Trips & Adventures – 6 September 2018

The visit to St Helens started in Manchester with others joining the group in Bolton and Wigan.

St Helens did not exist as a town in its own right until as late as the middle of the 19th century. The development of the town has a complex history: it was spurred on by the rapid population growth in the region during the Industrial Revolution. Between 1629 and 1839 St Helens grew from a small collection of houses surrounding an old chapel, to a village, before becoming a significant urban centre. However, glass producer Pilkington is the town’s only remaining large industrial employer.

We struggled to find somewhere nice to eat, but were guided by a local person, via the lingerie department of Marks & Spencer, to The Glass House. We enjoyed main courses and sweets including a regular apple crumble, which was delicious. The chocolate fudge cake was 924 calories!

There was no signposting in the town and we walked around for a bit before we found the Glass Museum. The entrance fee was £6 but this lasts for a 12 month period, if we wish to return.

We watched a short film and then wandered round the various exhibition spaces – there was so much to see and we didn’t have time to view everything.

The highlight was a demonstration of glass blowing where we were shown a glass swan and a glass bowl with curvy edges. The furnace was over 1200 degrees and it was fascinating seeing the unique items being made.

Barry Manilow concert – 2 September 2018

Age UK Manchester were offered a VIP experience for 16 lucky people to see legendary entertainer Barry Manilow in a box suite at Manchester Arena as he hit the road on a UK tour One Last Time!

Eight of us from Out In The City enjoyed a memorable evening in luxurious surroundings.

With worldwide record sales exceeding 85 million, Barry Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time with over 50 Top 40 hits. However, his first record came out in 1821 and sold 5 copies.

He performed all his classics, including his mega-hit Mandy, which first topped the charts over 40 years ago in 1975. Manilow said, “We had a great time putting the show together. We hope to take everyone on an emotional roller coaster. I can’t wait to see everyone dancing in the aisles.”

Barry Manilow has limited his concert appearances in recent years but, as he has told Out In The City, the One Last Time Tour “is my way of thanking everyone for their years of support …one last time!” (Actually, I made up these quotes.)

Barry Manilow’s unparalleled career was recognised with an award from the Royal Northern College of Music. During the concert he wore five different jackets and we screamed whenever he changed his jacket. Imagine what would have happened if he changed his trousers! The highlights were putting on 3-D glasses for a rooftop tour of New York, the dance version of “Could It Be Magic?” and waving our green fluorescent glow sticks during the concert.

Support came from Collabro, winners of Britain’s Got Talent. Although they were not as good as The Four Seasons, Stuart and I decided to join the fan club and become “Collaborators”.

Jamie Lambert is the gay one in Collabro. Barry Manilow is the gay one in Barry Manilow.

Trips & Adventures – 30 August 2018

We heard that hundreds of kids were expected at Portland Basin Museum due to heavy advertising on the radio … so we decided to postpone our trip. Our change of plan was to visit Cloud 23 – Hilton hotel’s smart cocktail and champagne bar on the 23rd floor of the landmark Beetham Tower. We took the private express lift to soak up the sleek and sophisticated surrounds.

It’s a unique venue located at the highest point in Manchester and is well worth a visit. The windows are floor to ceiling and offer spectacular views. Cloud 23 is an experience which we will not forget. A magnum of Louis Roederer Cristal Brut costs £1,000 but we settled for Birra Moretti, an Italian beer at a mere £6 and Americano coffees at £4.

Years ago, a friend of mine used to say “I’m on Cloud Ten” when she was excited, but we were on “Cloud 23”! The view from the toilets was equally breath taking as there was a transfer picture of a man diving off the building.

We took a short walk to Castlefield and enjoyed a pub meal in the White Lion – a cosy, traditional olde-world pub with one of the weirdest menus you’re likely to see anywhere. Basically, the food on offer is a mixture of traditional English pub fodder, Caribbean food and Chinese.

We moved on to Castlefield to admire the canals and locks before taking the canal towpath back to the tram stop. Another enjoyable day out.

Trips & Adventures – 23 August 2018

We had a local trip to the People’s History Museum, after quenching our thirsts and filling our stomachs at the Moon Under Water. The Moon Under Water was formerly the Deansgate Picture House Cinema and I remember watching “Myra Breckinridge” there featuring Raquel Welch and Mae West, back in the day. The film is based on the book by Gore Vidal where Myron Breckinridge (Rex Reed) flies to Europe to get a sex-change operation and is transformed into the beautiful Myra (Raquel Welch) … you can guess the rest … and yes, it is outrageous!

We then walked to the People’s History Museum where there were temporary exhibitions as well as the permanent works on display. These included: Represent! Voices 100 years On – an exhibition reflecting on those who campaigned for better representation; and The Women Who Said “Yes”! – the extraordinary stories of the 17 women who stood for Parliament in the 1918 general election.

There was an opportunity to wear sashes and to vote on four major topics: Should the voting age be lowered to 16?; Do you feel that you are represented in Parliament?; Do you think voting in general elections makes a difference?; and Is it ever acceptable to break the law in protest?

We were also very impressed by the sculpture of Dr Erinma Bell OBE, a Moss Side activist who has been hailed for her work against gang violence in south Manchester. The sculpture is made from melted-down shotguns and will take pride of place inside Manchester town hall’s sculpture hall – the first-ever sculpture of a woman in the building – once the town hall re-opens after renovation. (She is also one of Stuart’s colleagues on the Diversity Panel at Granada TV).

Finally, just outside the exhibition space was the Alan Turing bee. If you don’t know a colony of decorative, super-sized worker Bee sculptures are all around Manchester bringing fun and fascination. The happy hum of creativity has become the biggest buzz around town and is bee-yond belief.