The Mancunian Way: The bees still buzz

Hello,

May 22 will forever be a difficult day for our city.

Seven years have now passed since 22 innocent people were cruelly snatched away in a terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena. They had come to the city to watch one of the world’s biggest pop stars and never returned home.

Today - as on each of the past six anniversaries - Manchester fell silent in honour of those murdered in the bombing - and the many left injured and affected.

Special memorial services are being held at Manchester Cathedral throughout the day while at 10.31pm - the exact time the bomb was detonated on May 22, 2017 after an Ariana Grande concert - the cathedral's bells will ring out from its tower 22 times.

A memorial service was also held at Victoria station - just yards from where the attack happened - this lunchtime. As the rain hammered the station roof, friends, families and passers-by stood united and paid their respects.

When the clock struck 12pm, Manchester stood still. Trams and trains ground to a halt as those who had gathered pulled their loved ones closer during a minute’s silence.

When it was over, the names of all 22 victims rang out around the station.

John Atkinson; Courtney Boyle; Kelly Brewster; Georgina Callander; Olivia Campbell-Hardy; Liam Curry; Wendy Fawell; Martyn Hett; Alison Howe; Megan Hurley; Nell Jones; Michelle Kiss; Angelika Klis; Marcin Klis; Sorrell Leczkowski; Lisa Lees; Eilidh MacLeod; Elaine McIver; Saffie-Rose Roussos; Chloe Rutherford; Philip Tron; Jane Tweddle.

They are no longer with us, but our city will always remember them.

Pub's uncertain future

The Cotton Tree Hotel has been at the heart of its community for more than half a century. Since the 1960s, the Bolton boozer has hosted countless wedding receptions, funeral wakes and other celebrations.

When workers at the nearby mills finished on a Friday, they would head straight for the pub to make a dent in their wage packets. Such is the warm welcome that some punters continue to travel for miles to drink there.

But as people’s social habits change, estate pubs face an uncertain future. Many have already fallen by the wayside, a fate that could be about to befall the Cotton Tree after plans emerged to convert it into a children’s nursery.

It’s fair to say regulars aren’t too happy about the prospect of losing the pub, which one described as the ‘focal point for this whole neighbourhood’.

“The folk in here are all my friends and if it closes it would be like losing touch with members of my family,” one customer said. “I know I wouldn’t see most of them again.”

Miscalculations

Now for a salutary lesson on the importance of paying attention to detail.

The owner of a newly-built, four-bed detached house has been ordered to demolish it – because it was built taller and in a different position than it should have been. Plans for the house in Butterstile Lane, Prestwich, were approved by Bury council in 2018.

But enforcement action was started by the town hall last year, once the house had been built and occupied. Planners said there had been a ‘breach of planning control’, with the property built 75cm too tall and 145cm too far forward.

The appellant, Martin Gerard Wright, now has six months from the date of the April decision to demolish the house along with all garden structures and retaining walls. Chris Gee has the full story here.

'Sacked over a man's desire for revenge'

Carmen Wood-Hope had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. By the time she joined the staff at The Friars Primary in Salford in 2014, she was decades into an exciting career in education.

But Carmen’s world would later fall apart when she became the school’s union rep. She lost her job, her home, and almost her professional reputation - just for standing up for union members.

Amid a desire for ‘revenge’, the school’s headteacher, Michael Earnshaw, not only ensured Carmen lost her job - but then wrote damaging references which could have stopped her from working at all, an employment tribunal has concluded. Neal Keeling has the full story of this appalling case.

Cream of the crop

A luxurious Manchester city centre hotel has been named among the UK’s best. Dakota Hotel, near Manchester Piccadilly, made Tripadvisor’s list of the top 25 hotels in the country - beating the iconic hotel Claridge’s in London, which only just made the cut.

Dakota ranked 14th in the Best of the Best list in Tripadvisor’s Travellers Choice Awards 2024. Having opened in 2019, the hotel has welcomed famous guests over the years, including the Spice Girls and actor Hugh Jackman.

The hotel is described by Tripadvisor as offering “a touch of modern luxury” to a “convenient location”. Read more here.

Weather etc

Thursday: Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, turning more showery throughout the day.

Roadworks: A6 Ardwick Green South is closed westbound, between Hyde Road and Kale Street, due to water main work until May 29.

Manchester headlines

• Job losses - Hundreds of Yodel staff are at risk of losing their jobs after bosses announced a ‘devastating’ closure. The delivery service's distribution site in Shaw, Oldham, which employs more than 350 people, is to shut. The company’s CEO Mike Hancox said the ‘difficult decision’ was a result of a ‘strategic review’. Full story here.

• Murderer jailed: A man who killed his flatmate during a brutal attack in the street after they’d spent a night in the pub together has been jailed for life. Lee Burns, 38, will serve at least 21 years in prison after he was found guilty of the murder of Vinny McDonagh, 45. Mr McDonagh, who was engaged and a father to four-year-old son Frankie, was found unresponsive in the street in Oldham after Burns launched a ferocious attack. Read more.

• Election fraud probe: Police are investigating allegations of fraud at the local elections in Bury. The M.E.N. understands that the probe follows a complaint regarding the Redvales ward where Bury council's deputy leader was re-elected this month. Labour's Tamoor Tariq held onto his seat at the election on May 2. GMP has now confirmed it is investigating a complaint that a member of Coun Tariq's family was working as a polling official at the elections in Bury. Read more.

Worth a read

It was after being arrested for his role in a £100k drugs racket that Niall Trainor realised he needed to change. He spent three years behind bars after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering.

Since being released in September 2023, the dad-of two has completely turned his life around, and now runs extreme ultra 100-mile marathons. Niall spoke to Maisie Lawton about his incredible transformation.