THING OF THE WEEK
MICHELIN MANA… After 40 years of bemoaning its lack of formal foody status, Manchester now has a Michelin star to prove its worth. Simon Martin, who opened Ancoats restaurant Mana last year, was awarded the prestigious emblem earlier this week. North West residents who have fancied star-rated food have been able to head over to Birkenhead and Ormskirk, but there have been grumbles over lack of stars awarded in either Manchester or Liverpool for years. Congrats to all those who ate at Mana before it was bedazzled, as those who want to pop along now might be in for a bit of a wait. In the words of fellow chef Gary Usher (@GaryEliteBistro): “How amazing. He’s had a vision. He’s gone for it regardless. He’s f***ing smashed it & because he’s smashed it Manchester now has a Michelin star. I think it’s so great to see that type of no f***s determination.”
CARBS… Manchester isn’t known for being particularly green, but thanks to Google’s Environmental Insights app, we can say for certain it’s decidedly not healthy either. The region ranks highly compared to other cities in terms of building emissions, with 17.5m tonnes of CO2 per year, and medium compared to other cities with 4.5m tonnes of CO2 per year. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, as with the rooftop solar panel potential of the region, 2.3m tonnes could be taken out of the equation, which represents 486,000 cars taken off the road for one year, or the planting of 58.9m tree seedlings. Keep an eye on Place North West and sister publication PlaceTech over the coming weeks for a deeper insight into air quality monitoring around North West regions.
GET WAVEY… For all those longing for some nostalgic and beautiful things to do now that the weather’s turned, a light and sound festival, with illuminated, music-generating seesaws is set for Crewe’s Lyceum Square from 21 November to 1 December. They will then move on to Lightwaves Festival in Salford Quays from 6-15 December. Wave-Field is a Canadian company which aims to “encourage interpersonal relationships with strangers”, and THING is sure that for us Brits who don’t care for such things, even a magical musical sensory see-saw might break the cold exterior.
CHRISTMAS MIRACLE… It’s nearing the holiday season, the weather’s getting colder, the thick coats are out, and this can only mean one THING… Santa’s Grotto is coming to town. Intu Trafford Centre and Leach Rhodes Walker have submitted a planning application for a 3,800 sq ft Santa’s Grotto on its Orient 12 car park to Trafford Council. The Peter Rabbit-themed grotto is set to be open from 14 November to 24 December, and will join a ferris wheel approved earlier this year to make a holiday hub. Perhaps if you’re tired of getting barged around in the city centre’s rammed Christmas Markets this is more your bag.
MINT… Painting is considered one of the more Marmite tasks in DIY, but whatever your feelings, spare a thought for the hardworking people who painted a 95,000 sq ft shed with only 4-inch-wide brushes. The largest industrial unit on Southmoor industrial estate took 5,000 litres of paint to finish, which is only 235,000 litres less than the paint required for Scotland’s Forth Road Bridge. THING thinks it looks particularly fetching in this shade however and commends the hardworking contractors from J Mills for doing a ‘mint’ job.
