Blue John Mine and Eyam

Thirty five of us travelled by coach from Manchester to the Blue John Mine in Derbyshire and then on to the village of Eyam.

Blue John (also known as Derbyshire Spar) is a semi-precious mineral, a rare form of fluorite with bands of a purple-blue or yellowish colour. The name may have come from the french “bleu-jaune” (blue-yellow).  

In the United Kingdom it is found only at Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern at Castleton in Derbyshire and is rarer than diamonds.

During the 19th century, it was mined for its ornamental value, and mining continues on a small scale.

Twenty four of us ventured down the mine – altogether there are 245 steps and holding on to the handrail was essential as the floor could be slippery. There was only one way in and out! Our guide, Chris, was excellent and explained in detail everything there is to know about Blue John.

We then jumped back on the coach to visit the Eyam Tea Rooms for lunch. Eyam’s main claim to fame is the story of how the village chose to go into isolation so as to prevent infection spreading after bubonic plague was discovered there in 1665.

In the later 20th century, the village’s sources of livelihood largely disappeared. The local economy now relies on the tourist trade, with Eyam being promoted as “the plague village”.

There are lots of photos to see here.

Bridgewater Hall Concerts

We are extremely grateful to the Bridgewater Hall for the Community Members Scheme. During the last season from September 2025 to June 2026 the scheme has enabled 67 different people from Out In The City to attend 36 free concerts.

BBC Philharmonic Series 26/27

This year each of the following concerts are recorded and broadcast across the nation on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 3. In a world that is increasingly divided, it’s quite something that 2,000 people can gather in a room – joined by millions more over the airwaves – and experience the power of live music together.

The season highlights include:

Saturday 19 September: Sibelius ‘Symphony No 5’
(Season opening concert) Chief Conductor John Storgårds and the epic sounds of the Bridgewater Hall organ – James McVinnie performs Gabriella Smith’s ‘Breathing Forests’, followed by Sibelius’s ‘Symphony No 5’.

Friday 25 September: Brahms Reqiuem
Principal Guest Conductor Anja Bihlmaier leads the Orchestra through Brahms’s enduringly cathartic ‘A German Requiem’. 

Saturday 10 October: Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’
Yoel Gamzou returns to the Philharmonic to conduct Tchaikovsky’s ultimate symphony.

Saturday 6 February: Storgårds conducts Shostakovich
Storgårds continues his critically-acclaimed journey through Shostakovich’s symphonies, this time with ‘Leningrad’ – the single most enduring musical monument to resistance to Nazi invasion.

Saturday 6 March: Walton ‘Symphony No 1’
A UK premiere from this season’s Composer in Residence, Cassandra Miller, alongside Walton’s towering First Symphony.

International Concert Series 26/27

The Bridgewater Hall’s much-loved International Concert Series also returns this season – bringing some of the world’s finest musicians and orchestras direct to Manchester.

Beethoven is a focus in 2027, exactly 200 years after the death of this towering figure. Benjamin Grosvenor joins Paavo Järvi and the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ concerto (20 February, 3.00pm); the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine take on the thrilling Seventh Symphony (1 March); Angela Hewitt dedicates an evening to Beethoven’s piano sonatas (20 May); and Salford’s very own BBC Philharmonic are joined by the CBSO Chorus for the vast Symphony No 9 and its unforgettable ‘Ode to Joy’ (13 March).

That’s the second of two BBC Philharmonic concerts this season, and they’ll be performing another epic in the first – Strauss’s colossal ‘Alpine Symphony’ (4 December).

Conductor John Wilson brings his stellar Sinfonia of London to Manchester for Rachmaninoff, Walton and Dukas (28 February, 3.00pm), while the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by the brilliant violinist Viktoria Mullova (6 June, 3.00pm).

Two of Germany’s finest orchestras visit in 2026, each performing a Brahms masterpiece. The Stuttgart Philharmonic take on the Third Symphony (20 November), a concert that also features Jeneba Kanneh-Mason playing Mozart. The NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, meanwhile, perform the symphony that followed: Brahms’s magnificent Fourth (12 October).

The season opens just as The Bridgewater Hall celebrates its 30th birthday – when they are delighted to welcome back Harry Christophers and his world-class choir The Sixteen (29 September).

The season ends with a journey back to the salon concerts that were so popular in 18th-century Vienna and 19th-century Paris, brought to us by trumpeter Matilda Lloyd and the Goldmund Quartet (24 July).

The concerts – free of charge – will be advertised on a monthly basis from September 2026 under “Next Outings” on our website. So keep an eye out – https://outinthecity.org/next-outings/

Film: Girlfriends (Cantonese – Subtitled)

Girlfriends, a sapphic love story, arrives in UK cinemas from 19 June!

Through three love stories, we witness a woman’s growth. At 17, she’s naive and inexperienced. At 22, she’s hesitant and lacks courage. At 34, she has matured and grown through life’s challenges. Her journey shows that love can be painful, but it’s also worth fighting for.

Venue: Odeon Manchester Great Northern (release date 19 June)

Time: 5.45pm – 7.20pm

Price: £6.50 – £7.50.

Also at Vue Manchester Printworks (19 – 25 June), The Light, Stockport (21 June & 24 June) and The Light, Bolton (19 – 25 June) and other venues. Please check websites for details.

Out On The Radio

Norman and Tony present a radio show – “Out On The Radio” – aired on the first Tuesday of each month from 2.00pm to 3.00pm on ALL fm 96.9 aimed at older members of the LGBT+ communities. It is also uploaded to Mixcloud so you can “listen later”. 

The link to the latest show is: https://www.mixcloud.com/allfm969/out-on-the-radio-tuesday-02-june-2026/

To listen to previous shows, go to: https://www.mixcloud.com/home/for-you/ (search for – Out on the Radio).

ALL fm is based in Levenshulme Old Library in Manchester and is a community radio station featuring a wide variety of shows. Our show features an eclectic mix of music and the occasional guest. You will hear some familiar songs like Jim Reeves “I Love You Because” and Elkie Brooks “Pearl’s a Singer” alongside obscure tracks from Wrabel, Le Gateau Chocolat and Nazamba.

Listen in … give it a try. We are sure you will enjoy.

Loneliness Awareness Week

Loneliness Awareness Week 2026 takes place from 15 – 21 June.

Hosted by the Marmalade Trust, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the campaign, featuring the theme “Giving Loneliness a Voice”.

The goal is to reduce the stigma around loneliness by encouraging open conversations and sharing personal stories.