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MCRJourno A women's cultural festival is coming to Tameside on Thursday afternoon due to the borough's civic mayor. Music, food, games, and a fashion show are promised in the mayor's festival celebrating diversity among women. The charity event takes place at Dukinfield Town Hall on Thursday 23rd January from 2pm to 5pm with admission costing £10 and payable on the door. It has been organised in partnership with Umeed (Hope) women’s group and Leading Women in Business - an organisation which provides a supportive space for female entrepreneurs to connect and inspire each other. The Civic Mayor, Cllr Betty Affleck, said: "The festival is a celebration of the women from so many backgrounds and cultures who contribute so much to making Tameside the welcoming, successful, unique place that it is. "We want to get as many people together as possible to enjoy a great afternoon, enjoy some good food, learn about each other, hopefully make some new friends and contacts, but most of all to have some fun."

MCRJourno Oldham’s much-loved late-night light festival, Illuminate Light Night, returns for its eighth year on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February. The festival invites visitors of all ages to discover Oldham in a whole new light, with this year’s theme "Illuminating the Everyday." On the Saturday light art will transform spaces across Oldham town centre from 6pm to 9pm with the free event featuring installations, performances, and interactive experiences created by acclaimed artists. Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said: "This free event has become a visitor favourite in our growing calendar of free events, offering something for everyone, no matter their age. "I’d encourage everyone joining us to support our fantastic local businesses while in town." Highlights of the event include the Illuminate Parade at 6pm featuring hundreds of vibrant community-made lanterns, dazzling illuminated “everyday hero” puppets, music, dance, and giant Illuminated creations from Global Grooves. Other interactive elements include a video-mapping installation that turns everyday surroundings into colourful, dynamic works of art, as well as ‘Harmony Hall’ - a combination of projection mapping and live theatre projected on the Old Town Hall. On display there will also be 100 real-time Oldham heartbeats ‘The Matter of the Heart’ by idontloveyouanymore, at the Oldham Parish Church, showing the collective power of the community in a dazzling display of light and rhythm. You can also book tickets for the Crypt by Candlelight tours and visit the resting place of the Oldham Giant. Visitors can explore Gallery Oldham where you will find ‘The Lights’ a collection of light artworks on loan from The Grundy Gallery in Blackpool. At The DOME, a 360-degree projection exploring themes of empire, colonialism, and identity will be showcased alongside light painting workshops for a special late night opening. 'Into the Future' will conjure a futuristic, fun and fantastical story, celebrating local artists, community talent and the spirit of Carnival as night falls over the Northern Roots site. Illuminate Light Night is free to attend and more details are available at www.oldham.gov.uk/illuminate

MCRJourno Authors Gaia Holmes and Jane Rogers head to Blackwell's Manchester to discuss their short story collections He Used To Do Dangerous Things and Fire Ready. Gaia and Jane will be in conversation with founder of literary agents Comma Press, Ra Page. The event takes place on Monday 24th February from 6:30pm and costs £4 or free entry with the purchase of either book. About the books He Used To Do Dangerous Things - The characters in Gaia Holmes' debut fiction collection adopt complex mechanisms for processing a world that is at once too close and too far removed, needing to feel the presence of others, whilst also being overwhelmed by it. Whether it's the trauma of the pandemic and its many isolations, or the chaotic, draining lives of loved ones or neighbours, these stories explore the ingenuity of people striving to rebuild themselves, fortify their defences and, most courageously, connect. Fire Ready - The stories in Jane Rogers' much-awaited second collection shine an unflinching light on the future health of the planet, and the prospects for its primary tenants, us. Her characters find themselves simultaneously battling their own demons, the ravages of age, growing social isolation, and hostilities between communities, while being forced to take a personal stand on the oncoming climate crisis. About the authors Gaia Holmes is an award-winning freelance writer and creative writing tutor who works with schools, universities, libraries and other community groups throughout the West Yorkshire region. She has had three full length poetry collections published by Comma Press: Dr James Graham’s Celestial Bed (2006) Lifting the Piano with One Hand (2013), Where The Road Runs Out (2018), along with Tales from the Tachograph, a collaborative work with Winston Plowes (Calder Valley Poetry, 2017). Comma Press said: "Events are a brilliant opportunity to discover new books, meet authors and likeminded readers and learn something new. Support your local bookshop and help us keep the Manchester literary scene vibrant and exciting." Jane Rogers, FRSL, has written 10 novels, radio drama and stories with The Testament of Jessie Lamb winning the Arthur C Clarke Award as well as being longlisted for the Man-Booker Prize. Jane’s first collection of stories, Hitting Trees with Sticks, was shortlisted for the Edgehill Award, and the title story was a BBC National short story competition finalist. Earlier novels won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Writers Guild Best Fiction Book Award, and she has twice been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

