The Mancunian Way: One too many
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Hello,
Today is Black Friday: a chance for people to queue up in the early hours and be feral with each other in order to secure a TV that's 20% off - or, at least, it was back in 2014. The sale offering - which originates from the big sales held after Thanksgiving in America - took a dark turn across the country nine years ago[2], with stores in Greater Manchester forced to call in police following a number of reported incidents.
Supermarkets in Stretford[3], Burnage, Middleton[4] and Irlam were all involved in the "chaos", with one person at the time saying the scenes were something they would never like to experience again. One person said: "It was getting more heated by the minute and the next thing, at about ten to midnight, voices got raised. The shouting went through the roof, then all hell broke loose.
"They were ripping the plastic off the palettes and people started fighting.
One girl, who can't have been more than 16, picked up some advent calendars and flung them across the shop." Thankfully, the phenomenon surrounding Black Friday here in Manchester has, for the large part, settled down these days. It's still a busy time of the year for the high streets and shopping centres, but most of us are fully aware that the sales aren't worth the hassle - especially if you're not even after a TV in the first place.
Anyway, let's get back into the present with a look at some of today's news stories.
On the up
(Image: Manchester Evening News)"What's going on? Is it your works' Christmas[5] Dinner?", one elderly lady asks as streams of uniformed cops make their way out of Stockport[6] Plaza and onto the streets of the town centre. Another passer-by asks "has something happened?" as they look confused by the large police presence in Stockport.
Speaking to reporter Chris Slater, this kind of reaction is something Detective Inspector Michael Jimenez wants to 'get away from'. He adds: "That because we're here there must be a problem, we're here because we want to be out here and visible." Chris had the rare opportunity to follow police officers in Stockport as they conducted a day of action on Operation Rimini, which aims to tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour in the town centre and Edgeley, as well as Operation Acquire, a force wide initiative that targets people suspected of committing offences such as robbery, burglary and vehicle crime.
More than 40 officers were involved in the day's activities to get 'more boots on the ground' of the town which is currently undergoing a rapid transformation. "Over the years I have seen it change," Sgt James Senior tells Chris. He adds: "Stockport town centre is on the up, it really is. And we will be there to help it."
The cost of hopping on board a number of bus routes favoured by students is set to go up as Stagecoach are to introduce new fares from next month. The 142, 143, and 147 services are student staples -- with the routes from south Manchester to the city centre including stops in Withington[8], Fallowfield[9], Rusholme[10], and on Oxford Road[11] for the main universities. For years, fares were low so hard-up students could save their money but Stagecoach they will now fall in line with non-Magic buses on similar routes, reports Ethan Davies. And, sadly, that means the Magic Day ticket will no longer be available. Calls have been made for a review of speed camera installation criteria as the latest road casualty figures for Greater Manchester are released. Paul Britton reports[13] that councillors said the 'bar is far too high' in terms of how new sites for cameras are selected. The criteria is based on the number of fatal or serious injury collisions per kilometre, currently understood to be three or four, over a specified period of time. The latest figures reveal a decrease in the number of people killed or seriously injured on Greater Manchester's roads in 2022. There were 852 incidents compared to 859 in 2021 - representing a 0.8 per cent decrease here - set against a 9.6 per cent increase nationally during the same period. Speaking about a need for a review, which the Department for Transport (DfT) was first advised on three years ago, Oldham[14] councillor Howard Sykes said: "I would like to see hundreds of cameras stuck up to catch speeders because catching speeders saves lives, it's as simple as that. It really is hard to get a speed camera." We wrote about Chanel earlier this week with news that the fashion house is bringing their notorious Metiers d'Art runway show to the streets of the Northern Quarter[15] next month. Dianne Bourne has discovered[16] that all of the city's top luxury hotels have been booked out in anticipation for the big show on December 6 - despite Chanel still not having publicly confirmed the plans for the city. It's expected that some of the biggest celebrities and 'movers and shakers' in the fashion world will be in attendance at the catwalk extravaganza and the likes of the five starred Radisson Blu Edwardian, Stock Exchange Hotel, Hotel Gotham and The Lowry Hotel in Salford[17] are completely booked for December 6 and 7. Adrian Ellis, who is the general manager of the Lowry Hotel and is also chairman of the Manchester Hotels' Association, told Dianne that Chanel coming to the city is a "huge boost" for the hospitality sector and is an "opportunity to expose Manchester in the best light." Saturday: Clear changing to cloudy by nighttime. 4C. Road closures: A5209 School Lane outbound closed in Standish due to roadworks from A49 High Street to Beech Walk. A560 King Street West in both directions closed due to roadworks between Chestergate and A5145 Travis Brow until December 22. Police are appealing for witnesses after the 84-year-old was struck by the vehicle on Doveleys Road at around 5.45pm. The family of The Wanted star Tom Parker who died from a brain tumour in March said they are 'proud of everything' the 33-year-old did to raise awareness of cancer. The father-of-two tragically died just 17 months after his diagnosis. But during that time, the 33-year-old from Bolton[22] called for greater investment into research to help find a cure. He has also helped inspire his cousin's nine-year-old daughter to fundraise. Young Rosie raised more than GBP1,600 selling home-made dog treats and an additional GBP1,500 through Rosie's 'Ride for Research' with family and friends, which involved pedalling a distance of 5km around Halesowen Cycling Club. She eventually raised so much money that she was able to to sponsor a day of research at a brain tumour centre. Rosie's mum Leanne told Helena Vesty: "I hope the money Rosie raised is life-changing and will help make a difference for everyone going forward who has a brain tumour." Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email [email protected][24].Losing its Magic?
(Image: Manchester Evening News)Speed review
(Image: Adam Vaughan)'In the best light'
Weather etc
Manchester headlines
Worth a read
(Image: Brain Tumour Research)That's all for today
References