Video of online debate discussing the big issues around the Covid-19 crisis. A pandemic that has shook the world and destabilized the status quo. What will take its place? Five panelists from Manchester shared a wealth of knowledge and ideas at this debate, which asked the question: The Covid-19 crisis offers opportunities to create a […]
Campaigners call on Greater Manchester councils to rethink their £250m financial aid package for Manchester Airport
Greater Manchester councils agreed to provide a finance package of more than £250m to Manchester Airport Group to alleviate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the airport. Open letter signed by eleven organisations asks the Greater Manchester Combined Authority council to reconsider their decision. An open letter addressed to the ten borough councils of […]
Beyond charity: Greater Manchester’s mutual aid response to coronavirus
Like Toto in the Wizard of OZ, the coronavirus crisis has pulled back the curtain to reveal the inner workings of our society. The precarity of the vulnerable and how many of us are much closer to that vulnerability than we realised. The new light has revealed who’s work is truly essential and how deeply […]
Controversial plans for Hulme student flats given green light under delegated powers
Despite calls to reinstate the council planning committee, plans for student accommodation in Hulme were approved by the chief executive. Councillors and campaigners say the council’s emergency arrangements for the coronavirus crisis are undemocratic, with locals feeling excluded and threatening legal action. Last week, Manchester City Council’s chief executive approved controversial plans for a nine-storey […]
The new coronavirus Neighbourhood Watch
Whilst spreading the ‘stay at home’ message, our news outlets have also been flooding us with images of people in parks and outside, fueling widespread suspicion and mistrust throughout communities. Police have reported an increase in calls and groups set up for mutual aid are being inundated with videos and pictures of neighbours playing in […]
Film released today documents Mancunians building stronger communities
Local wellbeing organisation Healthy Me Healthy Communities are showcasing their latest project in an online film launch today, and are asking communities across Manchester to share their ideas on what community action could be taken next. Access to the full film available via this article. Healthy Me Healthy Communities, a Manchester based social enterprise, are […]
Four international journalists, who graduated in Manchester, report on their Covid-19 lockdown experiences
Four International Students who graduated at Manchester Metropolitan University discuss the impact of Covid-19 around the world, finding many similarities and a shocking tendency for misinformation and conspiracy theories to spread faster than Covid-19. Four friends from four different countries all graduated as Journalists in Manchester. We may now be living worlds apart, but we […]
Street Meet soup kitchen reports increased demand for food during lockdown, and not just from Manchester’s homeless
Volunteers running an outdoor soup kitchen in city centre Manchester are reporting increased demand for food during the pandemic lockdown. People using the kitchen include many of the temporarily housed homeless, those still sleeping on the streets, the working poor and those struggling to survive on welfare payments. A band of volunteers responsible for outdoor […]
Locked down in Peru: social media mobilisation brings back Manchester student
The journey of a lifetime for Sophie was brought to a grinding halt by the pandemic. She credits a social media campaign for spurring the UK government into action, who had initially failed to offer any support to her and the hundreds of other Britons stranded in Peru. Just three weeks into a six month […]
Don’t let the coronavirus crisis usher in chlorinated chicken – and worse!
The UK and US trade deal negotiations are still underway, aiming to be finished for the end of the Brexit transition period with the EU in December. Campaigners in Manchester are determined to oppose the introduction of chlorinated chicken and continue the fight for the UK to keep its higher standards in farming and food […]