MCRJourno Manchester’s Junction is turning Blue Monday into a more positive day by hosting a Bring Your Dog to Work event on Monday, January 20th. Recognised as the most depressing day of the year Blue Monday will feature complimentary Puppacinos and dog treats made by the venue's chef on the day. With Junction being dog-friendly all year round, General Manager James Thompson said: "We understand that Blue Monday is normally a day people don’t look forward to so we wanted to do something positive and enjoyable to change that. "Whether you’re coming to Junction to work, to meet friends for a coffee or enjoy a bite to eat, bringing your dogs is a simple way to create smiles, reduce stress, and remind everyone that even on the toughest days, our furry friends can make all the difference." Junction is located on Windmill Street under the arches of Manchester Central and open 8am - 10pm on Mondays. Dog owners can choose from Junction’s Breakfast Menu (available from 8am - 12pm), Lounge Menu (12pm - 8pm), or the Seasonal Evening Menu (available from 5pm - 8pm). *If you're suffering - contact charity Mind here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

MCRJourno Clinic analysis. Credit: Cryos International A Manchester clinic has launched the UK’s first same-day semen analysis service to provide men with a better understanding of their reproductive health. The initiative from sperm bank Cryos International is entirely free of charge and provides a non-diagnostic assessment of key sperm quality criteria including movement and sperm count. Open to men aged 18 to 45, participants are guaranteed a speedy and confidential experience as part of Cryos’ commitment to demystify male reproductive health and demonstrate how lifestyle factors impact fertility. Cryos also aims to break the stigma around sperm donation and help more people on their journey to parenthood. The launch comes at a time of unprecedented demand for fertility services in the UK with births from sperm donation tripling since the turn of the millennium. Lab Manager Samantha Duffy-Olive said: "By launching our new free semen analysis service we’re hoping to be able to offer valuable advice that could make a real difference to improving male reproductive health. "By encouraging more men to prioritise their wellbeing we hope to be able to help even more families achieve their dreams of parenthood." Participants receive guidance on lifestyle modifications such as reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, managing stress and maintaining a healthy diet. The initiative follows the successful launch of Cryos’ Manchester clinic last year with over 1,000 applications since opening. Men can book appointments through the Cryos website before completing the process at the Manchester facility.

MCRJourno Greater Manchester Combined Authority is currently consulting on the draft Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy which sets out local priorities for nature recovery. Anyone can have a say in the plan and the GMCA have said: "Your voice matters and your feedback will ensure that this is a shared strategy, representative of a diverse range of views." Set up to tackle the issue of nature being lost in every district of Greater Manchester, the plan hopes to see nature recovered with a helping hand. Greater Manchester’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy will act as a roadmap for how authorities tackle the biodiversity emergency and improve access to nature across the city-region over the next decade. Collaboration is encouraged with the plan looking to establish ways of working together towards a greener city region where nature is thriving. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and allows you to skip questions that aren't relevant to you and your interests. It closes on 31st January and can be found here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/natural-environment/our-plan-for-nature-recovery

Helen Clarke Centrepoint is the UK's leading youth homelessness charity supporting almost 14,000 young each year. The charity campaigns to end homelessness by 2037 and Centrepoint's Head of Support and Housing (North) - Joe Lomas, says "no young person chooses to be homeless". Here he answers our questions. What support do you receive from local authorities or the combined authority and is it enough? Centrepoint works collaboratively with Manchester City Council to get young people facing homelessness across Manchester the support they need. The council like many others across the country is doing what it can with the resources it has been given, but decades of chronic underfunding from central government have stretched services to breaking point. Many councils are having to make impossible decisions around who gets support. Nationally, local councils across England face a £300 million shortfall in youth homelessness funding, something the Labour government will need to address. What are the common misconceptions of young people who have become homeless and how do we combat them? Many people believe that homelessness is a ‘lifestyle choice’ and when it happens to a young person it is down to their ‘bad’ or ‘unruly’ behaviour, but no young person chooses to be homeless. Most of the young people we work with come to us following a family breakdown, for reasons outside of their control. Combatting these misconceptions isn’t easy, but giving young people the platforms to tell their stories and amplifying their voices on issues that have affected them is an important step. The more we educate people on the issues that affect homeless young people, the better. What work does Centrepoint do in Greater Manchester and who is involved? Centrepoint provides wrap around support for young people aged 18-25, our housing support team works with around 1,000 young people a year from our Manchester base and our helpline supports many more young people with advice and guidance over the phone. We aim to provide each young person with the support they need. This could include support from our rough sleepers team who go out to the streets to identify and engage young people. The team are then also able to offer short term Centrepoint bed spaces whilst working with them to identify longer term solutions. It could include support from our tenancy support, rent deposit and resettlement services which help people find and sustain a stable home. A lot of the young people we work with have multiple and complex needs. Others may require work and learning interventions, activities, grants, translation and life-skills training. Do you feel there is a stigma around homeless people and has this improved in recent years? We still have a long way to go to break the stigma surrounding homeless people. Harmful rhetoric and laws proposed in the last year which would've essentially criminalised people for being homeless has not helped in changing the narrative. How could we expect change if the people who were responsible for our country were talking about homeless people in this way and treating rough sleepers like criminals? We are hopeful that the new government will help shift the dial and reprioritise how these experiences are talked about in the public domain and those affected are supported. What impact if any do you believe a Labour government will have on your work or the factors affecting those that become homeless? If the government’s commitment to build more affordable homes and develop a strategy to end homelessness comes into fruition, we should be on the way to reducing homelessness. But the devil will be in the detail, specifically when it comes to seeing how government tackles youth homelessness. Young people face different challenges and have different needs to adults experiencing homelessness so it’s important that our approach to supporting them reflects this.

