THING OF THE WEEK
BEST DRESSED… These two drag queens were hired to welcome guests at U+I’s Mayfield launch, and didn’t they look fabulous? The regeneration specialists held the party in the Manchester Piccadilly depot courtyard, before work starts on transforming the 24-acre site. The long-term vision for Mayfield includes 1,300 homes, 807,000 sq ft of office space, and a 350-bedroom hotel, but for now, the only vision is these superstars.
SCIENCE SAVER… Pay-as-you-go labs have launched at Manchester Science Park. BiOSpace is a joint venture between MSP and Protein Technologies, targeted at biotech and medtech startups. Facilities available include drug discovery, protein production, diagnostics development, and prototyping medical devices, alongside expert help in 3D-printing, electronics, and software development. Hire starts from as little as £5 per hour for a mini centrifuge to as much as £100 an hour for a research system.
BRAIN FREEZE… Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard might have appreciated this next one – having your head frozen for potential resuscitation at a much later date could be available in the next 10 years if you’ve a spare £5,000. Stem cell harvesting company Stem Protect said that advances in technology have made the procedure much more affordable. Spokesman Mark Hall said: “We could see this practice becoming commonplace because advances in technology have made it much more affordable.” The £5,000 buys a 250-year freeze, so in the year 2267 you could find your head being defrosted with tonight’s dinner… yum.
Oldest and youngest airport volunteers: Cliff Johnson, 81, and Josh Kavanagh, 17
GOOD DEED… Liverpool John Lennon Airport has launched a volunteer scheme that has attracted members from 81 to 17 years old. The campaign aims to give people in the community an opportunity to sample life in an airport environment. Anyone can volunteer at the airport, where Peel spent £25m in 2015 on upgrades with more planned, and will receive training in customer service. Volunteers will be able to spend as much or as little time at the airport as they want, and the first wave of 14 volunteers has been signed up. Volunteers will be undertaking activities that provide additional but non-essential support such as directing passengers through the terminal, handing out leaflets and undertaking passenger surveys.
COOL READINGS… The Manchester Modernist Society launched its Manchester MODERN book, which took 20 years to make, at Leaf on Portland Street. Author Richard Brook, lecturer and architecture programme leader at Manchester School of Architecture, hosted the event with artist and designer Vaseem Bhatti. Bhatti told guests he delayed the original launch date from March due to his search for perfection, sourcing eight different orange ribbons for the page marker before picking one, singeing the edge of every ribbon and writing every page number by hand. Blimey. As if that wasn’t enough, after Rochdale bus station was demolished during the production stage, Bhatti decided to retrieve material from the site and grind it into the limited edition concrete cover of the book. The three editions include a ‘concrete deluxe’ collectors’ edition, a PVC-covered edition as well as the standard cardboard edition.
ROCK LEGEND’S LOCAL… Rumour has it that Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury once lived in Liverpool’s Dovedale Towers – that’s what building owner Old Ropeworks says. Apparently Mercury lived above the pub in 1969 during his pre-fame days. After responding to customers’ feedback, the Dovey is refurbishing its first floor into an events and reception room. There will be capacity for 120 people, bars, original stripped floorboards, and views onto the much-loved Penny Lane. An Old Ropeworks spokesman said: “We are well aware of the history of our venue and wanted to create a space with a neighbourhood feel to it.” Work is underway and due to finish by the end of November, the pub is operating as usual throughout.
NOM DE PARTY… More than 10% of guests at last night’s annual Place Party were called Chris, Andrew, Paul or Mark. A whopping 73 of the 654 guests that provided names (out of 720 guests in the room) had one of the four monikers, Chris topping the list with 20 namesakes. Jones was the most common surname; 12 guests registered. The gender split, you ask? Well, 168 of the attendees were women, of whom Emma was the most common name, swiftly followed by Charlotte. Without delegate labels to help identify people, calling out “Chris” or “Andrew” or “Paul” or “Mark” surely would have received at least one response. That’s a new way to network, right?
Photo courtesy of Woof & Brew
PET PAMPERING… It’s fast becoming the nation’s favourite tipple and now furry friends can enjoy a bowl of wine on a Friday night. Obviously there’s neither alcohol nor fizz in these drinks, and Woof & Brew’s white ‘wine’ blends elderflower, ginseng, nettle and limeflower, with carrots blended in their rosé to create a pink tinge. A 250ml bottle can be bought from Pets at Home for £2.99 and is suitable for both cats and dogs, so crack one open this weekend and let your pooch have a guzzle.
