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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
You know Oi Polloi don’t you? It’s that colourful looking Northern Quarter menswear shop where you can buy all manner of fishermen's jumpers, ‘bulbous German orthopaedic shoes’ and quilted Barbour body warmers.
News of its closure was met with horror by my colleague Damon Wilkinson - a man who is no stranger to a Clarks cornish pasty shoe and a salmon-pink jumper. He described it as a ‘devastating blow for men who like to wear brown shoes and Scandinavian cagoules’. But as he has discovered, it may also be a turning point for the Northern Quarter itself.
We’ll be discussing that in today’s Mancunian Way. We’ll also be looking at how a 50p ticket tax could help improve security at music venues and a row between a school and a local MP. Let’s begin.
The story of the Northern Quarter itself
“I surprised myself by being genuinely gutted when I found out it was closing. And I wasn't alone. Liam Gallagher summed up the feelings of many men like me in a tweet which read: ‘noooooooooooooooo... there is no GOD’,” writes Damon Wilkinson.
He has eloquently explained the origins of Oi Polloi, its rise in popularity and why it has meant so much to so many ‘Northern peacocks’ since its inception in 2002. After all, it provided them with a very definite style that is ‘distinctly casual, Northern and Manc’.
But after being bought out by JD Sports during the pandemic, Damon also reports that the closure could be a turning point for the local area itself. "Oi Polloi's story is the story of the Northern Quarter in many ways," says Eddy Rhead of the Modernist Society.
"You can trace it back to Afflecks, where (co-founder) Nigel used to have a stall. When they first opened the shop on Tib Street, rents were cheap. It was a place where small businesses could start up and flourish. It's a well-trodden path. Small businesses move into an area, make it better, then the money moves in and you can't afford it anymore.
"The reason Oi Polloi did well is because it has character, a certain personality. Mancs can smell b******* and they can see when someone is doing something for the right reasons. And when that happens they tend to support it.
"But it does feel like the end of an era and it could be the beginning of the end for the Northern Quarter for small, independent businesses."
You can read Damon’s full piece here and I highly recommend that you do.
A 50p ticket tax
When Figen Murray wakes up each day, she looks at a tree she planted in memory of her son, Martyn Hett.
“He is the first thing on my mind and the last thing on my mind. He is constantly in my thoughts,” she says.
PR worker Martyn had been in high spirits before seeing Ariana Grande at Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. It was supposed to be his farewell night out before he set off to travel the world. But he was one of 22 people killed when Islamist extremist Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the foyer of the Arena as the concert ended.
Since then, Figen has campaigned for better security at large music venues. And the recent promise from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that Martyn’s Law will be presented in front of the house this spring brought her one step closer. The law would place venues under a legal duty to draw up specific security plans for any terror attack.
And Figen says she wants big music venues to add a 50p tax to tickets to improve security. The levy, she says, could raise £1 million a year for each place to buy essential kit.
“I have given every second I have into how we can make positive change to make sure nothing like that ever happens again,” she told the Mirror over the weekend.
“If anyone tells me venues can’t afford better security, I’m afraid that’s nonsense. They could recoup the money by charging 50 pence on every ticket price and ring fence that money for security.
“If Manchester Arena had 10,000 people in the venue for four nights a week, 52 weeks a year, as they do, and charged 50p extra a ticket, it would give them over £1million. This could pay for or lease equipment, a security director, better training.”
Should have done your homework
Leigh MP James Grundy was forced to backtrack when he sent out a flyer with ‘factually incorrect’ information about a local school.
The Tory MP said in the flyer that he supported Golborne High School's 'securing' of academy status with Winstanley College in Orrell. "With significant extra housing being built in our towns, it is great to be supporting the much needed expansion of Golborne High School to accommodate the increased intake numbers and their securing of Academy status alongside Winstanley College,” it read.
Plans to develop a multi-academy trust between the high school and college were announced in January last year, with their governing bodies saying a 'detailed evaluation and public consultation' would be held to consider the development. But Alison Gormally, head at Golborne High, said the plan to 'explore the idea' came to nothing and a decision was taken not to proceed.
As reporter Paul Britton writes, the leaflet prompted the high school to issue a statement on its social media channels - saying Mr Grundy 'has not been in communication' with the school for 12 months. “You may have received a flyer from Conservative Party candidate James Grundy MP, which states that we are academising with Winstanley College,” it reads. "This is categorically untrue. James Grundy has not been in communication with this school in the last 12 months. Please ignore this factually incorrect information."
The school claims the information caused 'great concern' and 'confusion in the local community'.
But Mr Grundy says the school contacted him on 2022 asking him to back plans for a rebuilding programme and to support academy status. “At no time did the school contact me to inform me that their plans had changed to not include academy status. I was also disappointed that the school took to social media to put out a post that implied my earlier statements were somehow fabricated.”
Protecting the trees
Now there’s something you don’t see every day. Protesters tied themselves to trees in the grounds of a block of flats in Rusholme in an attempt to stop them being felled. Tree surgeons took down around eight firs and copper beech trees before being met by the activists.
Councillor Jill Lovecy said the building in Birch Polygon had recently been bought by a new owner and though the council tried to get an emergency preservation order, the trees didn't meet the criteria. "We don't have any powers that can be enforced in this situation, but with global warming we should be trying to protect as many trees as possible," she said.
My colleague Chris Slater has been at the scene. He reports that the protesters had left by mid afternoon, with work by tree surgeons continuing.
‘Giz’ A Quid’
The owners of 53two theatre bar, in Manchester city centre, are asking customers to help keep it afloat amid rising bills. Creative director Simon Naylor wants people to visit the venue - in the Grade II-listed tunnels beneath Manchester Central - and donate £1 a week to help it through tough times.
