Big news - the Lowry Art Gallery just won the auction for LS Lowry’s ‘Going to the Match’ with a £6.6 million bid at Christie’s. It will therefore stay on public view.
Some good news - the ‘GM Ringway’ – a new long-distance walking trail for Greater Manchester - is going ahead with lottery help. Designed around existing footpaths, parks and open-access land, all 20 stages of the 186-mile route are designed to be accessed by public transport.
After half a century, Castlefield Viaduct is officially back open! The first members of the public are exploring the
@nationaltrust
's urban garden in the sky 🌺🌼🚂
IT'S OFFICIAL - WE'RE A NEWSPAPER
🗞️🗞️🗞️
15,000 copies. Stories by 20 different writers. One special print edition, marking The Mill's first full year in existence.
Hardy's Well, a beautiful but long derelict pub, was demolished a fortnight ago after a massive blaze ripped through the building in the middle of the night.
The next day, its owner posed outside grinning.
Mayor
@AndyBurnhamGM
speaks after Mass at the Holy Mary Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church in Manchester. Offers his support to the community and condemns 'an evil act of aggression'. 🇺🇦
"I'm a proud mayor tonight," says
@AndyBurnhamGM
, opening the newly opened
@McrMuseum
. "This museum plays a role on the international stage," he says, referring to how the museum helps to re-evaluate British colonial history.
Why is Manchester’s newspaper publishing stories like “Holly Willoughby breaks social media silence with make-up free selfie"? The MEN has written 39 stories about Phillip Schofield in a week -
@joshi
says it signals a concerning trend in local news.
New figures from
@AndyBurnhamGM
show a reduction in people sleeping rough in Greater Manchester.
Burnham says we have a "very challenging" winter ahead but says the hard work of charities and GM's new initiatives tackling homelessness have started to pay off.
A sign of the times?
@NielsPosthumus
, the new UK Correspondent for the Dutch broadsheet
@trouw
, has decided to base himself in Manchester, not London like his predecessor. "I think you get different types of stories and perspectives here," he says.
Welcome, Niels 🇳🇱
On 4 March,
@BBCMBuchanan
shared distressing footage of a
@gmpolice
constable assaulting a rough sleeper.
@AndyBurnhamGM
and
@nazirafzal
have called for an investigation — and in the aftermath, homelessness charities are trying to pick up the pieces
Special Investigation: After six months of reporting, we tell the story of the city's most pressing social problem - and how the authorities are flailing in response.
Manchester has a homelessness crisis. But it's not the one you thought.
Bad reviews: Has Manchester’s restaurant scene had enough of Mark Garner?
The founder of Manchester Confidential stands accused of bullying and racism. Our weekend read, by
@jackdulhanty
.
Lots of tears and a standing ovation for
@OldhamColiseum
before they bring down the curtain for the final time.
Artistic director and chief executive Chris Lawson says to the audience: “£1.8 million, but you can’t put a price on this. This is priceless.”
A big milestone reached - after lots of hard work over 2 years, we are now profitable 🎉
"Together we have built a new media company, totally from scratch and with new ideas about what local journalism should look like, and it is sustainable." -
@joshi
Just in from
@HOME_mcr
about their Soviet-era Engels statue from eastern Ukraine:
“In light of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army, we are in discussions with the co-commissioners of the artwork
@MIFestival
and the artist Phil Collins about how best to respond.”
Today we report on a big problem in the Manchester property market 🏘️
👉 59.8% of flat listings unsuitable for first-time buyers because they are 'cash buyer' or 'investment only' or lack necessary fire safety paperwork for a mortgage
👉 developers saying ‘we won’t sell to you'
Gaynor was forced to sell the house where she's lived for 25 years in September because she couldn't access self-employed support.
Our report on a pre-Budget appeal from the 3 million 'excluded', led by
@ExcludedUK
,
@AndyBurnhamGM
and
@MartinSLewis
Our Mark Garner story today is about bullying restaurants but it's also about racism.
One black journalist who worked at
@mcrconfidential
told us: “It gave me a sense of impostor syndrome because of the level of bullying, the comments made towards me".
The sober guy at the rave: How
@Sacha_Lord
remade Manchester’s nightlife in his own image.
Our weekend read by
@jackdulhanty
has been months in the making, involving several interviews with Lord - and with many of his rivals and critics.
It was May 2011 and
@nazirafzal
was a week into his new job as the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West. The video playing on his laptop showed a 15-year-old girl. She would later become known as “Girl A”.
They went for the heart of Manchester. But missed the soul.
Our weekend about is by Michael Unger, the man who was editing the MEN on the day of the 1996 IRA bomb, 26 years ago.
Today is the 6 MONTH ANNIVERSARY of The Mill! 🎉🎉
We sent out our first story on June 5th. At that point there were 21 readers on the mailing list - now there are 6,541.
Thanks to everyone who has helped us get to where we are.
It's vast, it's beautiful — but does anyone know what Manchester's £210m venue is actually for?
Aviva Studios is the biggest cultural investment this country has made in decades. But so far, its aims appear vague, writes
@SophEAtkinson
.
