to grab some papers to drop around Ancoats.
We’ve also had many words of support and encouragement on X, Bluesky and in our inbox. Fiona O’Sullivan said we are the “best thing to come out of Manchester since Oasis,” Sam Schofield said our campaign made him “hopeful for the future of local journalism,” and Charlie Ball said the Mill was “some of the best money I've spent in the last few years”. There have been far too many kind messages to include them all here but we’re deeply grateful for everyone who's pitched in so far.
Jack Walton
And finally (brace for another paragraph of people saying nice things about us), our campaign-themed weekend read about the lost newspapers of Greater Manchester got a wonderful response. Kathy McInnes called it a “lovely article” that “brought back so many memories of my years as a newspaper reporter. In the glory days, it really was the best job in the world,” while John Hodson beautifully brought to life his days at the Bolton Evening News: “the deafening noise of the comps room and the underground presses, the buzz of the newsroom. Eternal; and then it wasn't…”
We're off to a flying start in our campaign to add 1000 new members. We've managed to add almost 250 members in the first few days, but this week we want to get to 500. If we can do that we'll be well on course to hitting our target and committing to six pledges to make Manchester a better place.
To help us hit that target we’re offering you the opportunity to pay whatever you want for your first two months of membership — that includes £0. If you don’t think you’re getting good value in that time period you can simply quit and lose nothing. But if you do want to stay you’ll become part of our mission to rebuild what has been lost in the past few decades.
Our friends at RHS Garden Bridgewater are helping us get into the Christmas spirit with the return of their Glow winter light trail. Head down to the beautiful gardens, from 26th November to 30th December, to experience the magic for yourself. With enchanting lights, brand new trails and mulled wine aplenty, it’s the ideal festive evening. Whether you're playing, exploring or simply soaking in the atmosphere, RHS Glow promises a magical evening for all ages.
Your Mill briefing
The convictions of three young black men from Moss Side have gone to the court of appeal. In 2017, Durrell Goodall, Reano Walters and Trey Wilson were convicted for the murder of Abdul Hafidah under controversial “joint enterprise” rules, whereby multiple people can be convicted in relation to one crime. In the Hafidah case, it was found that Devonte Cantrill delivered the fatal blow that killed him, but eleven boys are serving sentences in relation to the crime. Joint enterprise prosecutions have been continually criticised for deploying a “gang narrative”, which lawyers argue relies on racist stereotypes about young black men. New evidence submitted on behalf of Goodall, Walters and Wilson has called into question whether they actually were part of a gang.
Last week Andy Burnham announced a £1bn fund designed to fuel “good growth” in Greater Manchester. “Good growth” is meant to mean economic development across the city region’s ten boroughs — rather than just the city centre — that benefits a wider breadth of communities and people beyond those who want a luxury flat. It is redolent of a £300m fund secured by then-CEO of Manchester City Council Howard Bernstein ten years ago, which was mostly lent to one high-end developer: Renaker. This one is going to be different, Burnham promised at a conference last week. He wants to help boost place-based growth, similar to what has happened in Stockport: "This is about closing our own North-South divide,” he said.
Spare a thought for Altrincham bar owner Carl Peters this week, who temporarily managed to make himself the city’s most unpopular man, devising a policy perhaps even less popular than Pat Karney’s Christmas in August. Peters, who owns a bar called Alibi, says he’s baffled at the backlash against his ban on solo drinkers after 9pm — a move which earned him a several days-long pasting on social media. The ban has actually been in effect since 2022 but drew a lot of attention after the Manchester Evening News shared a recent Instagram post explaining the policy. Peters says it's designed to prevent groups at the bar being “mithered” by solo drinkers or a potential “disaster” if a solo drinker was to have a seizure or bang their head. Peters has stood firm in the face of a thousand angry op-eds too, putting out a new Instagram video in which he says he’s "really appreciated all the keyboard warriors in their basements, tapping away in their curry stained vests, having an opinion".
🏗️ The Hotspur Press saga continues. After a series of delays due to listing applications, changes in design, and the majority of the building being destroyed in a fire, developers Manner have now promised to get the scheme back on track. The proposals once again include a 35-storey student tower hosting 619 flats — a tower that the architect Stephen Hodder told us would rise “phoenix-like” from the ashes of the iconic mill (words spoken while the mill was still on fire). Manner are now promising to rebuild the building’s famous façade, and recreate the Hotspur Press and Percy Brothers signage. “We will ensure that The Hotspur Press building lives on as a major landmark in the city,” Hodder has said. You can read our pre-fire and immediately-post-fire features on the building’s journey.
🎼 The CEO of the English National Opera announced that she was quitting the company last week, just two years into the role. “No prizes for guessing why she jumped,” writes classical music news site Slipped Disc — referring of course to the ENO’s gradual move from London to Manchester, who many consider a disaster. Jenny Mollica has not clarified reasons behind the exit, but will be moving on to run The Roundhouse in Camden Town.
Finally - would a bin alley off St Ann’s Square be more welcoming at this time of year if it were a kind of yuletide ginnel? With young families walking Golden Retrievers perusing festive trinkets while sipping Gluhwein? Yes. It obviously would. But would it be practical? Such was the theme of a little debate on LinkedIn, with Mill contributor Phil Griffin saying that: “I’m not sure yet more festive clutter is what this space needs… & where have the Biffa bins that service the f&b’s on Deansgate been relocated too?” He points out the neglect of Barton Arcade just nearby as a more pressing issue. Got your own thoughts? Meet us in the comments.
Weather
Cold at first this week, then milder later on, although with mixed weather throughout the week.
Tuesday ☀️Cold with mostly sunny skies accompanied by light winds. Widespread frost overnight. Max 7°c.
Wednesday 🌦️Cold & mostly cloudy with light rain arriving late in the morning, this wintry on the hills for a short time. Max 7°c.
Thursday 🌧️ Considerably milder but with outbreaks of rain and breezy conditions. Max 14°c.
Friday 🌦️ Cooler but still relatively mild with a mix of bright spells and showers.
Weekend 🌦️ Remaining changeable with temperatures close to average for late November.
Home of the week
If you’ve got £285,000 and you’re looking for a charming four-storey modern cottage in Ramsbottom, then this place should at least be worth a look.
Weekly to-dos
The Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is hosting a pub quiz on Thursday, raising money to help end rough-sleeping and homelessness in the city region. The entry fee per team is £32, the same amount it costs for a night’s accommodation under the Bed Every Night scheme. Info here.
🤖 Shift Click, a skills programme hosted by MadLab, is taking some last minute applications before it starts this Wednesday. It has supported hundreds of 18-25 year olds across Greater Manchester get into the tech and creative industries. If that sounds like something that would be worthwhile for you or someone you know, here are the details.
🚊Ever the fan of the intersection between poetry and trams (her first piece in The Mill being on this subject), Ophira is off to Impiety Hour (that bar that keeps changing names on Oldham Road) to see friend-of-The-Mill Hamish Rush perform his latest poetry collection, Tramsient. Hamish is a talent and this is sure to be a corker — and the audience are invited to exchange Tram Tales after the reading.
If someone forwarded you this newsletter, click here to sign up to get quality local journalism in your inbox.
Comments
How to comment:
If you are already a member,
click here to sign in
and leave a comment.
If you aren't a member,
sign up here
to be able to leave a comment.
To add your photo, click here to create a profile on Gravatar.
