Trips & Adventures – 24 May 2018

This week the blog is a bit of a catch-up: After the Wednesday meeting a few of us went to St Ann’s Church to view the “Spirit of Manchester” Flower Festival commemorating the 12 month anniversary since our city was rocked by the tragedy of the Manchester Arena bombing.

The Flower Festival sends a message to the victims’ families and those affected by the bombing, that we are thinking of them and we still care, and says ‘Thank You’ to all Mancunians for the way we came together in a defiant show of unity, solidarity, community and hope.

The floral displays in and outside the church look amazing. and form a great tribute.

On Thursday, 24 May we travelled to Media City and had lunch in the Food Hall at the Lowry Outlet – between us we sampled Deli-Fresh, Harry Ramsden’s and Tandoori Delights!

We then made our way to the Imperial War Museum, the first building in the UK designed by the internationally acclaimed architect, Daniel Libeskind. He was the second child of Polish Jewish parents who had survived the Holocaust.

Libeskind wanted the building to be a symbol of the effects of war, so he came up with the concept of a globe shattered into three pieces – and though it’s been put back together,  it will never be the same again. That’s why IWM North is made up of the Earth Shard, Water Shard and the Air Shard – a piece of the building representing conflict on land, sea and in the air. To be truthful, the exhibitions and the building itself make you feel the unsettling nature of war and can be a bit depressing.

Later that evening members of the group appeared on television, following the filming previously by Granada Reports, tying in with the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Local Government Act 1986 which featured the controversial clause Section 28 banning local authorities from promoting homosexuality or educating people about its acceptability.

There was also an event at the Radisson Blu Hotel – Temporary Monument, Permanent Protest – the opening of an exhibition in response to the 30th anniversary of the Section 28 protests in Manchester, together with poetry performances and guest speakers.