True Mancunians, SureStart and Youth Services

Six weeks after the riots, comes news from Manchester City Council (MCC) confirming it will cut funding to the city’s SureStart centres. With one of the main factors suggested for the cause of the riots being poverty and with rioters coming from high deprivation areas, this is particularly bad news. But what is Surestart? “Sure Start was part of a Labour government policy to prevent social exclusion, and as such, it was targeted at preschool children and their families in disadvantaged areas. The initiative was the result of a cross cutting review of services for young children chaired by the Treasury. The review's conclusions focused on the...

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Well, I 'heart' Manchester too…

The ‘I Y Manchester’ logo is everywhere you look in Manchester City Centre - posters, bus stops, bags, clothing, mugs, even baby-grows. The campaign, on the surface, is a call for unity after the shocking riots of August 9th, a call for the community spirit that led100’s of people to help with the clean-up the morning after. The notion was great but there is something wrong. The under-current of the campaign is sour, with a proportion of the city irritated and aggrieved by it. There are a few of reasons for this but one of the most prominent is the naked attempt to get the local population to spend money, to the backdrop of unprecedented...

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The Manchester Hackademia Festival: Wednesday 14th to 20th September

The first ever Hackademia Festival is launching in Manchester and will run from Wednesday 14th to Tuesday 20th of September. Though ‘hacking’ has commonly a negative connotation to do with breaking into computers, a little digging reveals mainly levels of meaning. According to the Urban Dictionary, Hack - 1. To program a computer in a clever, virtuosic, and wizardly manner. Ordinary computer jockeys merely write programs; hacking is the domain of digital poets. Hacking is a subtle and arguably mystical art, equal parts wit and technical ability, that is rarely appreciated by non-hackers. See hacker. Hacker – 3. An individual capable of solving...

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Hulme and Moss Side Market: End of an Era

September 11th seems to be the global ‘bad news’ day. While most people will consider this the 10th anniversary of the Twin Towers attack, more locally, it spells the end of Hulme and Moss Side market in its current form. September 11th is the date most of the traders at Moss Side Market have been given to quit their units by the building’s landlord, Geraud. Geraud, who have run the market since 2001, will radically alter the internal structure of the building, with the majority of the space (currently 70 business units) becoming discount store ‘B&M’ and 8 Hulme High Street-facing shop fronts. Additionally there are plans for an outdoor...

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