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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
We're just a few days into May and it's already looking set to be a pretty busy month all round. We've got the King's Coronation coming up this weekend (with an extra Bank Holiday to boot), then we're continuing the festivities with the Eurovision in Liverpool the weekend after.
Not content with just that, the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run will take place on Sunday, May 21, where 25,000 runners are expected to make their way through the city in aid of charities close to their hearts.
It's nice to see plenty of things going on in the city-region to keep us all busy and entertained, and hopefully the weather will make a good turnout for us as well...
Whilst Beth enjoys an extended Bank Holiday weekend, I'll be taking over Mancunian Way duties today where we'll be looking at low local election turnouts, the medieval building of the north and a little Dutch café making waves. Let's begin.
'Nurses shouldn't be going to foodbanks'
On Bank Holiday morning, as many of us were having a lie-in or recovering from a hangover, nurses up and down the country were on the picket line sharp and early.
The industrial action was part of a 28-hour strike coordinated by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union which began at 8pm on Sunday and ended at 11.59pm on Monday.
Union members voted to reject the latest government offer of a 5 per cent increase after saying the real-terms pay cut they have been experiencing for years is now pushing people out of the nursing profession whilst also putting patient safety at risk.
Leah Hutchinson-Saxon, who has worked at The Christie for four years, says some of her colleagues are struggling so much financially that they're having to rely on foodbanks.
"Nurses or people from any profession shouldn't be going to foodbanks,” Leah told Sophie Halle-Richards. “People shouldn't be struggling and that's what is happening and it's just not fair.”
She added: “At the moment I don't think people want to work in nursing. Why would you want to do what you're passionate about when you could go and work in a supermarket and earn more money.
"We want our patients to be safe but there are so many nurses leaving the profession because of pay. We deserve the pay for what we are actually doing.
"We are taking care of patients 24 hours a day and that doesn't just stop when we finish our shift, we go home and still think about those patients. They are on our mind 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Leah says she herself has had to make cutbacks on things in order to look after herself and her family. It’s something that Sarah Frances, who has worked as a nurse at The Christie for over a decade, can also relate to.
Despite having worked for the NHS for more than 10 years, Sarah says she earns just under £18 an hour. "If you're going to commit to a job that is really demanding and has unsociable hours - can you do it for the money the government are offering," she asked.
Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, described the latest round of industrial action as 'premature' and 'disrespectful' to the other nursing trade unions who are meeting to discuss the government's current pay offer later today.
Under the NHS Staff Council, the unions will consider the offer of a 5 pc pay increase for 2023/24 along with a one-off payment worth between £1,655 and £3,789 for the current financial year for nurses in England.
Birthplace of the Manifesto
It’s been described as one of the ‘most complete mediaeval buildings in the north of England’ and it’s located right in the heart of the city centre, but not many people are aware it can actually be visited… That is, perhaps, until now.
Chetham’s Library was built at the same time as Manchester Cathedral, where it sits next to, in 1421. Tucked away in the School of Music’s tiny campus are an abundance of hidden passageways, grand halls, secret doors and the same room where Marx and Engels observed the squalor of the city’s poor before devising the Communist Manifesto.
Originally a manor house used by priests and choristers, the building went on to be a hospital and a school - amongst other things - before affirming itself as a library.
Siân-Louise Mason, Chetham’s visitor services co-ordinator and expert tour guide, told Ben Arnold: “It’s amazing that we’re still standing, considering where we are in the city.
“It was the centre of medieval Manchester. Then you have a civil war, where it becomes a prison and an armoury, and also sorts of chaotic things, and then 1653 is when everything changes and we get a library and a school established, and we’ve been here ever since.”
Siân-Louise said because people think of the School of Music instead, many people don’t realise you can actually visit the library. In fact, their After Hours events see the library filled with magical lanterns and fairy lights as people are free to roam and explore.
You can learn more about the history of Chetham’s Library here.
The 'forgotten' estate
Turnout at last year’s local elections in Ancoats and Beswick was at a low 24.08 pc - just slightly higher than Greater Manchester’s lowest of 15.22 pc in Fallowfield. But there are fears that turnout in the area will be even lower at this week's local elections and there could even be more people switching allegiences.
One resident, who lives on the estate on Grey Mare Lane, said that whilst she is grateful for the help the local Labour councillor has given her, she believes that cross-party councillors are not working together and has been left not wanting to vote.
"I just think it's a bit of a mess because nothing gets sorted by anyone," she told Joseph Timan. "The estate looks like an absolute mess – some of it looks like a shantytown. I've lived here since I was five, but the heart and soul has gone out of the community."
George Hutton, who lives in Aden Close, stopped voting two years ago. The 89-year-old said he has lost faith in politicians and objects to new voter ID rules.
"I've lived here for 78 years and now I've got to prove who I am?" George said. "They're just going about it the wrong way."
Local councillors fear that residents in the ward will stem further away from Labour, who are set to remain firmly in control of the council following the upcoming vote. The party won in Ancoats and Beswick by the narrowest of margins last May and there is expected to be a close contest with the Lib Dems this year.
Postman Francis Granger had always voted Labour - and said he would again at a general election - but at the last local elections, he voted Lib Dems.