MCRJourno What’s Love Got To Do With It? Credit: ChuffMedia The Tina Turner tribute - What’s Love Got To Do With It? is coming to Manchester Opera House on the 16th February. Delivering a unique homage to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, 2024 brought the show to more than 60,000 fans and now features rising star Holly Bannis - daughter of Greg Bannis from Hot Chocolate. Holly’s inspiring journey from a musical family to wowing audiences on ITV’s Starstruck and earning standing ovations as Tina Turner has captured the hearts of many. The show is a full-throttle, high-energy celebration of Tina Turner’s legendary 60-year career, packed with the hits that defined decades and set stages ablaze around the world. Featuring a live band and hoping to capture the essence, fire, and soul of Tina herself, a night of pure rock and soul magic is promised to audiences in Manchester. From the electrifying Proud Mary and powerhouse River Deep Mountain High to the anthem Simply The Best and sultry Private Dancer, What’s Love Got To Do With It? is a journey through the unforgettable songs that made Tina the global icon she remains today. In the opening act, audiences will be transported to the heart of a live Tina Turner concert, with stunning renditions of unforgettable ballads and soulful classics. When the second act kicks into gear, the show explodes into a high-octane celebration of Tina’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll anthems with hits like Nutbush City Limits igniting the stage. Tina Turner didn’t just perform - she commanded the stage, captivating audiences with her raw power, charisma, and unstoppable energy. The show aims to be a celebration of Tina’s legacy, to pay homage to her trailblazing career while keeping her fire alive for generations to come. Bringing Tina’s music to life with stunning authenticity is Holly Bannis whose powerful vocals and dynamic stage presence have won over audiences across the country.

MCRJourno The Chair of the arts venue Lowry has stepped down leaving an annual award for one young Salfordian to honour his 18 year tenure. Sir Rod Aldridge joined Lowry in 2008 as an organisation still finding its place in the Salford community and its role in the arts and culture landscape. As the most visited attraction in Greater Manchester it was a catalyst for the regeneration of Salford Quays and creation of MediaCityUK. To honour Sir Rod's legacy and dedication to increasing opportunities for young people, the award created in his name will be given to a young person from Salford who has shown incredible leadership and creativity, as well as entrepreneurial spirit, tenacity and determination. Sir Rod Aldridge. Credit: Lowry Speaking of his departure, Sir Rod Aldridge OBE said: "Serving as Chair of Lowry has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. "While I came to Lowry hoping that I could bring valuable experience and know-how, I could never have imagined what Lowry has given me in return. "It has been an honour to be a part of such a creative, entrepreneurial and passionate team that have such an impact on Salford, Manchester and the wider North West region." The impactful education, employability, volunteering, and community engagement programmes run by Lowry for underserved people across Greater Manchester contribute £22.4 million in measurable social value while receiving just 6% of public funding. Lowry stands as a blueprint for how arts, culture and creativity can engage hard to reach communities despite unprecedented strain on arts funding. With the new award the young person will receive a development bursary and a bespoke, year-long opportunity at Lowry, helping them to achieve their goals by removing barriers and offering bespoke support. This may include mentoring, training, leadership input and the opportunity to become a Peer Leader supporting other young people and putting leadership into practice. Nazir Afzal OBE, former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England and Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners, will be taking on the role from Sir Rod this month as the incoming Chair of Lowry. He said: "The passion with which Sir Rod Aldridge advocates for the power and potential of Lowry is nothing short of inspirational and I will take that with me into how I approach this role."

