120+ reasons why Mass Brass IV delivered and entertained its audience Last Saturday (07 March), over 120 brass band players, plus families and spectators descended on Uppermill Civic Hall for what was Saddleworth’s biggest night in the brass banding calendar. Like previous Mass Brass nights, the four bands gave us yet another great concert.
Stagecoach Greater Manchester’s ‘Electrification’ of Didsbury Bus Routes
32 all-electric double decker buses go live This week, Stagecoach Greater Manchester is proud to unveil Greater Manchester’s first double-decker electric buses in a £16.5m investment. The 32 electric buses operate on the popular 111 and 43 routes connecting Manchester city centre, Manchester Airport, five hospitals and three universities.
Stockport Silver Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club, 08 March 2020
Joyous Boarshurst return for Jim Hunter and Co. makes for another captivating programme With the live and streamed audience marked safe from stultifying Sunday night entertainment and rolling news, Stockport Silver Band returned to Boarshurst Band Club with another fantastic concert. A year into their tenure at Kimberley Street Day Centre, Shaw Heath, last night’s…
Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, March 2020: The Ashton Review of Shops
This month’s window on the shop windows Denton Wellness Centre opens; Historic pub under threat in Godley; Plus all the usual retail movements from the Top Dog to the Joshua Bradley. Welcome to the third Ashton Review of Shops for 2020, the last of the 2019 – 2020 financial year. This month’s bulletin sees our…
An Awesome Alliterative Album: Rebellious Mixtape #12
Can you create a good album with songs by alliterative artistes? Rebellious Mixtape will be your music and your friend Before social media became a thing, we used to stand out from the competition by using catchy names and jingles. ‘Murray’ would always rhyme with ‘hurry’ among Baby Boomers because of a 1950s advertising jingle.
Mass Brass IV: Saddleworth’s Brass Banding Bonanza Goes Forth
May the fourth Mass Brass be with you on Saturday Once upon a time, in a part of Saddleworth far far away, an enterprising brass band hit upon the idea of a concert featuring themselves and three other brass bands. Three others from the Saddleworth area, from Junction 22 of the M62 right down to…
An Absolute Beginners’ Architectural Guide to Oldham Cotton Mills
A potted guide for beginners about a dwindling part of Oldham’s landscape Ever since my formative years, the cotton mills in Oldham and Tameside have been a source of fascination for me. What piqued my interest was the sheer size of the buildings. Also how the early cotton mill architects predated Mies van der Rohr…
Stagecoach Greater Manchester’s Quality Partnership Gamble
Could £142m ten-year partnership proposal be a last gasp attempt to derail bus franchising in Greater Manchester? With only weeks to go till Andy Burnham makes his decision on the future of Greater Manchester’s bus network, Stagecoach Greater Manchester have come up with proposals for a £142 million partnership scheme. Published today, the City Region’s…
MCT Travel to Cease Operations in April
Difficult trading conditions leads to Manchester Community Transport’s demise Less than a year after FirstGroup’s Tamexit in September 2019, the departure of another company will see more upheaval for Tameside’s bus users.
Countdown to the North West Regional Championships
The road to success at regional level, and ultimately national level at Boarshurst Band Club With only days to go till the North West Regional Championships, 78 bands across the region treated live audiences and adjudicators to a sneak preview of their test piece. At various school halls and band clubs, the preview evenings and…
Is the World Ready for Autie-Friendly Brass Band Concerts?
Could autie-friendly brass band concerts catch on? If you pop in to your local supermarket or discount store, some chain stores have what is known as an ‘Autism Hour’. Each Saturday from 9am to 10am, your local Morrisons store turns off the background music. The lighting is toned down to avoid sensory overload triggers. Some…
Ten Things That Millennials Never Enjoyed About Train Travel: The Not So Perfect Ten
Ten things about British rail travel that people born after 1980 never had the chance to enjoy or endure For many passengers, today’s trains are shiny and efficient beasts. Some might say they are a little devoid of character. Sometimes they look scruffy or sport garish liveries. In the space of forty years, the joys…