"I'm not too happy about it," Francis, who lives in front of Pin Mill Brow, said. His wife, Tracy, said she had always voted Labour until two years ago when she decided that her vote had got her neighbour anywhere.
"I just feel we've been forgotten about," she says. "We're the forgotten estate."
Going Dutch
One of my earliest memories of visiting the city centre on a Saturday as a child is popping into the Dutch Pancake House on St Peter's Square and Oxford Street and getting my sugar fix of delicious syrupy goods.
Those days, unfortunately, are long gone with the eatery being demolished in the early 2000s. But I’m not the only one who has strong memories of the restaurant as one pancake house in Altrincham is quickly discovering.
"Our customers constantly say to us, ‘do you remember the Dutch Pancake House,’ or ‘you might be a bit young to remember it but there was this place where they made all these amazing pancakes’," recalls Josh Jorritsma, co-owner of Papa Dutch, The Little Dutch Cafe, which has just opened its first bricks-and-mortar store.
What started as a street food stall outside his house during the first lockdown with father Sjoerd quickly turned into a spot at Altrincham Market and now a tiny cafe on Goose Green on the site of a former bottle stop.
As Josh is back at university, his sister Naomi is currently heading up the new shop with their barista Franky. Their specialties are Poffertjes, celebratory mini pancakes covered in toppings ranging from icing sugar to fresh fruit and chocolate sauce.
But they also make their own Stroopwafels, whilst the ice cream they use just so happens to come from Dutch cows. Inside, the cafe is as authentically Dutch as can be.
Naomi told Jenna Campbell: "It was a bit of a hassle at first but we got there. We took a trip to Holland and shopped in lots of second-hand shops and massive warehouses looking for furniture and ornaments. And we also have family trinkets on the shelves, as well as items picked up from vintage auctions."
'We've worked our way up the ladder'
A couple said they sacrificed their twenties and ‘worked seven days a week’ in order to build their dream home from the ground up.
Katie and Michael bought their first house - a two-bed semi detached for £135,000 - seven years ago and have worked their way up the property ladder ever since by investing in 'run-down' houses and renovating them before selling them on for a profit.
Three years ago, they decided it was time they did the same for their own property and began looking for land. An empty spot in Lancashire came up and they’ve not looked back ever since.
Katie, 31, told Phoebe Jobling: “We were quite lucky because we came across this land in Lancashire which had nothing on it. We bought it without planning but luckily we got our plans passed very quickly.
"We then started the design process. We actually designed the entire house ourselves from the exterior to the interior. We told the architect exactly what we wanted and then they did the drawings for us."
The building work began in July 2020 and took around 18 months, with the couple moving into their new home in November 2021. Their five-bed detached house features a glamorous entrance hall featuring a stunning chandelier, a beautiful open-plan kitchen dining area and a centrepiece feature window.
"We’ve not been given any money, we've just worked really, really hard by ourselves to get here," Katie said. "We sacrificed our 20s and worked seven days a week to be able to live our 30s."
You can take a look inside their home here.
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Weather etc
Saturday: Cloudy throughout the day. 16C.
Road closures: A662 Pollard Street, New Islington, in both directions closed due to roadworks from Boond Street to A665 Great Ancoats Street. Until May 10.
Trivia question: What fruit does Alan Turing hold in his statue in Sackville Gardens?
Manchester headlines
- 'Naked bicycle prank': Three members of staff at Mill School in Bury have been suspended following an alleged incident where naked pictures were displayed next to a bike. In a letter to parents, the school said it is investigating the 'alleged unacceptable behaviour' following concerns that standards of professionalism had not been met.
- 3 per cent: One of Britain's richest men, who used to own Sale Sharks and Stockport County, has snapped up a £37m stake in Manchester-headquartered retail giant THG. Brian Kennedy, who is also known for working with the family of Madeleine McCann following her disappearance in 2007, has bought up almost 3 per cent of the group which includes brands such as Cult Beauty, Lookfantastic and Myprotein.
- 5G mast: Plans to build a 5G mast near a war memorial in Bury have been met with opposition from residents. Despite previous proposals already being turned down, new plans have since emerged for a mast that would be 10m lower than originally intended. One resident said the mast would be an 'eyesore' to the area, while three local councillors said they were 'disappointed' to see the application submitted again.
- Eurovision fever: We're less than two weeks away from the Eurovision 2023 grand final. Held not too far away in Liverpool, Manchester will be getting on board with the celebrations and Jenna Campbell has rounded up some of the many parties taking place to mark the big night.
Worth a read
Over the weekend, an elderley woman was treated to a singalong and a dance on the Metrolink.
Debbie Duplex was on the East Didsbury to Manchester tram on Saturday afternoon with her mother Susan Rogers, 77, when a group of children began playing music loudly on their speakers.
"(Susan) just turned to them and said ‘you could put something more cheerful on’ and they did,” Debbie explained of the encounter. “Kids often don’t get enough recognition these days but these children were just bloody amazing."
In a clip that has since gone viral online, Susan, who has dementia, is seen joyfully dancing and singing along to Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline with the children.
“The Tram isn’t always like this so this is brilliant to see," one person said after watching the video, whilst another said: "This is a lovely video."
You can watch the clip, and find out more, here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Apple