MCRJourno For a limited time only residents of Greater Manchester can get face-to-face with thousands of sea creatures at SEA LIFE Manchester for half price. From Monday 6th January to Friday 14th February residents with an M or OL postcode can save 50% on an underwater adventure. Bookings can be made for individuals or groups of up to five people and can be pre-booked up until 6th April. As part of the exclusive offer guests can take part in a unique 3D projection experience exploring various ocean adventures. You can navigate through the life cycle of a turtle, journey back in time to the age of the dinosaurs to discover where fish came from, or get up close to sharks, turtles and stingrays in the ocean tunnel. As the offer is only available to those with a relevant postcode valid photo ID and proof of address will be required when entering the attraction. To take advantage of SEA LIFE’s residents sale, head to www.visitsealife.com/uk/residents-sale for more information and to book your tickets.

MCRJourno Bunker of Zion The Old Courts in Wigan has been a beacon of creativity, culture, and community for the past 10 years, housed in the former County Court in Wigan town centre. Transforming a historic building into a thriving arts and entertainment hub, it has enriched the town’s cultural fabric and brought people together through a range of innovative activities and events. Its journey reflects a commitment to showcasing local talent, supporting artists, and fostering a sense of connection across the community. In 2022, the venue hosted Bunker of Zion, a vibrant and joyful performance blending Zimbabwean music and dance with stories of Wigan culture, demonstrating its ability to bring diverse experiences to local audiences. The Grand Vault Since The Old Courts was founded in 2014 as a not-for-profit organisation (meaning every penny is reinvested into the arts, community and Wigan), they have hosted some incredible artists in The Grand Vault, Theatre and local area. Local rising stars such as The Lathums, Lottery Winners and Stanleys have performed there, alongside renowned acts like The Sugar Hill Gang, Wheatus, Sir Ian McKellen, Shaun Ryder, Roachford, Badly Drawn Boy, and John Cooper Clarke. By raising Wigan’s profile as a touring destination, The Old Courts has played a vital role in enhancing the town’s reputation in the arts world. The cultural hub is also home to many creatives including, Tallula Vintage, Static Records, Northern Heart Films, Everyday, Gifts Beyond Words, Darko Design, Curious Minds, Ground Up Digital and most recently, The Brick charity opened a brand-new retro and vintage charity shop. The Old Courts Every week, visitors are treated to a variety of live entertainment in the Bailiff Bar including Open Mic Poetry, Unlocked: Original Music Showcase, Improv, Not So Silent Movie, as well as networking opportunities and personal development workshops for musicians, artists and producers. The Victorian Courtroom also continues to play host to weddings, parties, markets and conferences with its character charm wowing visitors. During the pandemic, The Old Courts demonstrated resilience and adaptability by launching a pop-up pantomime. This initiative brought much-needed joy during a challenging time, offering a safe and entertaining escape for families. Despite restrictions, the pantomime captured the festive spirit and underscored the venue’s dedication to uplifting the community even in adversity. Pop-up pantomime In 2023 they discovered catastrophic structural damage in their venue which was later found to have been caused by construction work carried out by a third party. Since then their music venue, The Grand Vault and the Theatre have been closed awaiting repair work. As they await news on the legal proceedings to enable them to begin repairs, their activities continue through the Bailiff Bar & the Victorian Courtroom.

MCRJourno On Sunday February 9th, The Guildhall in Stockport will host a vegan festival courtesy of Vegan Events UK - organiser of vegan festivals around Britain. There will be over 60 stalls including world food caterers, as well as talks and workshops running throughout the day. If you're thinking of bringing children, the family-friendly event has free entry for under-16s. Stockport Vegan Festival takes place between 10:30am and 4:30pm with standard entry costing £5 or VIP tickets available for £15 - including fast track entry and a goody bag full of vegan products, samples, discounts and offers.   Festival organiser and founder of Vegan Events UK, Victoria Bryceson said: “Our events provide people with an ultimate shopping experience. "We provide small and family run businesses with a place to promote and sell their products and services. "We aim to educate people about what veganism is and to show people how easy, affordable, healthy and varied living a vegan lifestyle can be.” The festival features over 60 stalls including a large selection of food, beauty and skincare, healthy treats, clothing, charity merchandise, drinks and free samples.   Stalls will offer ethical skincare and beauty, sustainable fashion, fresh juices and smoothies, nutritional talks and budget-friendly cooking demonstrations. Festival regular Miracle’s Mission is a non-profit animal welfare charity that works with sick, injured and disabled animals worldwide. Its mission is to provide a place of safety for animals in danger, to educate on the needs of neutering both pets and strays and to neuter stray dogs and cats to prevent the birth of more animals onto the streets, as well as rehabilitating dogs in need - often with disabilities. There is also a stall selling Bo’s Book, a vegan cook book that features simple, easy-to-follow recipes together with beautiful illustrations of dogs from Miracle’s Mission, with profits going towards the charity.   Tickets are available from  https://www.veganeventsuk.co.uk/buy-tickets/