THING OF THE WEEK

BILLBOARDS… Many of us have been blinded by that electronic billboard on Victoria Warehouse while driving home at night. Bad news for out corneas, the Manchester Screen, as it is known, is about to get a whole lot bigger. The screen is roughly 3,300 sq ft at present but is set to quadruple in size to 12,200 sq ft under plans to create what could be largest digital billboard anywhere in the UK.

RUN… If you were in and around Manchester on Wednesday and Thursday this week you may have been forgiven for thinking you had gone a bit mad. “Didn’t I just see that person run past me about 20 minutes ago?” you might have asked yourself. You would have been right. This week, Manchester played host to the 24-hour run for homelessness, which saw runners of all abilities tackle a 5km loop around the city as many times as they dared to raise money for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity. Congratulations to everyone who took part, especially those who braved the torrential rain on Wednesday evening, for raising more than £52,000.

Is Rochdale going posh? Credit: Travis via Unsplash

HEALTH… Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham knows that devolution will only be a success if it works for all corners of Greater Manchester. At the official groundbreaking of the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre in Rochdale this week, he said the next 10 years are all about improving the lives of those living in the north of the city region. Evidence of change through pioneering projects like the SMMC can already be seen, he said. “I arrived on this building site and saw a bowl of rocket and guacamole and if that does not tell you that Rochdale is changing nothing else will.”

De Niro has his sits set on Liverpool. Credit: PNW

NOBU… Local media in Manchester collectively swooned this week after one of the world’s most famous people turned up in the city. Robert De Niro was in town for the official groundbreaking ceremony for Salboy’s 76-storey Viadux Two. The scheme will feature a Nobu restaurant and branded residences, which explained De Niro’s presence – the actor is one of Nobu’s co-owners.

He did not say much during the event, seemed a little perplexed about the whole thing, and made no secret of the fact he did not really know too much about Manchester. However, in an interview with ITV, he professed a desire to deliver a Nobu in another UK city. When asked if he was excited about Nobu coming to Manchester, De Niro said: “Yeah. I have been curious about Liverpool, too.” Watch this space.

Hill Dickinson Stadium will host. Credit: Everton FC

STADIA… The venues for the 2028 Men’s European Football Championships have been announced and it is good news for the blue halves of the North West’s two biggest cities. The tournament, which will take place across England and Ireland, will see Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium both host games but Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Liverpool’s Anfield were overlooked.