“As you know everyone is struggling right now with bills and the crazy cost of living, not least venues. For us, our energy bills have increased almost 100 percent,” a message posted online reads. The venue has launched a ‘Giz’ A Quid’ scheme asking those who can afford it to donate £1 a week.
53two isn’t the only hospitality venue struggling in the current climate. Northern Quarter Caribbean takeaway Eat n’ Sweet is looking for new premises, after landlords of the building told them they’re selling up. The Ridelow building, on Church Street at the edge of the Northern Quarter, has been home to the much-loved spot for nine years. But owners, married couple Dean and Marion Ricketts, will have to vacate their tiny kitchen on April 13, with plans from its new owners ranging from developing the building into flats to a potential bar and restaurant. “You just have to take the rough with the smooth,” said Marion.
Meanwhile, Donkeystone Brewing Co, based in Oldham, has announced it will cease trading, with bosses describing the current trading climate as 'insurmountable'. "This situation for us all, as you can imagine, is crushing. We have all put our hearts and souls into this business and met some amazing people. Our feelings cannot be put into words," they said in a statement.
While many places are struggling, some businesses are launching. Among them is 97, on Chorlton’s trendy Beech Road. Owner Nick De Sousa has teamed up with cocktail expert Ellie Craddick - who has created a number of new drinks for the menu. She makes her own tinctures, washing spirits, homemade cordials and atomisers to make her creations that little bit more experiential.
“We’ve started using sous vide, we’ll be doing our own carbonation, we want to bring in centrifuges, we’ve got our own cordials, tinctures, bitters, and we’ll be changing the menu three times a year,” she says.
Meanwhile, craft brewery Squawk is set to open its first bricks-and-mortar bar in the Northern Quarter. It’ll be taking over the unit previously vacated by Beatnikz Republic on the corner of Dale Street and Tariff Street, as Ben Arnold reports.
Beatnikz sadly closed down its brewery last year, but the bar - called Pelican - will be reopened on March 31 as a joint project from Squawk founder Oli Turnton and Rosie Setterfield-Price.
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Weather etc
- Temperatures: Light rain changing to sunny intervals in the afternoon. 13C.
- Road closures: M67 Eastbound entry slip road closed due to long-term roadworks at J2 A57 Hyde Road (Denton). Until 1st December 2025.
- A662 Pollard Street Westbound closed due to roadworks from Pollard Street to A665 Great Ancoats Street. From 21st March to 13th April.
- Trivia question: How many goals did Manchester City striker Erling Haaland score in their recent Champions League match against RB Leipzig, equalling the record for the most goals in a single game in the competition?
Manchester headlines
A beautiful soul: Tributes are being paid to the son of Hacienda legend Graeme Park, who has died after a year-long battle with cancer. In a public post to Facebook, Oli Park’s mum Jenny described him as a ‘true warrior’. “Today our hearts were broken forever,” she wrote. “After a year long battle with cancer, it finally got the better of you, our amazingly strong and gorgeous boy. You were such a kind, loving and beautiful soul, and I will never understand why you were taken from us. It was far too soon.” More here.
New homes: Plans to build 350 new homes in Moss Side, including on the site of the old Reno nightclub, have been announced. The legendary underground club is one of four locations earmarked for development. A neighbouring plot at Barnhill Street and land at Westwood Street and Raby Street are the others. Manchester Council and housing association Mosscare St Vincent's say the proposals will bring 'much needed new homes' to the area. They say Moss Side's population has grown by 20 per cent in the last decade and there are more people on the priority list for social housing than in any other area in Manchester.
Abandoned church: A local historian is writing to the Pope to protest over an ‘abandoned’ Roman Catholic graveyard which he says has become a ‘drugs den’. The overgrown cemetery - known as Barton Upon Irwell Roman Catholic Graveyard - in the Peel Green area of Eccles has not been used for a burial since 1940. Craig Ellis, who lives just over the boundary in Stretford, has studied the history of the area and says he has discovered that no-one actually owns the graveyard. He says it was formerly owned by the de Trafford family, but when they offloaded the burial ground to the Catholic church, the necessary paperwork for ownership to be secured was never completed, meaning that the graveyard is now owned by no one. More here.
Send me the bill: A fly-tipper who yelled 'send me the bill' after dumping his waste outside a Tameside tip has been hauled before magistrates. Craig Davenport visited the Ash Road household waste recycling centre in Droylsden to dispose of some garden waste in his trailer, Tameside Magistrates Court heard. But when the 34-year-old was told by staff that he needed a permit to use the facility with a trailer, Davenport took matters into his own hands. After Davenport began transferring tree branches to his car, before going back and forth to the recycling centre, the tip had to temporarily close while a container was removed. Tameside Council says Davenport was not happy about this and dumped the waste on Ash Road, driving off shouting: “Send me the bill.” Davenport, of Ward Road, Droylsden, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and was ordered to pay £1,819 - including a £500 fine, costs of £1,269 and a £50 victim surcharge.
Worth a read
As a Muslim man, gambling is forbidden for Omar. So he was always careful to make sure nobody saw him entering or leaving his local bookies.
But one day, he was spotted by someone he knew. "They saw me and started following me and kept saying things like, ‘that’s haram, you’re not supposed to be doing that’,” he says.
“In my mind, I was thinking ‘leave me alone’. I would have done the same thing as them, imagine seeing someone you know coming out of a brothel? There's a reason why these things are taboo, they lead to people harming themselves."
Omar has been speaking to reporter Rami Mwamba about his addiction, on the condition of anonymity. Now getting help from Gamblers Anonymous, he wants to warn others about the dangers.
“I liked gambling, I liked the feeling of winning, it was enjoyable," he says. “When I started going in I met some people who were quite social, so loneliness also played a part in my addiction.”
You can read the full piece 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: Five.