#MIF23
We won a gong at the
@RegPressAwards
!! 🏆
'The Mill has found a new way to safeguard long form journalism. It asks a lot of questions of the established media and is an exciting model that should make the industry think hard about its strategy.'
🎇 Huge news: today, we reached a major milestone. We now have over 2,000 members!
Thank you so much to everyone for your support, and if you're a new member joining us today, welcome to the community 🙌
The speaker at the meeting is
@HeadWarriorTWM
, a consultant and educator who says he worked in workplace DEI training for decades, before realising that much of it is based on an “identitarian-based, murderous ideology”.
We're here at Mayfield Park, which is opening today. It's been described by
@bevcraig
as "an oasis in the heart of our city", and we think we agree...🌺🌷🌿🌳
An emotional moment in Manchester... Sir Mark Elder leads
@the_halle
out of its long hiatus to play publicly again. Until today the orchestra hadn't played to a live audience for 15 months.
It's Europe's most successful new neighbourhood. So why is there so much tension?
New Islington has great sourdough and thousands of happy residents - but some people from the 'real Ancoats' feel like they are being looked down on. By
@joshi
.
We love this old pictorial map published by The Manchester Guardian in the 1920s showing the major transport routes in the city. Look at the trams! In 1930, Manchester had 163 miles of tram lines, all closed by 1950.
@MCRMetrolink
now has just 64 miles.
Bad hospitality: Working in Manchester’s bars and restaurants - and not getting paid for it
Our weekend read is an investigation several months in the making. By
@jackdulhanty
,
@molssimp
and
@libbyelliott_
.
Last week
@theipaper
reported that we had 925 members. Last night we passed 1000🎉🎉
Big milestone at Mill HQ and a good sign for local journalism. Thanks to everyone who got us here🚀
#millers
One for map nerds 🤓 Excerpt about Manchester on this 1749 map.
'And with regard to the poor, theres no place in England where they are better provided for than here'.
Critics of Manchester's recent boom say the city has built a neoliberal playground - an economy that enriches developers and excludes the poor.
But that's not exactly what our policy reporter
@djstimms
found when he started studying the data.
"It was a curious scene, a lovely moonlit night, the German trenches with small lights on them, and the men on both sides gathered in groups on the parapets."
Amazing letter from WW1 about the 🎄 truce, published by
@LettersOfNote
.
We've hit 27,000 Millers 🚨
Which means that around one in every 100 people in Greater Manchester (including children and infants 👶) is now on our mailing list.
There's protest in Withington about
@ManCityCouncil
's decision to end the Safer Streets LTN trial.
Pia, the organiser, says she is worried for the safety of her children and is "disillusioned" by the decision.
WH Smith bookstall at Manchester's Victoria Station in 1926, selling the Yorkshire Post, The Financial Times, The Times and The Manchester Daily News. The Manchester Guardian Yearbook is on sale on the right, and copies of 'Marvels of the universe' are everywhere.
Our founder
@joshi
is at the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee today discussing the future of local media.
Here he is explaining what's gone wrong in local media - and why there is still hope
We're in
@thetimes
today!
'In Manchester, The Mill sent its first edition to 21 readers just over a year ago. Today it was 13,000, with 900 paying subscribers.'
A massive area of Piccadilly Gardens has been closed to the public for around 97% of this year so far, because of an "events platform" that is rarely used.
👉 It's “absolutely shocking” says public space expert
@thelrm
👉 We asked the council why - see tonight's Mill briefing
We are looking for a not-super-expensive local graphic designer to help with a few little tasks (new logo for an editorial series, a marketing post etc). Pls DM if that's you.
The paranoid style in Oldham politics.
After the removal of a second council leader in two years, we examine how one local activist is harnessing a town’s racial resentments for his own ends. By
@joshi
.
BIG news: 📢 The Mill is hiring a staff writer 📢
We're looking for an exceptional journalist who wants to cover Greater Manchester from all angles.
Please RT and share with your most talented reporter friends.
Details here 👉
📻
@BBCRadio4
just did a segment about us!
'Are people prepared to pay for local news? The Mill is a local newsletter about Manchester and it's counting on the fact that they are...'
An update from
@HOME_mcr
: "We want to clarify that there is not an intention to remove the artwork installation of Friedrich Engels from the front of our building." They say they "want to do more to explain how the installation came to Manchester and the reasons behind this".
"How can you be a good citizen and participate if you do not know what's going on?"
@BernieSanders
becomes one of the first major politicians to sound the alarm about the collapse of local news. He told
@joshi
about a "very serious problem" facing society.
"If the
@OldhamColiseum
does close, you're never going to get a theatre like that again. 135 years and it's one of the biggest theatres in England and it will be gone forever" - Kirsty Wark,
@BBCNewsnight
It's our 1st birthday!! 🎂🎂🎂
We sent our first ever newsletter a year ago, when there were 21 people on the email list.. Thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way
#millers
We're at
@McrMuseum
, which reopens this weekend after an 18 month renovation.
The curators have been showing us around for our podcast and
@joshi
is writing up a first-take on what we've seen.
Both coming out tomorrow morning 📨📻
Today's story is about a short, controversial document that radically changed how Manchester is built - and which the rest of the country followed 🧵.
It starts with two buildings, neither of them particularly attractive, on the border of Moss Side and Hulme.
The council adds it can’t comment on the fire’s causes, having left it in the hands of the police.
So what happened at Hardy's Well?
Read the full story here 👇
The story we broke about a serious data breach at Greater Manchester Police is the lead on MEN tonight. They reveal that Burnham was not informed and have a police source saying it was 'very serious' - good new details. But seriously poor form not to credit The Mill at all.
🚨WE'RE HIRING! 🚨
Mill Media Co needs YOU!
We are looking for a:
Senior Editor (Manchester)
Staff Writer (Liverpool)
Commercial Executive (Manchester)
Want to know more? Click the link below
Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Tag them!
JOB ALERT 🔔 We're looking for a paid assistant to come and help us for the next few months, 3 days a week. We'd like the role to start early next month, so please apply ASAP.
After the meeting with Garner, Noh was so shaken that she contacted
@MENnewsdesk
on Facebook. She could see that someone at the newspaper had read the message but no story appeared in the MEN about
@mcrconfidential
, and she never received a reply.
Nerdy transport facts 🤓
🚍 London has twice the volume of buses per head compared to Greater Manchester.
🚉 London tubes have 20x the capacity of Metrolink.
🚋 2/3rds of GM residents don’t live within walking distance of a frequent bus, tram or rail service.
(
@OfficialTfGM
)
Police have investigated, judging that it was probably deliberate. But the building was judged to be so unsafe that no one could enter to collect forensic evidence.
It didn't take long for rumours to circulate...
Manchester council leader
@SirRichardLeese
on the arrival of Afghan refugees:
“They’re on their way. We’re expecting planes to be landing any moment. And no we’re certainly not going to be turning our backs on people.”
We can report that the never-ending debate in Bolton’s local Facebook group about whether they are in Lancashire or Greater Manchester has reached a critical new phase.
How it started: ‘We believe in the power of proper reporting and good writing rather than chasing clicks, and we focus on giving our readers the context they need to understand what’s really going on.’
How it’s going:
A special treat to start the week: Our first ever Mill cartoon, by the legendary
@tonyhusband1
. He's had a strip in Private Eye since the 1980s, and now he's drawing for us too. Starting with this one...
📷 In Manchester today: the first-ever commercial use of Concretene, at the Mayfield development. It's a low-emissions concrete that uses graphene – the material first discovered at
@OfficialUoM
– to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 30%.
Photo from
@MayfieldMCR
.
He went to WHSmith at the Arndale Centre one lunchtime and bought three pads of lined paper. On them, writing in pencil, he created Jack Reacher - and one of the biggest book franchises on earth.
Today's brilliant long read is by
@drheathermartin
.
"Manchester Museum has made itself unmissable."
This morning, for the first time in five years,
@McrMuseum
is fully open again. In our weekend read,
@joshi
meets director
@ward_esme
and reflects on a museum reborn.
Mancunian Way, soon after its construction in the 1960s.
It was the first elevated main road to be built outside London, and the UK's second aerial motorway after the Hammersmith flyover.
The Star and Garter, an iconic half-pub, half-venue on the edge of the city, mourns the loss of Andy Martin.
The venue operator and licensee, who passed away on Friday 29th March, was at the heart of making the S&G a very different type of venue.
Request: The Mill is looking for talented journalists in Greater Manchester and the North West. We're commissioning high quality news features about politics, crime, culture, business and social affairs, and pay decent rates. We don't care how old or young you are. Please dm us.
Freelance journalists in Greater Manchester and the NW: If you have interesting ideas for news features, please pitch us 🖋️🖋️
We have commissioned 10 contributors since September and are looking for more. We are fun to work with and always pay within a week. Get in touch.
‘The centre has not delivered' admits
@UKLabour
, while
@TheEconomist
calls for the government to 'Free the North'. But does anyone have the courage to end the capital's disastrous hoarding of power?
How the dead hand of Whitehall strangled Britain.
Noisy, peaceful
#killthebill
protests are ongoing in the city centre, currently blocking Portland Street. Protesters are chanting ‘All cops are bastards’ at officers in nearby police vans.
Some big news about The Mill 🚨
As reported by
@theguardian
, we have raised some funding from longtime readers and supporters including ex-NYT CEO Mark Thompson,
@DianeCoyle1859
,
@turi
,
@AxiosNick
and more.
Here
@joshi
explains what we plan to do next.
"The saviour of local journalism in the UK might just be a humble newsletter that launched in Manchester only three years ago" ✊
Thanks to the Observer for featuring us.
Françoise Hardy in Platt Fields Park, Fallowfield, May 1965, on a break from rehearsals at BBC Studios, Dickenson Road, Rusholme, where Top of the Pops was being recorded. Photo by Ernest Chapman/Mirrorpix/Getty Images